Get Ready for the Graying of the Baby Boomers

By: Charles Bowen The graying of the Baby Boom Generation is inevitable. With each new year, the Boomers -- those children of the two decades after World War II -- move closer to retirement age and to myriad related health issues from Alzheimer's to healthy eating.

Smart newsrooms are preparing now by finding resources to cover the story that will dominate much of this new century: the world's aging population. Add to your online toolbelt a new site from the American Federation for Aging Research. Infoaging.org promises to deliver the latest research-based information on a wide range of age-related diseases, conditions, and issues.

The site's news center features frequently updated links to news articles from a number of reputable sources dealing with Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other germane topics. A search engine lets you zero in on specific areas and an online form lets you subscribe to a free print version of upcoming health newsletters.

Visit the site at http://www.infoaging.org, where the center panel lists links to the latest age-related health stories. Typically, headlines read, "What does the research say about soy?" "Do we inherit our lifespan?" "Can exercise reduce hot flashes?" and "What are the benefits of antioxidant supplements?" Along the top of the screen are drop-down boxes for the major departments of the site.

"Ask the Expert" contains long-form answers to a host of questions dealing with caloric intake, memory loss, prostate cancer, and alcohol from medical experts and researchers. "Biology of Aging" and "Healthy Aging" each offer suggestions on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle as the decades roll by.

"Disease Center" offers material on everything from Alzheimer's and breast cancer to prostate problems and stroke. "Biology of Aging" has data on topics such as oxidative damage, DNA damage and repairs, biomarkers of aging, and caloric restriction as well as forward-looking subjects like stem cell research, cloning, and the Human Genome Project. The "Healthy Aging" department covers nutrition, exercise, sleep, hearing, vision, stress, and other topics.

Of particular interest to journalists is the "Press Room" section, reached from the left column. This connects to a page that offers writers and editors story ideas, contacts, quotable experts, archived features, and press releases and events calendars. You also can sign up here to join the site's media list for e-mail alerts.

Other considerations for using Infoaging.org in your work:

1. If you're in a hurry -- and when are you not? -- you can search the site from its opening page. Find the "Search this site" section on the right-hand side of the introductory page, enter a search word or phrase and click the "Go" button. A subsequent page lists all relative hits, with a summary paragraph and a hyperlinked headline for each that can be clicked to reach the full story.

2. The site has an e-mail newsletter offering new developments and fresh additions. There's also an online form you can fill out to receive the organization's free printed publications by mail.

3. Infoaging.org has a growing list of links to other sites covering related topics. To find this collection, scroll to the bottom of any page on the site and click the "Links" link.
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