Internet resources on aging

Abstract

More than 1,500 Web sites, e-mail discussion groups, forums, freenets, chat rooms, and USENET newsgroups on the are devoted specifically to aging and closely related topics. They are about equally divided between sites for older people and their families and sites for gerontology and long-term-care professionals. This is a very brief overview of the Web sites, with examples of some of the best ones selected to show the wide variety of sites on aging. All of the resources can be found in Internet and E-Mail Resources on Aging: an Online Directory (http://www. aoa.dhhs.gov/aoa/pages/jpostlst.html). In the directory, the direct links are grouped into three large categories: general resources, United States resources, and resources in other countries. The last category is arranged by country. The links in the first two are further subdivided into thirty different specific topics, such as disease (one of the many links in this section is Alzheimer's Association at http:l/www.alz.org/) and intergenerational relationships (one of the links in this section is Generations Together: an Intergenerational Studies Program, University of Pittsburgh at http://www. pitt.edu~gti/). The United States category ends with a very extensive state-by-state listing of the home pages of such local resources as aging agencies (Mid-Florida Area Agency on Aging at http://www.mfaaa. org/), educational programs in gerontology and geriatrics (Leonard Davis School of Gerontology of the University of Southern California, at http: //www.usc.edu/dept/gero/lds/index.htm 1), directories of nursing homes (Finding a Nursing Home in New York State at http://www.health.state.ny.us/ nysdoh/consumer/ nursing/findnh. htm), and local resources and services for seniors (Geriatric caRE at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland at http:ll/www.cwru.edu/orgs/gerimed/GC c.html and Meals-On-Wheels of Greater San Diego, Inc. at http://www. meals-on-wheels.org/). Another way to look at the resources on aging on the is to look at their intended audience. There are sites for older people, for their families, and for all the different professionals in aging. WEB SITES FOR ELDERS Elders have taken to the in larger than expected numbers. Seniors on the Net: Home Pages of Cyber Citizens that Rock (http://elo.mediasrv.swt.edu/goldenage/seniors.htm) is a metasite of links to older people with their own home pages. The SeniorNet home page (http://www.seniornet.org/) lists learning centers throughout the United States where older people can go to learn how to use a computer. The Older Adult Resources Center on HealthAnswers (http:// healthanswers. com/health_answers/oar/ index.html) has useful information on housing, health, Social Security, and Medicare. WEB SITES FOR FAMILIES OF ELDERS As the health of older people declines, families often become involved in making decisions about their care. …