Healthcare professionals seek to make elderly care more efficient, less costly

LOS ANGELES Of all the country’s looming issues, one is unavoidable: In 20 years, 20% of the population will be 65 or older.

Healthcare professionals recently gathered at the seventh annual Leadership and Management in Geriatrics Conference in Los Angeles to find approaches to the problem.

“Our goal is to make quality care for the elderly more efficient and less costly,” conference convener Don Osterweil said in a statement. “To do that, healthcare professionals need to hone their leadership and management skills.”

Osterweil said “a serious gap” existed in the professional development of physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals who work in clinical and academic settings related to geriatric care.

The nonprofit SCAN Health Plan, the University of California at Los Angeles Academic Geriatric Resource Center and the California Geriatric Education Center sponsored the conference.