As the American population ages, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) advocates for elders at both the policy and program levels.
Nearly 40 NACHC members actively participate in the Subcommittee on Elderly Issues, which focuses on issues relative to health care for the 55+ age group, including health services and administrative, management, and reimbursement issues.
NACHC monitors developments in the Medicare program as well as pharmacy-related services targeted at elders. The following are NACHC-developed resource materials related to elderly health care at FQHCs.
- Information bulletins on clinical issues and facility considerations, clinical care models, and reimbursement models. (see Publications – Special Populations series Information Bulletins numbers 1,2, and 3.)
- Education sessions at national meetings that relate to providing care to elderly people.
- Resource guide: Elderly Services in Health Centers: A Guide to Position Your Health Center to Serve a Growing Elderly Population.
- Upcoming resource guide: Address Unique Challenges of Caring for Elderly People with Disabilities, Frailty, and other Special Needs.
For information about Medicare, contact Dana Thomas and for information about NACHC resources for elderly health care, contact Betsy Vieth. Both are at NACHC at 301-347-0400.
Other resource links include: 
U.S Department of Health & Human Services Administration on Aging Provides press releases, demographic info, statistics, and other resources for practitioners and other professionals interested in aging. AgingStats.Gov web site of the U.S. Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics Administration on Aging State and Area Agencies State and area agencies on aging compiled by the AOA. Novartis Foundation for Gerontological Research Latest health news, recent reports, reviews or in-depth articles promoting healthy aging. Setup allows user to rapidly obtain information on health products- prescription drugs, over-the-counter treatments, herbs and supplements, ect…. Elderweb is a research site for both professionals and family members looking for information on eldercare and long term care, and includes links to information on legal, financial, medical, and housing issues, as well as policy, research, and statistics. The site includes over 6,000 links to articles, reports, news, events, organizations, government sites and more. Gerontological Society of America GSA provides researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy makers with opportunities to understand, advance, integrate, and use basic and applied research on aging to improve the quality of life as one ages. Society of Geriatric Cardiology Provides education, research, dissemination, and health policy development on cardiovascular aging, cardiovascular disorders in the elderly, and strategies for preventing and/or ameliorating the effects of cardiovascular diseases at older age. American Health Assistance Foundation A nonprofit charitable organization funding research and providing information on Alzheimer's disease, glaucoma, macular degeneration, heart disease, and stroke. Center on an Aging Society A Washington-based, non-partisan public policy institute. The Center studies the impact of demographic changes on public and private institutions and families of all ages. The center serves as a source of information on issues often associated with the Social Security,
Medicare, and Medicaid programs.
Links to clinical resources: MEGA :Multidisciplinary Education in Geriatrics and Aging online textbook resource. Merck Manual of Geriatrics online textbook resource. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality supports, conducts, and disseminates research concerning access to care and the outcomes, quality, cost, and utilization of health care services. Specific page dedicated to elderly healthcare. National Library of Medicine Medline plus Seniors Health Health information concerning the seniors from the world's largest medical library, the National Library of Medicine. National Institute on Aging (NIA) National Institute on Aging (NIA) supports and conducts research on the aging processes, age-related diseases, and special problems and needs of the aged. NIA is the primary federal agency on Alzheimer’s disease research. The website is built to disseminate information and communicate with the public and interested groups on health and research advances and on new directions for research.
Links for consumer information: Resource Directory for Older People from the U.S. Administration on Aging. The Resource Directory for Older People is intended to serve a wide audience including older people and their families, health and legal professionals, social service providers, librarians, researchers, and others with an interest in the field of aging. The directory contains names, addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers of organizations, which provide information and other resources on matters relating to the needs of older persons. U.S. FDA Information for Elderly Has numerous articles, brochures and other publications with information for older people on a wide range of health issues, including arthritis, cancer, health fraud, and nutrition. Aging from the New York Online Access to Health (NOAH), a website that offers consumer health information from four New York City library organizations. Provides information and research concerning elderly healthcare.
