The American Geriatrics Society - Policy - National Institute On Aging (NIA)

National Institute On Aging (NIA)

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The National Institute on Aging (NIA), created by Congress in 1975, is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The NIA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of older Americans through research.
The Institute leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life.

The nation's aging population is growing rapidly. By 2030, the number of adults age 65 and older will nearly double to 70 million. By 2050, one out of every 5 people living in the United States will be aged 65 or older.
Americans are also living longer, and older adults can now live for many years with multiple chronic illnesses.
Diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, depression, osteoporosis, and Parkinson's disease often lead to progressive frailty and disability among older adults, causing long-term illness, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare costs.
Poor health and functional status do not have to be an inevitable consequence of aging. Now more than ever, sustained levels of NIA funding are needed to improve the health and well-being of older Americans.

The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people, including Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.
Recent NIA investments have helped create new and promising research avenues, diagnostic methods, and new treatments. For example, promising results from an NIA-sponsored clinical trial demonstrated that prescription of regular structured exercise allowed sedentary elderly to safely improve their physical function and may reduce the likelihood that they will experience serious problems with their mobility.
An analysis published in October 2007 suggests that about 3.4 million Americans age 71 and older-one in seven people in that age group-have dementia, and 2.4 million of them have Alzheimer's disease. The study highlights the nationwide reach of dementia, which affects not only those with the disease, but their families and communities as well.

The President is requesting $29.465 billion for the NIH - equal to the FY 2008 enacted level. Specifically, the budget requests $1.048 billion to fund the NIA in FY 2009.
Unfortunately, the budget request does not provide the resources needed to sustain and expand the frontline research on aging that can prevent, postpone and ameliorate diseases or other conditions that are common to older Americans.
Between 2003 and 2009, funding for the NIA, adjusted for inflation, has decreased an estimated 12.9%. The FY 2009 requested budget is estimated at just $860,000 in FY 2003 constant dollars, a substantial decrease compared to the FY 2003 budget, which was slightly less than $1.0 million.

Without adequate funding, the AGS is concerned that the NIA may be unable to fund research that is both crucial to the national interest and scientifically meritorious.
Inadequate appropriations, coupled with increasing numbers of grant applicants, means that the NIA funding rate will decrease. The anticipated success rate of research grants funded in FY 2009 will drop to 18% -- the lowest in the history of the NIH. This means that highly innovative and potentially high impact research on aging will not be done.
AGS is also concerned that inadequate funding will negatively impact the ability and will of new investigators to enter this very important field.
In addition, the cost of conducting research studies has increased dramatically. Without additional funding, the NIA will be unable to invest in research studies that often provide valuable evidence.