People who dedicate their careers to geriatrics and care of older adults tell us that their career choice is often received by colleagues in other fields with incredulity. Something along the lines of: “You seem like a smart person, why would you want to do that?”

Today, we unveil a short video that is our best effort to explain why we want to do that. Drawing on the voices of Hartford Foundation staff and long-time grantees, we share the story of our mission to improve the care of older adults. It covers the history of the Foundation’s work in aging and health and our recent decision to shift from a focus on academic capacity building toward improving practice.

http://youtu.be/FIMtjuRv1lw

I’d especially like to thank our grantees who took part in the video:

Mathy Mezey, EdD, RN, FAAN, Senior Research Scientist, Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing at New York University

Rosanne Leipzig, MD, Professor of Geriatric s and Palliative Medicine, Director, Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

Patricia J. Volland, MSW, MBA, Director, Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education, Social Work Leadership Institute of the New York Academy of Medicine

Please take a few minutes to watch it and let us know what you think.