2020 Press Releases

New York (July 9, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today joined organizations across health care, international development, and science in criticizing the Trump Administration’s move to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Simply put: The WHO is vital to who we are—and who we can become—as we age,” notes AGS President Annette Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF. “At a time when so many hard-won victories for creating  age-friendly communities and health are jeopardized by crises like COVID-19, we need to stand indivisible and support international cooperation critical to high-quality, person-centered care for us all.”

As the United Nations agency responsible for public health, the WHO has played a key role in improving health, safety, and independence for us all as we age. Founded after World War II, the WHO employs more than 7,000 workers spread across 150 offices that alert the world to threats, fighting diseases, developing policy, and improving access to care, including for older adults.

• .@AmerGeriatrics commends @SenBobCasey @SenWhitehouse @RepAnnaEshoo @JanSchakowsky for introducing S3768 and HR6972, proposals in Senate and House to address #COVID19 in nursing homes http://ow.ly/wKE330qVHaq

New York (July 2, 2020)—As its more than 6,000 members continue to care for older Americans impacted by COVID-19, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today thanked Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and House Representatives Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) for contributing to those efforts with nursing home COVID-19 protection and prevention acts introduced in the U.S. Senate (S.3768) and House of Representatives (H.R. 6972), respectively. With estimates suggesting that long-term care facilities account for 30 to 40 percent of U.S. COVID-19 deaths, actions to safe-guard residents and those who care for them are not just important, they are absolutely essential to improving health and safety for us all, AGS experts observed.

New York (June 12, 2020)—New insights on a host of factors impacting medication use for older adults will anchor a special research presentation hosted by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) on June 24 from 3-4pm ET. Originally scheduled as part of the AGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting canceled due to COVID-19, data presentations from the three top studies comprising the meeting’s prestigious Plenary Paper Session will instead be delivered during a virtual conference session, with registration open to all here.

Presentations will address a key concern for us all as we age: Medication and medication management. Older adults are prescribed medications more than any other age group in the U.S. While these prescriptions often play an important role in health and well-being, they can also lead to other problems when not managed effectively. In the three presentations included in the AGS Plenary Paper Session, researchers will look critically at top-ranked studies representing from the field:

New York (June 3, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today honored 18 leading health professionals who joined the newest class of AGS Fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age.

This year’s fellows hail from all four corners of the country and reflect the increasingly interprofessional nature of geriatrics as a field attracting doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, social workers, and many others. They include:

New York (June 2, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS), which today issued an updated position statement on discrimination, joins advocates across the country calling for justice and changes to policies that have allowed racism to persist in our society.

"In the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic alone has only exacerbated devastating impacts on Black and African American communities and many other racial and ethnic groups," explained AGS CEO Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. "Today's challenges not only expose racial inequities but also emphasize why action is critical, when many economic and social policies continue to jeopardize health and well-being for people of color."

As noted in its statement, the AGS believes in a just society—one where all people are treated equally regardless of their age, ancestry, cultural background, disability, ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, immigration status, nationality, marital and/or familial status, primary language, race, religion, socioeconomic status, and/or sexual orientation.