-
Feature Article
The Month of Love and Heart Health
It’s that time of year where people throughout the world exchange candy, flowers, and sentimental gifts with their loved ones, and those that they hope to love. While many of us believe—especially those who grumble at the thought of the lovey-dovey holiday—that Valentine’s Day was invented by greeting card and chocolate companies to up their profits, it actually has a long, and somewhat dark history.
Heart health advocacy organizations are hoping to add to the history of Valentine’s Day by designating the month of love “heart health month” and making it another reminder of how important it is that we protect and cherish both our loved ones and our hearts.
-
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.
-
Report
The Silver Book: Vision Loss Volume II
More than 38 million Americans age 40 and older are blind, visually impaired, or have an age-related eye disease, and adult vision loss costs our economy more than $51 billion a year. With major advances in vision research bringing new prevention and treatments, it is critical that support for research and incentives for innovation remain a priority.
In order to highlight this important data and encourage conversations and policies that look to investments in innovation rather than short-term cost-cutting and health care rationing, the Alliance for Aging Research has teamed up with the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) during their Decade of Vision, to release Volume II of The Silver Book®:Vision Loss. Volume II brings updated data on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma—which along with cataract, are the eye diseases that disproportionately impact older Americans. This new volume also highlights the exciting changes and discoveries in vision research and treatment from the past 5 years.
-
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.
-
Newsletters, Science in the Spotlight
Harnessing Technology & Science: Researchers Collaborate to Build an Unprecedented Resource
Recognizing both the power of technology and the priceless health information contained in the human genome, Kaiser Permanente and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), have formed a groundbreaking collaboration in order to produce one of the largest biobanks in the world.
-
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.
-
Get Mad Column
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: Are We Sacrificing Health for a Balanced Budget?
Last summer, lawmakers were not just feeling the heat of the August sun in Washington when Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011(BCA). Under pressure to raise the country’s debt ceiling, the BCA allowed the president to do so by up to $2.8 trillion, but only by requiring the deficit to be slashed by $2.3 trillion over the next decade. Not a bad trade, right? Think again. The methods used to make these cuts could take a fat slice out of the federal budget that pays for research to prevent diseases we all fear as we grow older like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and heart disease.
-
Alliance in the News, Science in the Spotlight
Alzheimer’s Biomarkers are Ready for Research
In a March 1
st interview, Dr. John Morris, co-chair of the Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker Expert Working Group (convened by the Alliance for Aging Research), explains what biomarkers are and how they will help research in the field of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
John C. Morris is the Harvey A. and Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Professor of Physical Therapy, and Professor of Occupational Therapy at Washington University. He also is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.For More info on the promise of biomarkers in Alzheimer's, click
here.
-
Alliance Views
Silver Scholars: Valuing Active Aging
We make decisions using economics every day. Deciding whether or not to spend money on something we usually find ourselves weighing the benefits against the costs. Should I buy an iPhone so I can check my e-mail on the train, or get the free phone and check when I get home? Should I buy the more expensive house that’s closer to work, or the one in a more affordable neighborhood with a longer commute? Should I hire someone to paint my house, or take the time to do it myself?
-
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.
-
Feature Article
Treatments for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Going Head to Head
Exciting treatments make slowing and even restoring vision loss in wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) patients a reality. Two of the most frequently used treatments are currently in the spotlight as they go head-to-head in clinical trials comparing their effectiveness, and to some extent, exploring their costs.
-
Science in the Spotlight
Managing Diabetes Innovative New Breakthroughs on the Horizon
Diabetes in the U.S. is continuing to rise at an alarming rate, fueled in large part by the obesity epidemic and our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor diets. Every year, more than 1.6 million Americans develop diabetes—joining the ranks of the more than 28 million Americans who already have the disease.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Get Mad Column
CAN You Help Find a Cure?: Funding May Mean the Difference Between Life and Death
After a long fought battle over how best to structure meaningful health reform legislation, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law in March. Many media sources are reporting on the negative financial impact some health reform provisions might have on the country, but little attention has been focused on positive aspects of the bill that could make a real difference in the lives of many people suffering from, or who will face, serious and life-threatening illnesses.
-
Document, Report
The Silver Book: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation--Diabetes
The first volume of The Silver Book was launched in 2006 and has quickly become a trusted resource for health policy practitioners. The Silver Book®: Diabetes is the latest volume in this important collection. Each section in the volume includes charts, statistics, and key findings that together paint a comprehensive picture of the burden of diabetes and the tremendous potential of innovation. Much of the data focuses on the older population.
-
Report
2009 Task Force on Aging Research Funding
The 2009 Task Force on Aging Research Funding--more than 65 non-partisan disease groups, patient advocates, and foundations--urges Congress and the President to restore a national commitment to medical research on behalf of America's aging population. This year's report of the Task Force calls for a at least a 7% increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health in FY 2010. It also presents data on the burden of diseases and conditions that predominately affect older Americans, highlights the emerging research 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.
-
Get Mad Column
Empowering Patients with Information and Improving Care
No one can deny that our country’s health care spending is reaching an unmanageable level. In 2006 we spent over $2 trillion on health care and some experts predict that we’ll be spending twice that much by 2017. While you might assume that population growth is causing these increases—more people usually means more health care—we’re also seeing a rise in the amount of money that we spend on each person.
-
Document
Bone Health of Americans is in Jeopardy
In an Alliance for Aging Research, National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) joint briefing, Dr. Joan Lappe presented on the human burden of osteoporosis and the need for continued research into prevention and treatment options. Her slides are available here.
-
Document
The Value of Innovation in Osteoporosis
In an Alliance for Aging Research, National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) joint briefing, Rachael Fleurence, PhD, presented on the current economic burden of osteoporosis and the value of innovation in reducing that burden. Her slides are available here.
-
Brochure, Report
The Silver Book: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation--Osteoporosis
The first volume of The Silver Book was launched in 2006 and has quickly become a trusted resource for health policy practitioners. The Silver Book®: Osteoporosis includes charts, statistics, and key findings that together paint a comprehensive picture of the burden of osteoporosis and the tremendous potential of innovation. Much of the data focuses on the older population—those most at risk for osteoporosis-related fractures.
-
Science in the Spotlight
Inhibiting Key Enzyme Blocks Heart Muscle Cell Death
Exciting findings reported in the May 2 issue of Cell ratchet up interest in an enzyme known as CaM kinase as a potential target for therapy in the treatment of heart disease.
-
Document
The Burden and Future Implications of
Adult Visual Disorders in the United States
In an Alliance for Aging Research, National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) joint briefing, David Rein, PhD, presented on the current economic burden of vision loss and the potential future impact. His slides are available here.
-
Document
Age-Related Maculopathy:
What it is, what we know, what we need to learn
In an Alliance for Aging Research, National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR briefing, Dr. Michael Gorin presented on age-related maculopathy, an eye disease that affects millions of Americans. His presentation slides are available here.
-
Document
Future Perspectives on Diabetes: What can we do for seniors?
In the last of four briefings looking at the growing burden of chronic disease and the promise of medical innovation, Dr. William Rowley of The Institute for Alternative Futures, presented on Future Perspectives of Diabetes. His presentation slides are available here.
-
Document
The Burden of Diabetes and the Promise of Biomedical Research
In the last of four briefings looking at the growing burden of chronic disease and the promise of medical innovation, Dr. John Anderson of the American Diabetes Association's National Advocacy Committee, presented on The Burden of Diabetes and the Promise of Biomedical Research. His presentation slides are available here.
-
Report
The Silver Book: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation--Vision Loss
The Silver Book is a unique almanac of references that the Alliance has compiled to spotlight the impact of chronic disease on our aging population and health care system, and the significant impact medical breakthroughs will have on future health care use and expenditures. The Vision Loss Volume looks at vision loss generally, and highlights data on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma--which along with cataract are the eye diseases that disproportionately affect older Americans.
-
Feature Article
Keeping Up the Fight Against Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease is a classic “good news, bad news” story. Although improved treatments have led to lower death rates, an aging and overweight population poses challenges for the U.S. health care system, experts said at a recent briefing in Washington, D.C.
-
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.
-
Alliance Views
Preparing for the Silver Tsunami
Whenever you open a newspaper or magazine these days, you’re likely to find an article exhorting baby boomers to plan for retirement—telling them to save more, to learn about portfolio planning, and to project their financial needs for decades to come.
-
Science in the Spotlight
Ten Medical Innovations to Watch
Thanks to new medical innovations, every five years for the past 30 years, life expectancies have been extended by a year.
-
Report
The Silver Book:
Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in an Aging Nation
The Silver Book is a unique almanac of references that the Alliance has compiled to spotlight the impact of chronic disease on our aging population and health care system, and the significant impact medical breakthroughs will have on future health care use and expenditures. Much of the information on this topic is buried in dense and detailed reports and peer-reviewed papers and is spread out amongst many important publications.
The Silver Book brings together statistics and data culled from over 130 of these reports and articles, from more than 85 agencies, organizations, and experts. The information is presented in an easy-to-use format that we hope brings it to the fingertips of those shaping policy.
The Silver Book is also available on-line in a searchable database that is regularly updated. Visit
The Silver Book On-line to find the latest data, download presentation slides, submit data, and find-out about
Silver Book events.
-
Document
The Best Minds in the Business:
SAGE Crossroads Trading Cards
Use the SAGE Expert Cards as a quick reference to some of the nation's leaders in the science of aging, research, and policy. The SAGE Expert Cards will introduce you to people who are shaping and influencing this exciting field and connect you with the important work that they are doing.
This first edition pack includes 50 cards. Each card includes a photograph, quick summary of the researcher's work, and essential information such as specialty and favorite gene.
-
Science in the Spotlight
Tiny Tales
We are on the verge of a new age of discovery that would pique the curiosity of Galileo, Newton, and Einstein.
-
Alliance Views
Guiding Principles
To ensure that its work is consistent and productive, the Alliance has established the following set of five principles, or overarching goals, that guide all Alliance policy and advocacy initiatives:
-
Report
Redesigning Healthcare for an Aging Nation:
A Congressional Forum Sponsored by the Alliance for Aging Research
This report, based on the transcripts of a Congressional forum on March 17, 2003, highlights the experts' opinions on how technological innovation is being used to meet the changing needs of the United States' healthcare system.
Learn more about discoveries in biomedical research and current policies and regulations that may help ensure that future public policy encourages a strong and robust medical research environment. With the impending age boom in 2010, our nation must have a healthcare system in place that is prepared for the millions of Americans who will be living with chronic diseases, and that is able to foster the development of future treatments to meet their needs.
-
Get Mad Column
Don't Let Medicare Squelch the Promise of New Medical Technology
When throat cancer forced a Pennsylvania physics professor to have his larynx removed, he thought his lecturing days were over.
-
Report
Research At Risk
This document is intended to increase understanding of the interplay between Medicare reform, prescription drug coverage, and continued progress of biomedical research in America.
-
Alliance Views
Rewinding The Aging Clock At Last: Here Come The Gero-techs!
It may be humankind's oldest dream - somehow to cheat the processes of aging and death.
-
Science in the Spotlight
Take a Gene Tweak And Call Me In The Morning
You want cutting edge? Try this: in the health care world of tomorrow, simple blood tests accurately forecast a person's life long predisposition to disease.
