Show-Me State Times

Saint Louis University (SLU) has been awarded a five-year Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant amounting to $5 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This initiative, led by Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D., MSW, professor emerita in social work, and Max Zubatsky, Ph.D., LMFT, associate professor in family and community medicine, is set to enhance healthcare services for older adults across Missouri and southern Illinois.

The program aims to train healthcare workers on issues such as dementia, loneliness, caregiver well-being, and other challenges faced by older adults. It targets all eight Missouri U.S. Congressional districts and areas of Southern Illinois that are medically underserved or rural. The funding will facilitate improved education and care access while integrating age- and dementia-friendly approaches.

Berg-Weger emphasized the importance of educating professionals who interact with older adults. “Over the last decade, we have educated not only professionals who specialize in geriatrics but all professionals who work with older adults,” she said. She highlighted the various ways support can be provided to older adults.

Zubatsky pointed out the increasing need for trained healthcare providers due to longer lifespans. “As adults live longer, there will be more opportunities to thrive but also more chronic illnesses and caregiver demands,” he stated. He noted the significance of expanding the workforce dedicated to older adult care.

The grant will address poverty, social inequities, and health disparities by supporting organizations across Missouri's rural areas and urban centers lacking necessary services. SLU faculty will assist partnering sites in becoming "age-friendly." The project includes clinical rotations for students, behavioral health services for dementia care, an interprofessional geriatric collaborative case competition, and a new apprenticeship program for certified nursing assistants in long-term care settings.

The initiative involves 17 SLU faculty members from various schools within the university. Collaborating organizations include Northside Youth and Senior Services Center in St. Louis; Mercy Hospital Perry in Perryville; Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston; Southern Illinois Health Foundation in Fairview Heights; Northeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging in Kirksville; Memory Care Home Services in St. Louis; University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing in Columbia; VOYCE Long-term Care Ombudsman Program in St. Louis.