Prairieview Trust donates $600,000 to endow professorship at UF College of Nursing for geriatric research
With a generation of baby boomers growing older, the nation faces a severe shortage of health professionals trained to care for the aging population. Coupled with a severe nursing shortage, the problem is predicted to grow increasingly worse.
To help address these issues, the Gainesville-based Prairieview Trust recently gave a $600,000 gift to support the first-ever professorship to focus on excellence in geriatric care at the University of Florida College of Nursing. The college has applied for state matching funds as part of the State of Florida Major Gifts Trust Fund.
Endowing a professorship with an emphasis on aging is fitting, given the Trust’s interest in and support of the development of Oak Hammock, a UF-affiliated continuous care retirement community designed to develop a positive and healthy lifestyle for older adults, said Fred Henderson of the Prairieview Trust.
“We felt that a gift toward the advancement of knowledge in the care of geriatric patients was an appropriate tie-in with Oak Hammock,” Henderson said. “We saw an opportunity to maximize the benefits of this type of research.”
By 2030, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 and older, up from 12.4 percent in 2000, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Master’s and doctorally prepared geriatric nurses are equipped to improve outcomes of care, promote quality of life and provide comprehensive care for older adults. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, though the need for geriatric nurses has been identified, the number of students pursuing this field of expertise has not expanded sufficiently.
In addition, the latest data by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects that by 2020, Florida will need 61,000 more nurses than expected to be available. What’s more, faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country are contributing to the overall decline in new enrollments at a time when the need for nurses is continuing to grow. In the academic year 2000-01, U.S. nursing schools turned away almost 6,000 qualified applicants primarily due to insufficient number of faculty, according to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing report on nursing programs.
Margo Powers, a member of the UF College of Nursing’s Dean’s Advisory Circle who played a role in encouraging the gift, said that furthering research in geriatric nursing is crucial given the large number of aging people in Florida.
“The nursing shortage is one of the issues that we have to put our minds to now, especially with so many of us living longer,” Powers said. “The Prairieview Trust supports the UF College of Nursing in geriatric nursing research and education.”
With 19 percent of Florida’s population over the age of 65, the state is a living laboratory for the study of many issues related to aging, and the Prairieview professorship will further the college’s strong focus on aging research.
“The study of social and health problems associated with aging and geriatric care is identified as a core focus of the UF Strategic Plan,” said Kathleen Ann Long, Ph.D., R.N.C.S., F.A.A.N, dean of the college. “The support given by the Prairieview Trust will enable the college to recruit a nursing faculty member and researcher who is expertly trained in these areas and can enhance the level of geriatric education and research in Florida and the nation.”