Posted on behalf of –  Dana Abbey, MLS Consumer Health Coordinator National Network of Libraries of Medicine University of Colorado Denver

William completed the Boston Marathon at the age of 67. Now, in his late-80s he continues to enjoy hiking, skiing and running.  Mildred, 73, hits the step machine after complete knee replacement surgery and daily increases her walking distance. These are just two of the inspirational stories on the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) NIHSeniorHealth website . Often times these stories cross my mind as I watch the seconds painfully ticking away on the treadmill timer. However, William and Mildred’s dedication, along with the other 26 engaging exercise stories, keep me motivated to exercise for life.

People aged 65 and up numbered 37.3 million in 2006 (12.4% of the population) and are expected to represent 20% of the United States population by 2030.  Fifty-three percent of next generation seniors (50-64) and twenty-one percent of seniors 65 and up have gone online to search for health information.  With the growth of our aging population, it’s imperative to have accurate, authoritative online resources to make informed health care decisions. Here are a selection of resources that focus on the unique needs of seniors and caregivers.
NIHSeniorHealth was developed by staff from the NLM and the National Institute on Aging to provide seniors and caregivers with reliable aging-related health information.  The site debuted in 2002 with three health topics, and now includes 43 health topics, health videos, Medicare basics for caregivers,  a trainer’s toolkit to help older adults learn to search online health information, and links to tips on making websites senior friendly.  The site has many senior-friendly features allowing users to easily increase the text size, change the page color for higher contrast, or activate the “talking” function that reads text aloud. NIHSeniorHealth has received numerous awards and recognition including the 2009 bronze medal from the National Mature Media Awards and the Industry Innovators Award from the International Council on Active Aging. If you, or you know of someone 60 years or older who exercises regularly, consider sharing your exercise story to inspire others.
The National Institute on Aging provides information on healthy aging, care giving, dietary supplements, and diseases in both English and Spanish. It also provides links to other National Institutes of Health and other government websites. This Institute conducts scientific research to understand the nature of aging and extending one’s healthy active years. In addition to health information, the site has a searchable database of over 300 national organizations that provide help to older adults.
The U. S. Administration on Aging provides links to connect older persons, caregivers and professionals to federal, national and local programs – including the Eldercare Locator to find help with transportation, meals, home care, and caregiver support services. You can link to the Locator directly at http://www.eldercare.gov.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a section just for seniors at . Topics include health issues – such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes – drug information, medication errors, health fraud, and nutrition.
USA.gov, the award-winning official portal to all things government has a wealth of resources for seniors. In addition to health information and caregiver resources, this site provides information consumer protection; end-of-life issues; education, jobs and volunteerism for seniors; laws and regulations protecting seniors; financial, retirement, and tax information; and travel and recreation tips and discounts.
Medicare’s official site provides information on comparing prescription drug plans, health plans and hospitals. In addition, you can learn about planning for long-term care, Medicare eligibility, find resources for caregivers, and locate Medicare forms.
Nursing Home Compare is a tool containing detailed information about past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country. Sites receive ratings on health inspections, nursing home staffing, residents quality measures (health, physical functioning, mental status, general well being), and fire safety inspections.
For more information, or to schedule a presentation:
Dana Abbey, MLS
Consumer Health Coordinator
National Network of Libraries of Medicine University of Colorado Denver – Health Sciences Library 12950 E. Montview Blvd., A003 Aurora, CO 80203 303-724-2110 dana.abbey@ucdenver.edu

Posted on behalf of Dana Abbey.

Did you know that adults in the U.S. average 11.5 prescriptions per year, and persons over 60 average 15.6? Pillboxbeta, provides an easy way to visually identify an unknown tablet or capsule medication based on imprint, shape or color.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is developing two free online tools to assist in identifying and tracking prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.

The site, currently under development, is designed for consumers, emergency physicians, first responders and Poison Control Centers. Pillboxbeta   contains 5,693 records – 779 have images. In addition to pill images, the site provides links to medication content and labeling as found in the medication package inserts; MedlinePlus for easy to read summaries; PubMed for medical literature describing research; clinical trials; and, literature on substances that might pose possible health effects to nursing infants. The NLM is working with the Food and Drug Administration and drug manufacturers on a large-scale photography project, so look for more images to be available in the near future. This site, as with all other NLM databases, does not accept advertising.

Personal medication records can help to educate and empower consumers and improve patient safety and health quality. MyMedicationList is a prototype Web application being developed by the NLM that helps users manage and track their prescription and over-the-counter medication lists.  The program has two options for display: text and pictogram. The pictograph view is a great feature for those with low literacy – medications can be associated with images and instructions for use.  The list can be printed, emailed or brought to medical appointments.  This web tool is not connected to a health institute or organization, is advertisement-free, and is stored locally on the user end. Multiple lists can be created, allowing all family and household members can keep track of their individual medications.

When disposing of unused, unneeded, or expired medications:
•    Remove from original containers
•    Mix prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags
•    Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so
•    Look for community pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal

For more information on prescription, over-the-counter medications and supplements, visit MedlinePlus at www.medlineplus.gov.

• Student Blogging Guidelines
• 14 Ways K–12 Librarians Can Teach Social Media by Joyce Valenza
• Get Going with Google Apps In Your School by Lisa Nielsen
• Eight Ways To Use School Wikis

For more information, visit the Tech & Learning home page, or find them on Facebook or Twitter.

The Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC) invites submissions for presentations at our Spring Workshops in 2010 in the following locations:

Grand Junction, March 1 & 2

Fort Collins, April 8

Pueblo, April 15 & 16

Our annual workshops serve as a fun forum to learn, network, and stimulate discussion about library related topics. The workshop program will include competitively-selected presentations, as well as a small number of invited speakers. Sessions may be either 75 minutes or half day. Topics appropriate for submission to this conference include, but are not limited to the following:

• Technology, including social computing, tools, gaming technologies, open source, etc.
• Library administration
• Services to children, teens, adults, disadvantaged, e.g. programs, booktalks
• Library development – including marketing, fundraising, grant writing
• Reference
• Collaboration between libraries
• Community involvement 
• Academic, school, public library issues
• Intellectual freedom
• Board, volunteers

Please keep in mind the following:

• CLiC staff will review all submitted proposals for their content, timeliness, and relevance and reserves the right to choose and accept proposals based on the criteria.
• CLiC will treat all submissions as suggestions and guideposts.
• Time management issues and reimbursement guidelines generally limit each session (both 75 minute and half day) to two speakers.
• We are seeking programs geared for newcomers to the profession as well as experienced library staff.
• We are interested in sessions for public, school, and academic librarians.
• Presenters may attend the full conference for free and will receive assistance with travel expenses.

Proposal application is available at:  http://tinyurl.com/CLiCSpringWorkshops

The deadline for this call for proposals is October 15, 2009. You will be contacted about the status of your proposal by November 15, 2009.

The librarian tested by Casciato in this particular online interaction was Martha Durgy, a.k.a. “Marty,” from Pitkin County Public Library. And boy did Martha do AskColorado librarians proud!

Read the Westword story/blog post about this encounter at: AskColorado has the answers

Particularly great — writer Casciato gets it. Librarians staffing AskColorado work really hard to elevate the view of patrons coming into the online chat service.

“And the service wisely focuses every bit as much, if not more, on telling users where to find tools that will help them discover their own answers, as opposed to simply providing an answer,” Casciato writes.

You won’t get a much better testimonial than that.

This year’s major effort of the Colorado State Library’s Special Populations Committee is Community Connections. The project continues with a call for recruiting members, the introduction of a seventh statewide partner, involvement with the Denver Foundation Inclusiveness Project, and resources for any library or school working with with immigrants from Somalia.

View complete bulletin (PDF)
Ning

Results in Excel
Results in PDF
 
If you would like to be added to or removed from this list of Twitter users, please email Michelle Gebhart.

This is so fun! An homage to the old detective movies. Some of you probably listen to Guy Noir, Private Eye on A Prairie Home Companion?

Kris Johnson, AskColorado Coordinator at the Colorado State Library wants you to know that the credit for the production of the public service announcement (PSA) goes to Dee Vasquez and Danny Walter at Pikes Peak Library District. In addition to helping to facilitate the PSA, the CAL Marketing Committee has been working with AskColorado for the past year on re-branding efforts. Kris said “I can’t tell you how helpful this partnership has been to our organization and I want to express my appreciation to current and former committee chairs Kelly Johnson, Katie Klossner, and Shelley Walchak for all their leadership on this project.”

Broadcast ready versions of the PSA for airing on local TV are available. Let Kris know if your library would like a copy. Email her at johnson_k@cde.state.co.us.

Let us know what you think at: http://surveys.lrs.org/respond.php?sid=50

Why This Topic
The questions on this survey were inspired by a discussion on a national listerv for virtual reference librarians. It was a fascinating discussion with varied opinions being expressed on everything from usage to promotion. Of course, LRS staff were curious about what the folks in library land thought about these issues. So, here is the second LRS 60-Second Survey: Reference Service – Where is it Going?

About 60-Second Surveys
The 60-second surveys are intended to capture respondents’ gut-reactions to questions about narrowly defined, high-interest topics. Taking less than a minute of the respondent’s time, these are truly quickie surveys. This is not a scientific study, but rather a reader poll-style survey (think online magazine survey) that “takes the temperature” of a very specific topic.