Geriatricians are running short just as the need heads skyward.
Unless the nation changes the way it views medical care, those who plan to get old better plan not to get sick.

The problem is the shortage of geriatricians to care for a tidal wave of older patients.

The leading edge of more than 70 million baby boomers is turning 60, and eventually will need care designed to meet the needs of the aging.
Locally, about one in five residents are age 65 or older, with that total headed upward fast.

Supporting an increase in geriatric training will do more than boost their health. It will reduce bills for medical errors caused by a lack of knowledge of their special health challenges.

And by keeping seniors more healthy, it will reduce the need for costly long-term care.

Already, the U.S. has less than half the elder-care specialists it needs, and unless there's a change, that will drop to one-third of the specialists by 2030.
Medical schools -- especially those in Florida, which relies on seniors for much of its economic health -- should vastly expand their geriatric course offerings and requirements.

On the legislative side, Congress should pass some of the smart bills now under consideration, including ones that seek : 
Partial forgiveness of medical-school loans for those who study geriatrics. 
Financial incentives for more geriatric residencies in hospitals. 

Higher payments for doctors to treat Medicare patients.
Geriatrics is one of the lowest-paying specialties, mainly because Medicare payment levels are low, said Anderson, former president of AARP's Merritt Island chapter.

Better pay also would encourage far more people to go into the field - and considering the years it takes to educate a geriatrician, the U.S. is already too far behind