NIHSeniorHealth.gov to be Retired on August 1

 

 

Through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), a number of online health information sites are freely available and seek to improve health literacy by providing reliable, up-to-date health information. Studies have shown that an individual’s health literacy level is a key indicator of an individual’s level of health. To address the health of seniors, NIHSeniorHealth.gov was introduced in 2003 and was the only one of its kind. The original developers of the site recognized that older adults often faced a number of challenges with utilizing online information due to underlying cognitive and visual needs.   For this reason, innovative options such as text resizing, color contrast, text-to-voice, “chunked” content, and the use of plain language were incorporated with content targeted specifically toward individuals 60 years and older.

In the current online environment, the same innovative practices have become more commonplace and there has been an explosion of other resources that can be accessed by people of all ages.  Due to this, the decision has been made to retire the NIHSeniorHealth website, however, much of the valuable and updated content will be available through other NIH and NLM sites. As of August 1, 2017, users will be redirected to the Health and Aging section of NIA website.  Other sites that continue to provide evidence-based health information for seniors include the NIHSeniorHealth YouTube Channel, NIA Go4Life, and the premier NLM consumer health site MedlinePlus.

Article Categories: News from the Libraries