American Geriatrics Helps Educate
My daily work with families blends medical social work, elder care crisis intervention, and care management. I always look to professional resources for support but in the past I’ve steered away from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). I assumed the information was technical and “for doctors only.”
Well, guess what? AGS is not intimidating, and it is for you and me.
In fact, AGS stands out from the numerous professional associations I have encountered. AGS offers clear, very usable information. The two journals, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and Annals of Long-term Care, keep me abreast of medical thinking and research. Their articles help me advise my clients about approriate questions to ask doctors. The journal updates me on medication trends. Even the ads are useful—it’s interesting to notice which drugs are marketed to doctors and, ultimately, my clients. Finally, AGS is developing a new service: AGS Online: “Caring for Older Adults,” which hopes to keep geriatric medical professionals informed and communicating.
If you are an older adult or caregiver there’s plenty for you, too. Check out the following:
- Click on “health links” on the AGS web site—www.americangeriatrics.org—to access a ton of other super sites. Among them are the National Institute of Health’s consumer information page and Healthfinder, a gateway to 1,250 health and human service sites.
- The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) was established by AGS in 1999. FHA aims to advocate for older adults and their special health needs. Practical information abounds. Check the web site—www.healthinaging.org—or call (800) 563-4916 to order free materials on topics such as pain management, complications from diabetes, and advice for preventing falls. And “Eldercare at Home” is a newly developed resource that covers “the most common problems families face” in workbook form or CD-ROM. The organization also offers a very much needed geriatric physician referral service.
FHA also offers “Elder Grace—The Nobility of Aging.” This awesome new poster series is taken from the traveling photographic exhibition by Chester Higgins Jr.
AGS has nationwide affiliate chapters. Our branch, the California Geriatrics Society (CAGS), is busy with diverse activities including legislative issues and public education. The society’s president, Dr. Moira Fordyce, just emailed that she is flying to Washington, D.C., this month to advocate for California seniors.