The 65 and older population will grow in the U.S. from 46 million in 2014 to 88 million in 2050 (Colby & Ortman, 2014, p. 5). During those decades, the percentage of 65-and-older population compared to the total population of the U.S. and World will also increase.
This growth will likely result in an increased need for treatment, management, prevention, and wellness resources specifically for older adults as well as their caregivers. There are already a number of sites created for older adults by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and other Health and Human Services agencies.
NIHSeniorHealth,
https://nihseniorhealth.gov/, is a portal for older adults to search many government sites at once for health topics pertinent to them and caregivers. They can also browse topics and categories such as
Bladder Health,
Creating a Family Health History, and
Talking with Your Doctor.
NIHSeniorHealth also has a
Toolkit for Trainers for those that help older adults find reliable information. The toolkit includes lesson plans, promotional flyers for students and trainers, and a tip sheet on creating a “senior friendly computer classroom.”
Go4Life®,
https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/, from the National Institute on Aging at NIH focuses on fitting in exercise and physical activity into older adults’ daily lives. There are resources for various activity levels and abilities including videos, exercise guides, tips, and success stories.
MedlinePlus,
https://medlineplus.gov/, has a great deal of health information for all ages. Seniors may be most interested in Health Topics such as
Health Aging or
Seniors’ Health. If print information is preferred, sign up for a free subscription to
NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. Librarians can even order the magazine in bulk. If Spanish is the primary language, try
https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/.
National Institute on Aging (NIA) Publications has resources available in
Spanish and a few
other languages. Many of these are easy to read online, save, or print. Examples include
Menopause: Treatment for Symptoms,
Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease, and
Online Health Information: Can You Trust It? AgePage. One that seniors and caregivers may find useful in communicating with doctors, surgeons, and other health professionals is
Talking with Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People.
A document that seniors may want to have when talking with their doctors is the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Pill Card. People can download this document to customize their own card for keeping track of medicines.
In addition to these online resources, don’t forget about area agencies on aging. In Omaha, we have the
Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, and other Nebraska area agencies can be found at
http://nebaaaa.org/locations.html.
If you have questions about these resources, please contact me at
AnnetteParde-Maass@creighton.edu or 402-280-4156.
Works Cited
Colby, S. L. & J. M. Ortman. (2014). Projections of the size and composition of the U.S. population: 2014 to 2060.
Current Population Reports, P25-1143. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p25-1143.pdf
*Note: 65 and Older Population will also be referred to as “seniors” and “older adults.” These terms can also include a larger age-range and many of the resources listed here are relevant to those ages as well.
**Information provided by:
Annette Parde-Maass
Community and Global Health Librarian
Creighton University Health Sciences Library
National Network of Libraries of Medicine MidContinental Region
AnnetteParde-Maass@creighton.edu
402.280.4156
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