VALPARAISO | Get ready to get old.

America's going to be doing a lot of aging in the next few decades and it will affect the old and young alike.

To help professionals in a range of fields who will work with the aging population, Valparaiso University will present a half-day workshop on gerontology issues April 17.

As the Baby Boom generation starts to officially retire in 2011, the demands for geriatric medical service and related social services also will boom, VU nursing professor Kris Mauk said.

Twelve percent of the U.S. population is now older than 65, Mauk said. By 2030, that number will grow to 20 percent. Those older than 85, who used be called "the frail elderly" or "the very old," are now the fastest growing segment of the population, Mauk said.

"They're not as frail as they used to be," she said.

The improved health of the elderly is a positive development, Mauk said, but it points to a growing shortage of health care professionals trained to treat them.

Most four-year nursing programs have a geriatrics component, but many medical schools are still behind in recognizing geriatrics' growing importance, she said.

That leaves "tons of opportunities" in geriatric medicine and nursing, she said.

"This is the field to be in," Mauk said. There is already a "huge need" for geriatric nurse practitioners, she said.

Baby Boomers are a savvy, educated group who will want to stay independent as long as possible, Mauk said. To do that, they will need to stay as healthy as possible and rehabilitative services will be another boom area, she said.

Next month's workshop will look at aging's impact in the fields of sociology, psychology, law, social work and nursing.

David Haber, a professor of wellness and gerontology at Ball State University, will deliver a keynote address on current and coming issues facing the study of aging.

Other sessions will address consumer fraud of older adults, substitute decision making on health care and property for the elderly, the hospitalized older adult and other issues in gerontology.

Though aimed at professionals, the workshop is open to students and the general public.