New trends indicate that physician assistants and nurse practitioners are
prepared to help fill the gaps in geriatrics health care:
1. These allied health professionals have demonstrated that they can perform
approximately 80% of primary care tasks at no quality sacrifice.
2. Large procentage of physician assistants patients are over the age of 65.
3. Physician assistant training programs have incorporated a fivefold increase
in geriatric courses into their curricula since 1980.