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As Population Grows Older, Geriatricians Grow Scarce

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¿ More than 50 medical schools have added elder care to their medical programs. The David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles recently revamped its curriculum to include geriatrics, and the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City requires a third-year rotation in geriatrics.

¿ Since 2001, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation in Las Vegas has given $150 million to fund geriatrics training at 30 medical schools. The John A. Hartford Foundation in New York has doled out $40 million to 27 schools.

"There's still a ways to go," says AGS President Todd Semla.

At the same time, though, critics such as retired bioethicist Daniel Callahan wonder whether the investment in geriatrics is worth the social cost. "Are we going to continue funding programs for the elderly at a time when so many people have no health coverage?" Callahan asks. ¿

Howard Kim is a Los Angeles-based freelance reporter who covers the health-care field. Comments:health@washpost.com.

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