Unrecognized lack of geriatric education and training
A number of the articles in this issue of Generations highlight the fact that the importance of geriatric and gerontological education and training is not widely recognized by most individuals and groups that have a stake in the current and future status of our health and long-term-care system. These include the majority of policy makers, regulators, providers, educators, and consumers. Even those who believe in the new models of care that are described by Katz and Frank (page 82) and Reinhard (page 75) in this issue, assume that if financial and regulatory incentives are aligned, the development and implementation of person-centered, integrated, coordinated care programs will magically occur. Unfortunately, the lack of attention to and wide-scale adoption of geriatric and gerontological principles and best practices could translate into program failure and the squandering of precious resources.