Critical Issue Briefs

Over the past 7 years, the Healthy Aging Program at CDC has worked with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the American Society on Aging (ASA) to create a series of Critical Issue Briefs as backgrounders for journalists who write about aging or public health-related issues. The goal of these briefs is to provide journalists with current and easily accessible scientific and programmatic information about critical public health issues affecting older adults. The information is also provided in such a way that informs professionals in both the public health and aging fields about selected health issues. Through this series we are able to provide not only contemporary information about key public health concerns for the nation’s older population, but also increase awareness about the work being done by CDC and other federal agencies in addressing many problems facing older Americans.

Current briefs

Advance Care Planning

• Advance Care Planning: Ensuring Your Wishes Are Known and Honored If You Are Unable to Speak for Yourself [PDF–150K]

Caregiving

• Caregiving in Indian Country: Tribes Support Family Traditions
• CDC Seeks to Protect Health of Family Caregivers

Clinical Preventive Services

• CDC Focuses on Need for Older Adults To Receive Clinical Preventive Services [PDF–99K]

Depression

• Diabetes and Depression Among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders [PDF–270K]
• CDC Promotes Public Health Approach to Address Depression among Older Adults [PDF–330K]

Emergency Preparedness

• CDC’s Disaster Planning Goal: Protect Vulnerable Older Adults [PDF–173K]
• Disaster Planning Tips for Older Adults and their Families [PDF–107K]

Oral Health

• CDC Aims to Prevent Oral Diseases Among Older Americans

Shingles Vaccination

• CDC Seeks to Protect Older Adults with Shingles Vaccine Message

Smoking

• CDC Urges Older Adults to Improve Health, Increase Longevity, through Smoking Cessation