New Web Site Supports Active Aging

A new Web site, the Learning Network for Active Aging, www.lnactiveaging.org, brings research findings to communities and professionals working to assist older adults in their pursuit of healthy, active lives.

The Learning Network is affiliated with the Active for Life® initiative, headquartered at the School of Rural Public Health at Texas A&M Health Science Center. Active for Life www.activeforlife.info is one of several Active Living projects funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Learning Network receives technical support from the Healthy Aging Research Network at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and is coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Aging Initiative www.epa.gov/aging/index.htm. As a sponsoring partner of the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Initiative www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/indes.htm, which is spearheaded by the EPA, the Learning Network will serve as one of the focal points for information exchange for this initiative.

Working closely with the National Blueprint, a coalition of more than 50 organizations interested in increasing physical activity in the 50 plus www.agingblueprint.org, the Learning Network unites active aging and smart growth principles.

“The Learning Network provides practical approaches for communities to learn from each other through mentoring and information sharing,” says Marcia Ory, Ph.D., director of the Active for Life national program office. “Many com-munities desire better programming and/or environments for healthy living but are unsure of how to implement them,” she adds. “The Learning Network will serve the communities by bridging research and practice and promote collaboration among communities, government agencies and advocates for the elderly.”

Catherine Liles, MPH, program manger, has spent the past year assessing what types of information communities want. The Web site provides a document that includes background information and resources on 10 strategies for active aging. Resources address developing a written goal statement, creating a resource list of activities for seniors and establishing physical activity programs at multiple locations.