In a recent URAC blog post, they explain why telehealth delivers support to overwhelmed geriatric mental health network.
Even as the “graying” of the American population continues to increase at unprecedented levels, fewer than 50 new geriatric psychiatrists graduate from domestic universities each year, says Michael Hasselberg, Ph.D., RN, PMHNP-BC, director of telepsychiatry and director, Project ECHO, University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).
Hasselberg will present a session, “Leveraging Technology to Transform Behavioral Health Integration into Long-Term Care," at the Telemed Leadership Forum 2019, April 3-5 in Washington, DC.
Between 2012 and 2050, the United States will experience considerable growth in its older population, according to a May 2014 report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2050, the population aged 65 and over is projected to be 83.7 million, almost double its estimated population of 43.1 million in 2012. The baby boomers are largely responsible for this increase in the older population, as they began turning 65 in 2011. By 2050, the surviving baby boomers will be over the age of 85.
Closer to home for Hasselberg, the number of adults age 65 or older will almost double from 2.5 million in 2016 to 4 million by 2030 in New York state, and the number of elderly patients with mental illness is expected to rise from 495,000 to 772,000 by that time, according to the New York State Office of Mental Health.
Clearly, the number of skilled geriatric psychiatrists in the pipeline is in no way ready to meet the demand of an aging population in New York or, indeed, nationwide.