Healthy Aging Initiatives

New CDC monograph applies RE-AIM to caregiver health. The issue of caregiving, with the exponential growth in the number of caregivers, the huge costs to society, families, and individuals, and the development of effective interventions to address caregiver burden and health, has become a public health priority of national concern. It is imperative that research and practice communities work together to translate evidence-based programs and policies into widespread practice. At the recent Aging in America conference, the CDC and Kimberly Clark Corporation released the monograph, Assuring Healthy Caregivers, A Public Health Approach to Translating Research into Practice: The RE-AIM Framework, presenting key questions and methods to help program developers, planners and evaluators use the framework in their work on caregiving. Case examples apply RE-AIM to a caregiver intervention program and a policy intervention, and additional resources are suggested for those interested in pursuing the use of RE-AIM for caregiver support programs and policies.

Report defines CDC role in healthy aging. Another new CDC report, Healthy aging: preserving function and improving the quality of life among older Americans , outlines the Centers for Disease Control role in the promotion of healthy aging, especially regarding the aging of the Baby Boomers and the control of public healthcare costs.