Mara Nobel: The Declining Quality of Geriatric Care

Name: Mara Nobel, Class of 2011 graduate

Senior Mastery Project: According to the Administration of Aging, one out of every eight people in the United States is 65 or older (as of 2009), which means the demand for geriatric care is on the rise. Through her research, Nobel learned that despite the growing need for high quality geriatric care, the number of students studying geriatric medicine continues to decrease. As a result, elderly patients are often working with doctors who have little to no experience with geriatric care.

Why she selected this topic: While volunteering with the Alzheimer's Resource Center in Plantsville, she developed an interest in issues concerning the elderly.

"It was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed working with the patients...and because of it, I’m going into occupational therapy in college," Nobel said.

A Disturbing Fact: Approximately 1.1 million senior citizens give up meals in order to pay for medication, Nobel read in Laura K. Egendorf's An Aging Population: Opposing Viewpoints, which cites America's Second Harvest for the statistic.

A Way to Improve Medical Care for the Elderly: "More medical schools should offer geriatric training and classes...because only about 10 percent of medical schools actually offer any geriatric care," Nobel said.

About Nobel: While attending Avon High School, she was involved with student government, Avon Club and Yearbook. This fall, she's heading to Boston University.

Editor's Note: Hey, Avon Class of 2011 graduating seniors! Do you want your senior master project featured on Avon Patch? E-mail the information to Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com, along with a photo of you and your project. Parents, you can submit on behalf of your children as well. We will be spotlighting one senior mastery project a day, Mondays through Fridays, throughout the entire summer.