Robin Barr, Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Division of Extramural Activities, has just launched a research blog on the NIA website; visitors can sign up to get new posts.

By Robb Miller

Some of the most difficult questions posed to those working in aging services come from people who have been diagnosed with an illness such as Alzheimer’s disease, which will render them unable to make decisions about their medical and end-of-life care. 

Typically, people ask: how can I maintain dignity or ensure control over my dying after I become incompetent? How can I or someone else end my life if I become completely demented? How can I stop life-sustaining treatment or the force-feeding of my loved one?

At the March 15 National Forum on Global Aging, Frank Whittington, associate dean of academic affairs at George Mason University, kicked off the half-day program by remarking on America’s penchant for superiority: “We have a serious tendency to believe that what we do is right, that we are Number One, and that the rest of the world needs to learn from us. Instead, we should search the globe for better models.”

By Lydia Mitts

The baby boom generation is aging, as is America’s workforce. By 2018, one in every four workers in the nation will be at least 55 years old. Developing effective health promotion interventions for these workers will be crucial to maintaining a healthy and productive workforce. 

ASA has joined with 15 other Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) in submitting statements to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and the Ways & Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Each committee is currently conducting hearings on Medicare reimbursement with a view toward potentially significant and permanent changes.

By Paul D. Nussbaum

We know a healthy lifestyle is beneficial to our overall health and longevity. Recent research reaffirms the basic importance of healthy living, and a 2010 study by Kvaavik et al., published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (14; doi: 10.1001/archinternmed. 2010.76), found that regular physical activity, not smoking, eating a diet filled with fruits and vegetables and mild alcohol intake helped to increase longevity.

By Jessica B. Langbaum

By Cynthia A. Bens

The results of a recent study conducted for Kaiser Permanente analyzed physicians’, health reporters’ and Congress members’ social media discussion of certain prevalent diseases. Of the diseases identified in 2.3 million tweets over a three-year period, diabetes and cancer topped the list for physicians; HIV/AIDS was first for those in Congress. 

Presentation Types

Workshops generally include formal presentations (such as lectures with slides) and interactive activities, as well as time for questions and answers. These sessions are either 60 or 90 minutes in length.