Healthy Aging and Dementia Resources for Health Care Professionals

health care professional smiling with older patient

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, provides a wide range of health information articles and resources on aging and conditions associated with growing older. NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. The materials listed below are intended for health care professionals to use in their practices and to share with their patients and communities.

On this page:

Resources to enhance your practice

The pages below provide information and resources for health care providers caring for older adults.

Doctor-patient communication

Learn how to talk effectively with older patients, including how to discuss cognitive impairment and other sensitive subjects, break bad news, and work with families and caregivers.

Talking With Your Older Patient

Diagnosing and managing Alzheimer’s and related dementias

Access free clinical practice tools, training materials and more resources for physicians, nurses, social workers, and other professionals working with patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Talking to your patients about clinical trials and studies

Find information to help you discuss clinical trial participation with your patients and encourage them to consider participating in research.

Getting involved in research

Learn about the research resources available for clinicians who are interested in participating in aging research.

Resources to share with your older patients

Providing information resources to older adults can help them better understand steps they can take to improve their health. Good communication can positively affect overall health outcomes for older adults, as well as for their families and caregivers. Share the fact sheets, articles, booklets, videos, and posters listed below with your patients. Many can be ordered for free in bulk on our Publications Ordering Site.

Healthy aging

Alzheimer’s and related dementias

Caregiving and advance care planning

The links below provide a complete list of the more than 90 health topics that NIA covers regarding older adults, healthy aging, and diseases and conditions associated with aging.

Resources to share with your communities

Use NIA’s toolkits to raise awareness in your community about aging-related health topics and conditions. Share the social media posts, infographics, flyers, and animated graphics at the links below to help spread this important information.

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and up to date.

Content reviewed: August 25, 2021