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Fact Sheet
The Silver Book: Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation impacts between 2.7 and 6.1 million adults and can lead to stroke, heart failure, dementia, disability, and death. It also costs a tremendous amount of money--at least $6.65 billion each year. This latest factsheet from The Silver Book brings the leading data on the burden of the disease and the value of innovation to reduce that burden, all into one place.
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Feature Article, Newsletters
Do We Have to Age the Way We Age? Dan Perry Takes This Question to the TEDMED Stage
TEDMED is most known for its annual conference--a medical spin-off from the TED conference where people come to share big ideas and foster new ones. But TEDMED is also a community of people who are all passionate about the future of health and medicine, but in amazingly different ways.
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Alliance Views, Newsletters
Know Your Pulse: It Could Save Your Life
Think back and try to remember if your doctor or another health care professional checked your pulse during your last visit? Not with a stethoscope but with their fingers on your wrist? If you’re like many people you’re sure that they listened to your heart and checked your blood pressure, but you’re also pretty sure no one has taken your pulse in a while.
While listening to your heart with a stethoscope helps your doctor evaluate the functioning of your heart and its valves, a simple pulse check can better evaluate your heart’s rate and rhythm.
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Science in the Spotlight
Under Treatment of a Treatable Disease: T.A.K.E. on Glaucoma
An estimated 2.3 million Americans are living with glaucoma and because it is a disease of aging, that number is expected to climb during this decade—surpassing 3.3 million by 2020—a 50% increase. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that are associated with elevated eye pressure that can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss. That vision loss can usually be prevented with early detection and proper treatment and disease management, yet glaucoma continues to be one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S.
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Feature Article
Go4Life: NIA Campaign Encourages Exercise at All Ages
Exercise is good for your health. Not surprising right? We’ve all watched countless news reports and read stacks of stories extolling the virtues of regular exercise. So why do
only 30% of adults between the ages of 45 and 64 report that they engage in regular physical activity? That number gets even lower as we age with
only 25% of people between the ages of 65 and 74, and
11% of those ages 85 and older, saying that they exercise regularly. Keep in mind that those numbers are probably higher than reality because people tend to over-estimate how much they exercise when they are reporting it to others.
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Alliance Views
The Common Denominator: The Key to Extending Healthspan
Most people know what lifespan is—the average length of life of a species, often measured within a sub-population like “Americans” or “women.” Essentially—how long we live. But few have even heard of healthspan. Dictionary.com defines it as the “period of one’s life during which one is generally healthy and free from serious disease.” Essentially—how long we live in good health.
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Document, Fact Sheet
Detecting Glaucoma: Assessing Your Eye Health with a Comprhensive Eye Exam
This tip sheet tells you what to expect during a comprehensive eye exam--the key to detecting glaucoma and preventing its serious consequences.
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Document
Our T.A.K.E. on Glaucoma
A Declaration from the Glaucoma Working Group to Take Action to Know your Eyes
Today, more than 40 million Americans are age 65 or older. By 2050, it is estimated that figure will rise to 88.5 million. Our nation is aging rapidly, and this demographic shift likely means longer hospital stays, more doctor visits, and greater healthcare expenditures for more and more Americans. If you're a Baby Boomer and looking ahead to your silver years, you already have plenty to think about: retirement, the economy, elderly parents, and young adult children. It's hard to find time to focus on your health--especially if you feel healthy!
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Report
The Silver Book: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in an Aging Nation - Thrombosis
This latest volume in the important Silver Book collection focuses on atrial fibrillation, stroke, and venous thromboembolism--three of the most common causes of and results of thrombosis. The data in this volume emphasize the tremendous burden of thrombosis, especially as our population ages, as well as the potential value of innovation in reducing this burden.
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Document
The Severe Burden of Diabetes on America's Seniors
In an Alliance for Aging Research and American Diabetes Association joint briefing, Dr. William Rowley from The Institute for Alternative Futures presented on the economic burden of diabetes and the need for continued research into prevention, management and treatment options. His slides are available here.
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Document
Human Burden of Diabetes and The Importance of Research
In an Alliance for Aging Research and American Diabetes Association joint briefing, Dr. K.M. Venkat Narayan from Emory University in Atlanta presented on the human burden of diabetes and the need for continued research into prevention, management and treatment options. His slides are available here.
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Science in the Spotlight
Our Sick Environment: Threatening Healthy Aging
Headlines continue to be filled with news about how we are “pre-programmed” for disease, but our genes are not the only things putting us at risk. When it comes to age-related chronic diseases, major risk factors like genetics, age, gender, and environmental factors appear to interact to cause disease.
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Science in the Spotlight
Long Living in the Blue Zones
You’ve probably heard that Americans are living longer than ever—in fact the average baby born today can expect to live to be 78 years old. But did you know there are close to 50 other countries with even longer life expectancies?
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Science in the Spotlight
Finding the Science Behind Alternative Medicine
More and more Americans are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat a variety of their ailments and help them fight diseases. In fact, a national survey found that more than one-third of adults use some form of CAM. Despite this widespread use, many of these therapies are not supported by science and little is known about how or if they work.
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Document
Standing Strong: Preventing Osteoporosis Podcast
What foods are good for your bones and which ones may be hurting them? What exercise is best for warding off weak bones? When should you start getting your bones scanned?
Find out the answers and get other interesting tips on prevention and treatment in this podcast with Dr. Michelle Bellantoni from Johns Hopkins University. An expert in osteoporosis, Dr. Bellantoni discusses the details of prevention and talks about some of the latest news and research on osteoporosis. To listen to this podcast, click
here.
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Brochure, Fact Sheet
Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment: Algorithm and Resources for Health Care Professionals
This laminated clipboard tool is an easy-to-use, go-to resource for physicians and other health care professionals. The tool includes treatment guidelines, a chart of FDA-approved osteoporosis medications, and tips on discussing prevention and risk factor reduction with patients. The treatment algorithm provides step-by-step diagnostic and treatment instructions based on a person's age, gender, and health status.
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Feature Article
Tools to Help Women Take Charge of Their Bone Health
Osteoporosis, also known as porous bone disease, is a silent disease; often the first symptom is a broken bone. It poses a serious risk to older, post-menopausal women, although men can develop the disease also. Ten million Americans have osteoporosis, and 34 million suffer from osteopenia or low bone mass, which increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. The aging of the baby boomer generation will boost these numbers to 52 million by 2010.
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Alliance Views
Chronic Disease: An Election Issue
With the first 2008 presidential primaries now mere weeks away, issues important to all Americans are gaining momentum in the national dialogue. As voters evaluate the candidates vying for their support, they must decide who best addresses their priorities and concerns.
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Alliance Views
Building "Elder Friendly" Communities
It is no secret that America’s population is aging at a rapid rate. As the Baby Boomers grow older, the United States will be faced with a daunting demographic shift: by 2030, it is estimated that persons over the age of 65 will represent 20% of the population of the United States, some 71.5 million Americans.
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Report
2007 Task Force Report on Aging Research Funding
The 2007 Task Force on Aging Research Funding--more than 85 non-partisan disease groups, patient advocates, and foundations--urges Congress and the President to chart a better course for medical research on behalf of America's aging population. This year's report of the Task Force calls for a 6.7% increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health in FY 2008. It also presents data on the burden of 27 diseases and conditions that predominately affect older Americans, highlights some of the exciting work the NIH is doing to decrease these burdens, and serves as a resource for policymakers working to establish the funding levels necessary to advance healthy aging.
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Get Mad Column
Ageism Part II: Prevention and Treatment for the Elderly
The perception of older Americans as frail, dependent, and isolated may be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Feature Article
Sun and Skin...An Unhealthy Partnership
After a long winter spent inside, many of us welcome the appearance of the sun and the return of warm weather.
