NASW Joins 34 National Health Groups to Talk About Strategies for Healthy Aging

WASHINGTON The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) joined 34 other front-line health care organizations and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to devise ways to get vital health information to their older patients or clients. The conference was sponsored by the NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to plan health communication strategies for the growing number of older Americans.

NASW sees this new partnership as an opportunity to hasten the translation of government-supported research directly to social workers and their older patients or clients, says Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers.

Good health begins with the most accurate and up-to-date information. Public-private partnerships are imperative to deliver these health messages to older people. We listened carefully to conference partners and will make health information decisions based on their expert advice, said Dr. Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of the NIA.

We value this collaboration with other organizations to meet the health information needs of older adults. We're getting a lot of the same questions about aging and health. Through this partnership, we will be able to work more effectively with our senior patients or clients, said Clark .

Communication skills aren't emphasized enough in medical school, said Judith A. Salerno, M.D., M.S., NIA deputy director. To work effectively with older people, we must first see them as creative and contributing members of society. At this first-in-a-decade conference, partners were introduced to exceptional agers such as Sam Ulano, 83, a jazz icon who has been drumming professionally since 1936; Margo Wydro, 84, who says modern dance keeps her alert and young at heart; and Louisa Messolonghites, another 80-something dancer, who didn't begin dancing until she was 60 years old.

These super-agers are part of a dramatic increase in the number of older people in the U.S. By 2030, the number of people age 65 and older will double to 72 million. The aging of the computer-savvy baby boomers offers us more avenues to communicate with them. Carla Wojnaroski, Director of AOL Health, pointed out to conference participants that seniors are the fastest growing group of Internet users. She predicted that someday seniors will talk to doctors, pharmacists, and other providers online. We will have to combine traditional communication strategies with new online approaches.

A video news release (VNR) highlighting the meeting is available for broadcast and for website use. To receive a copy of the VNR, please contact the NIA Office of Communications and Public Liaison at 301-496-1752.

For information about NASW's Aging Initiative, please contact Lisa Yagoda, MSW, ACSW at lyagoda@naswdc.org .

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington , DC , is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 153,000 members. It promotes, develops and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families and communities through its work and advocacy.

The NIA is one of 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIA leads Federal efforts to support and conduct basic, clinical, epidemiological, and social research on aging and the special needs of older people. Press releases, fact sheets, and other materials about aging and aging research can be viewed at the NIA's general information web site, www.nia.nih.gov.