“I think the fundamental problem in this country is – we don’t understand what aging really is.”

Phil Scalo knows and understands about aging, and the unique challenges senior citizens face. He is one of the founders of the Institute for Gerontology (IFG) at Felician University and serves on its advisory board. Felician created the Institute in 2013 to address the human, societal, and health conditions of a growing elderly population in the United States.

Mr. Scalo brings decades of experience in the field of gerontology to the IFG. He is the President and CEO of Bartley Healthcare, and one of the founders of the company. Bartley offers award-winning long- term care, skilled nursing, rehab, memory care, and assisted living to seniors.

A Rutgers Law School graduate, Phil Scalo practiced law for many years, often representing physicians in the healthcare sector. He sits on the Board of Governors of the American Health Care Association, serving as Secretary and Treasurer.

Mr. Scalo says problems in the senior population must first be identified and then addressed from an academic perspective, by “doing studies on aging in America and looking at how Felician can be part of the solution. It all comes down to getting the services to where they are needed.” That in turn can lead to analysis that could result in needed public policy changes to best serve the senior demographic.

Whether you call it “the age wave” or “the silver tsunami,” the senior demographic is a growing one, and most people do not want to become a burden on their family as they grow older. Mr. Scalo says when it comes to the senior population in the U.S. a big concern will be making sure there are the necessary resources to take care of them.

For those working in the field of gerontology the challenge is to continually provide ways for seniors to age with dignity. It is important work that Mr. Scalo says both the government and academia should support, and that includes Felician’s Institute for Gerontology which is ideally situated to “deal with policy issues, calling them to the forefront, while also providing the education programs that will be needed to address these programs.”

IFG works to engage businesses, non-profit agencies, health care organizations, and educational partners the Institute for Gerontology expects to make a meaningful difference in the lives of seniors.

In addition to being a member of IFG, Phil and his wife Marilyn, a member of the Felician Board of Trustees, along with Bartley Healthcare, are proud supporters of Felician University and have endowed both the Bartley Healthcare Nursing Scholarship and Bartley Healthcare/Scalo Family Nursing Scholarship.