Health and Aging Reports

West Virginia Aging Health Status Report - January 2004 (PDF)

This report is an attempt to clearly depict the health status of older West Virginians. It describes the leading causes of death and disability among the older popultion, so that priorities might be more easily for health promotion and disease prevention. It describes common individual risk factors that lead to premature disability and death, and summarizes additional socio-economic factors that play a role in securing good health.
(Source: http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/oehp/hp/aging/Aging.htm)

2003 Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease (PDF)

Important AD research advances by scientists supported by the National Institute on Aging and other Institutes of the National Institutes of Health are presented in the new 2003 Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease. Included are descriptions of the impact of AD, current understanding of the possible causes of AD, research into new techniques for diagnosis, and studies of AD treatment.

Aging Internet Information Notes: Mental Health and Aging (PDF)

Mental health is a reflection of one’s psychological well-being and their ability to contribute intellectually to functions of daily living regardless of their physical health or disability. Although some cognitive functions decline as a normal course of aging, loss of mental functioning may be reversible when diagnosed and treated by professionals. The most common late life mental health condition is depression and is treatable. Dementia can be created by prescription drug interactions or as a result of arterial sclerosis and can in most case be reversed. There is hope that in the near future dementia caused in later states of Parkinson’s Disease and in Alzheimer’s can be arrested and even cured with treatment. This is a PDF file with additional links.

Aging Internet Information Notes: Suicide and the Elderly (PDF)

Suicide is an ultimate act of self-abuse taken by an individual who sees no other alternative to ending their physical or emotional pain. Recognition of suicide is often difficult given efforts to hide intent and to avoid stigma and financial loss for survivors. More important than an accurate statistical count of suicides is understanding behavioral patterns of individuals before action, its prevalence among age groups, and the changes in the rates of successful and unsuccessful attempts within groups over time. Research in these areas has produced early warning signs of treatable depression and support for training and development of suicide prevention programs.

Interim Report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, October 2002

Older Adults with Mental Illnesses Are Not Receiving Care. Depression is alarmingly common among older adults. About 5-10 percent of older adults have major depression, yet most are not properly recognized and treated (DHHS, 1999). Untreated depression causes distress, disability, and, most tragically, suicide. Older men have the highest rates of suicide in the Nation (IOM, 2002). Most worrisome is that the growing number of older Americans will soon magnify and expose existing problems.

Psychosocial Issues for Older Adults in Disasters, 1999 (PDF)

The development of this publication reflects a new and important partnership between the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and The National Council on the Aging (NCOA), in bringing an important resource to communities to improve crisis counseling services to older adults following disaster.

Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis, 2004 (PDF)

This is the 2004 new report by the US Surgeon General on bone health and osteoporosis and what we can and should do to maintain good bone health. This is a PDF report.