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For Immediate Release
March 16, 2005

For Further Information:
Erin Weller
(212) 308-1414 x329

            New York, NY-- The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has just launched "Aging in the Know: Your Gateway to Health and Aging Resources on the Web" (www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow). Based on the professional education programs of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) such as the Geriatrics Review Syllabus (GRS) and Geriatrics at Your Fingertips (GAYF), this free, comprehensive online resource makes state-of-the-art information on the diseases and disorders of older adults available to the public.

           Also included in the new online resource is a "What to Ask" series developed to help older adults and their caregivers initiate conversations with clinicians by providing them with disease- and condition-specific questions that they can use to guide their healthcare discussions. The "Health Care Decisions" section of the Web site provides information on topics such as community-based care, hospitalization, nursing home care, palliative care and rehabilitation. Easy-to-read printer friendly versions of all Aging in the Know resources are available on the site.

            This new site provides linkages directly from pages organized by health topic to other credible resources on the Web such as materials from www.nihseniorhealth.gov, the National Institutes of Health's Web site for seniors. David B. Reuben, MD, AGS President-Elect, lead author for GAYF and a member of the Aging in the Know Editorial Board commented, "This approach will make it easier for the public to obtain the comprehensive, credible information that it needs."

           Along with regularly adding new topics to Aging in the Know, the AGS Foundation will also be adding an additional feature to the Web site that will highlight and summarize some of the latest research from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS). The goal of these summaries is to help the public better understand the often-complicated language of modern medicine and to help keep older adults and their caregivers updated on cutting-edge research in geriatrics.

            The AGS Foundation anticipates that Aging in the Know will be useful to clinicians who care for older adults, their patients, and caregivers. It provides reliable educational resources that have been vetted by leading geriatrics health care professionals, and it will help provide the public with the tools to become better-informed consumers of care.

           Aging in the Know can be accessed for free at www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow.

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (http://www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,500 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies and practices in geriatric medicine.