"Baby
boomers are not just an American phenomenon," says Anabel
Pelham, professor of gerontology. "Most countries in Europe
are facing the same challenge in health and human services delivery
that we are in the U.S. ... This age wave is a tsunami!"
The largest
generational group in world history is reaching the age that requires
more medical care and social assistance, like in-home
therapies and accessible clinics. There are 74 million boomers
in the United States alone. As a result, geriatric professionals worldwide
agree that existing programs will soon be overwhelmed if action isn't
taken to expand services and delivery.
"Our
mission as gerontologists over the next decade is to find new models
for delivery of health services and clear the paths to reach
it," Pelham says.
This
mission is off to a good start with $210,000 in support from the
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education of
the United States Department of Education. SFSU and two other U.S.
universities were awarded three-year grants to develop an international
curriculum in gerontology in collaboration with three European universities.
Joining SFSU in the project are faculty and students from Miami University
in Ohio and Oregon State University. Funded by European Union sources,
the participating European Union institutions are: Universidad de Salamanca
in Spain, Universitat Heidelberg's Institut fur Gerontologie in Germany
and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
Students
and faculty from the American Universities will get the opportunity
to visit and evaluate community services in Europe and their European
counterparts will visit communities in the United States.
"We plan to examine what is no longer working," Pelham
says. She envisions a global curriculum that will help to prepare
future
health and human services providers and other gerontology professionals.
Pelham
and her U.S. colleagues believe that the institution-based system
that serves
the boomers' parents may not work for the boomers
themselves. "I suspect that we will find ourselves examining a
more community-based system," Pelham says. "We need to think
of it as a 'Habitat for Aging Humanity.' Generally speaking, the boomer
generation has more discretionary funds. ... This too will factor
in the kind of models that are developed."
The process starts this June when a small group from SFSU visits
Malta to participate in a European masters program in Gerontology
Summer School.
All of the collaborators hope to effect change that will reach elders
well beyond Europe and the United States. "Ultimately," Pelham
says, "we hope we will be able to spare developing countries
from making the mistakes we do."
-- Denize
Springer
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