Symposium on Aging

A symposium exploring social justice and health care options for the elderly is being held in Pittsburgh.

Aging issues in this country aren’t new- but as the baby boomer generation gets older they are taking on a new urgency.

There are health care issues. There is policy that must be tailored for this growing population. And there is the question of housing. People want to live in communities - not institutionalized nursing homes.

A symposium addressing those issues is being held this week at Duquesne University.
Eileen Sullivan-Marx, a Dean at The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing was among the speakers. She spoke about community based long-term care facilities.

"Pennsylvania has grown the best range of community based long term care facilities. They are called living independently for elders program and Pennsylvania has more of these programs than any other state in the country and they are very effective. It’s like turning a nursing home inside out. So we’re providing all of the services that would be available in a nursing home but providing them in their homes and in their communities," she said.

Pennsylvania has the second largest elderly population in the country –and that population is only expected to grow.