Legal & Financial

UAB Center for Aging Plays Active Role in Studying, Shaping Aging-Related Policy Issues

America’s population is rapidly changing. The “baby boomer” generation is beginning to enter senior adulthood — marking the start of the long-anticipated “Graying of America.” In the year 2000, 35 million Americans were over the age of 65 — a 12 percent increase from 1990. But did you know that number is projected to more than double by the year 2030?

And with the sharp increase in our population’s percentage of older Americans, the health care and social needs of this group are gaining increasing attention and scrutiny — and rightly so. “Older American have specialized health care and social needs,” explains Julie Locher, PhD, MSPH, UAB Director of the UAB Public Policy and Aging Program, a part of the UAB Center for Aging and Lister Hill Center for Health Policy. “Several important policy issues must be thoughtfully addressed so that our nation can be prepared with the resources and programs needed to meet the needs of older Americans.”

The UAB Center for Aging — an interdisciplinary community comprised of more than 140 diverse faculty members — is leading the way in bringing critical aging-related policy issues to the forefront. The Center’s members are actively engaged in conducting aging policy research, providing educational programs, and conducting community outreach and clinical programs all designed to improve and enhance the quality of life for older Americans. “Through research and educational programs targeted to current and future public policy makers, the Center for Aging is addressing and shaping important policy issues affecting older Americans,” observes Dr. Locher.

Providing a Forum for Key Policy Issues

“A key emerging healthcare policy issue is the anticipated national shortage of formal and informal caregivers needed to provide care for the elderly in the coming years,” Dr. Locher explains. To address this important issue, the UAB Center for Aging — in partnership with AARP of Alabama — sponsored a conference entitled, “The Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans.” Held on April 22, 2008, the conference brought together geriatric academic thought leaders from across the country to identify and discuss the health care needs of the rapidly growing and diverse population of Americans over age 65. “A primary focus of the conference was to determine how state governments, universities, and municipalities can best partner together in preparing a work force to provide care for this group.”

Preparing Incoming Health Care Leaders and Policy Makers

Through teaching in the university setting, Center for Aging faculty members are playing an active role in training and preparing the next generation of health care leaders and public policy makers. “I teach a graduate-level course entitled, ‘Aging Policy,’ that presents an overview of past, current, and future trends in aging policy and the factors that shape those policies,” says Dr. Locher. She adds that the class is composed of a diverse group of graduate students – some of whom are physician fellows. “The majority of students are obtaining advanced degrees in health care administration. These are the people who will be in charge of hospitals and long-term care facilities. It’s vital that they have an in-depth understanding of the aging-related policy issues that will shape and guide their professional decisions.”

Conducting Important Aging Policy Research

The UAB Center for Aging is a leader in groundbreaking, internationally recognized research that examines the impact of public policy on the lives of older Americans. “An example of important aging policy research that has been spearheaded by the Center for Aging is a study conducted by Meredith Kilgore, PhD,” explains Dr. Locher. A Center for Aging faculty member, Dr. Kilgore examined the effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 — which limited Medicare reimbursement of home health services — on actual home health services use. “This study helped to determine the impact of the legislation on the lives of older adults,” Dr. Locher adds.

While the study did find there was a predicted decline in the use of home health services because of the legislation, an unexpected finding emerged from the study. “The study found that while home health use among patients with terminal illness did decline, the use of hospice services increased,” explains Dr. Locher. “The study received international recognition and is providing a springboard for other important studies examining the impact of policies on the lives of older Americans.”