AGS FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH IN AGING (FHA)

The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) had another successful year supporting aging-related research and providing valuable, wide-ranging public education programs. Here are a few of the FHA's most significant accomplishments in 2005:

Aging in the Know: Your Gateway to Health and Aging Resources on the Web

In March, the FHA launched its most extensive online public education site, http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/, offering state-of-the art information on many of the diseases and disorders common in older adults. Aging in the Know is based on AGS professional publications, such as the Geriatrics Review Syllabus and Geriatrics At Your Fingertips. Information on the site is in-depth and authoritative and is updated continually.

With increased media coverage of medical research findings, it is important to help people understand complex medical language and access accurate, reliable health information. To this end, Aging in the Know includes a special monthly feature, New Research, which provides easy-to-understand summaries of studies published in The Journal of The American Geriatrics Society.

Another special section, What to Ask, provides a series of questions, organized by health topic, to help older adults understand the key issues related to specific medical conditions. The questions are designed to help older adults communicate more effectively with their healthcare providers as they discuss treatment options. The Health Care Decisions section provides information on topics such as community-based care, hospitalization, nursing home care, palliative care, and rehabilitation.

The Web site also contains numerous links to other credible sources of geriatric health information, vetted by geriatrics professionals. The site can be a useful tool for clinicians who wish to educate patients and caregivers.

FHA Partners with the New York Junior League

In 2005, the FHA established a partnership with the New York Junior League, which created a Senior Care Committee dedicated to presenting workshops on caregiving and nutritional issues for older adults. The Junior League has used the FHA's updated Eldercare At Home workbook and Presentation Package to offer workshops at community associations, medical groups, and corporations in New York City. This program will serve as a model for other Junior Leagues and community organizations. The FHA looks forward to forming many such partnerships.

FHA "Tip Sheets"

In 2005, the FHA began releasing a new series of "Tip Sheets" on various health issues. The series includes "Overcoming the Challenges to Healthy Aging," "Hot Weather Safety Tips," "Safe Travel for Seniors," and "Emergency Preparedness Tips for Older Adults." These publications help increase media and public awareness of the importance of geriatric healthcare and highlight the FHA's role as a key resource on health and aging.

At its annual Lifetime of Caring Gala, the FHA and AGS announced that they would provide $20,000 to help Louisiana State University reestablish its geriatrics fellowship program in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The program serves mostly indigent minority older adults in the New Orleans area. The John A. Hartford Foundation pledged a matching grant to aid in the program's rebuilding. The program was housed at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which was destroyed by the July 2005 hurricane. The funds are being administered by the Louisiana Geriatrics Society, an AGS affiliate.

FHA Research Awards

Hartford Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards
The FHA, through a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation, in 2005 funded four outstanding physician-scientists through the Hartford Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards page provides a list of award winners and their research topics), which provide support during the critical transition from junior faculty to independent researcher. Click here for a list of award winners and their research topics.

T. Franklin Williams Scholars Award
The FHA and the Association of Subspecialty Professors, with the generous support of The Atlantic Philanthropies, was pleased to present the 2005 T. Franklin Williams Scholars Award to Lona Moody, MD, of the University of Michigan, for her research, "Antimicrobial Resistance In Nursing Homes: Implications For Indwelling Device Use."

Student Researcher Fund
In 2005, the student researcher fund provided support enabling 68 students to present their research at the 2005 AGS Annual Meeting. This valuable opportunity exposes students to geriatrics mentors and encourages students to pursue their interest in geriatrics. Support for the Student Researcher Fund comes primarily from An Evening with Friends, a fun-filled fundraiser held during the AGS annual meeting. The 2005 Evening with Friends was a sold-out event, attended by over 350 AGS members and supporters who enjoyed a stunning fireworks display at the Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando, FL.

The 6th Annual Lifetime of Caring Gala

More than 250 people attended the FHA's 2005 Lifetime of Caring Gala, the FHA's annual fundraising event, which raised over $300,000 for the Foundation's public education and research initiatives. The FHA was honored to present actress Doris Roberts, of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame, with the Lifetime of Caring Award, for her anti-ageism activism. Among other things, Roberts testified before Congress on the devastating toll ageism takes, not only on older adults, but on the nation as a whole. The FHA's 2005 Discovery Award, for trailblazers committed to translating research into improvements in the lives of older adults, was presented to Christine Poon, Johnson and Johnson's Worldwide Chairman of Medicine & Nutritionals.