Americans are living longer then ever. According to the US Census Bureau, there will be 71 million Americans older than 65 years by 2030, accounting for roughly 20% of our population. And we all want to be active, engaged, and productive throughout our lives. We want to travel, help with grandkids, and volunteer. But in order to do this, we have to be healthy and maintain a high level of independence- and that requires hard work. The OHSU Healthy Aging Alliance has several focus areas that will enhance successful aging:

Physical activity

Regular physical activity extends life, decreases chronic illnesses, and enhances quality of life and function. Our physical activity cluster explores effective exercise strategies for older adults to improve symptom management, functional status, and cognition.

Nutrition

Our nutrition cluster explores healthy diet and nutritional supplements as keys to healthy brain aging, reducing cardiovascular risks, and improving function.

Technology

Technological advances can help older adults maintain independence, reduce complications of chronic illness, and can link patients to their health care teams in real-time, meaningful ways. The technology cluster explores innovative ways to enhance successful aging via use of technology.

Education

Care of older adults requires interprofessional education of health teams to become competent in all areas important to successful aging. Our education cluster brings together faculty from diverse professional backgrounds to develop, implement, and evaluate cutting edge strategies to ensure we are training expert clinical teams in successful aging across our state and beyond.