A vision for older adults and health promotion

Our rapidly aging population is expected to place heavy demands on all segments of society, particularly the health care resources needed to attend to health concerns associated with aging. Is this a looming crisis, as some predict, or a challenge to use resources more wisely and to help older adults and their caregivers share in the responsibility for health promotion and chronic disease self-management activities? Community-based organizations serving older adults are uniquely positioned to augment health care providers' health promotion counseling activities and to bridge the gap between the research and practice of health promotion in older adults. They already play a crucial role by providing appropriate health promotion education, screening and referral, service planning, and reinforcement to facilitate self-care activities and behavior changes that promote healthy aging. By increasing teamwork across the network of services for the aging, the health sector, public and private organizations, and academe, there is a great opportunity to enhance the health and well-being of all older Americans.