This is the next entry in the Who We Are blog series.
As we get older, we are at an increased risk for chronic diseases of aging. It’s just part of the aging process (although experts are hoping to change this). Of the total older adult population, over 90 percent of people have a chronic condition such as heart disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s disease. More than 75 percent of older adults have two or more.
The Alliance has long been a proponent of research’s potential to find cures for these diseases, and we will continue to do so.
But there’s another way we can fight these diseases: education. When older adults and their caregivers have access to educational resources, they can make more informed decisions about their health.
So, serving as a source for reliable information on the health and well-being of older people is a big part of who we are.
At the Alliance, we have created, and continue to add to, a digital library of health education resources on age-related conditions, diseases, and topics that impact the health of older Americans.
Whether it is nutrition, heart disease, sepsis, or Alzheimer’s disease, our medically-reviewed, easy-to-understand resources help older adults to learn more about the often complex conditions that affect their daily health.
We’ve made it really easy to access these resources. To get started, all you have to do is go to the Alliance’s health information page.
One of the resources I most want to point out is our series of pocket films. These films are short in length, animated, and explain complex medical topics and conditions in plain English. Best of all they are free to use and share. To see the films, go to our pocket films page.
Another great resource is the Silver Book®, an online almanac of compelling statistics that brings together all of the most current data on chronic disease, while spotlighting the promise of innovation in mitigating the burden of disease. The site has a number of illustrated fact sheets that are useful for educational presentations.
