Aging & Older Adult Resources
Older adults are more likely than any other age group to require medical care or hospitalization. They are a large demographic seen by the Keck Medicine of USC healthcare team.
The 2015 World report on ageing and health defines the goal of healthy ageing as helping people to develop and maintain the functional ability that enables wellbeing. Functional ability consists of the intrinsic capacity of the individual, the environment of the individual and the interactions between them. Intrinsic capacity is “the composite of all the physical and mental capacities that an individual can draw on” - WHO ICOPE Handbook
- Administration on AgingThe Administration on Aging (AOA) is the principal agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services designated to carry out the provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965 which promotes the well-being of older individuals by providing services and programs designed to help them live independently in their homes and communities.
- AGS American Geriatrics SocietyOpen the Publications & Tools, and see Guidelines & Recommendations. Some content is free, some requires a fee.
- California Department of Aging Data & ReportsWith links to programs, services, and legal assistance. See Reports & Census data, and Equity Resources are listed as a separate link.
- Caregiver Action Network: Family Caregiver ToolboxCaregiver Action Network (CAN) works to improve the quality of life for tens of millions of family caregivers who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, or diseases. CAN also supports those meeting the living needs of older adults. Resources include How to Become a Paid Family Caregiver.
- National Center on Elder AbuseTo improve the national response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation by gathering, housing, disseminating, and stimulating innovative, validated methods of practice, education, research, and policy. The NCEA is managed by the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
- Profile of Older AmericansProvided by the Administration on Aging, this page provides a summary of demographic and health information, updated yearly.
- WHO Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE)These guidelines set out 13 evidence-based recommendations for health and care workers to help develop and carry out person-centered integrated care for older people (ICOPE) at the community level. They can be used to support the inclusion, in primary care programmes and essential care packages for universal health coverage, of services to prevent care-dependency.
Medical Handbooks and reference books may include a section on older adults.
- Acute Care Surgery in Geriatric Patients, 2023
- Bates' Pocket Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, Chapter 27: Older Adult
- Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2024, Part 4: Geriatric Disorders
- CURRENT Practice Guidelines in Primary Care 2024. Chapter 17: Older Adults
- Quality of Life and Person-Centered Care for Older People
- Screening Tools for Geriatric Assessment by Specialists
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Surgical Decision Making in Geriatrics A Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Approach
- Evaluation and Management of Driving Risk in Dementia (AAN, 2022)Assess patients with dementia for characteristics that place them at increased risk for unsafe driving (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale).
- Older Drivers, NHTSAIf you are an older driver or a caregiver, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) encourages you to talk about driving safety.
- AAA Drivers 65+ Check Your Own PerformanceA self-rating tool with facts and suggestions for safe driving from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (FTS)
- AGELINE This link opens in a new windowContent focus on social gerontology, which is the study of aging in psychological, health-related, social, and economic contexts. Includes abstracts of over 200 academic journals, books, book chapters, and dissertations from 1978 to present.
In PubMed, the MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) database is linked on the PubMed front page. Articles indexed with medical subject headings ensures relevant, or specific, results.
Searching MeSH for Elderly, or Older Adult translates to Aged, with the narrower terms below, including Frail Elderly.
Do note that a simple keyword search will capture articles that do not include indexed terms but may still be relevant. For example, in July 2024 the search "Frail Elderly"[Mesh] resulted in 16K+ articles, whereas just typing keywords: frail elderly resulted in 20K+ articles.