Healthy living is healthy aging. Developing and maintaining healthy aging practices throughout the lifespan contributes to greater resilience and opportunities to thrive as we age – from infancy through older adulthood.
At ODPHP, our Healthy Aging work is grounded in research that demonstrates:
- Healthy aging begins early in life
- Improving older adult health and well-being impacts all of society and individuals of all ages
- Health disparities that are experienced earlier in life are often made worse later in life
Older adults are essential members of society. They support their families and communities in formal roles – like becoming a volunteer or continuing in the workforce – and informal roles – like serving as a caregiver. However, outdated expectations and myths about aging can negatively impact older adults and communities. Opportunities for older adults in employment, education, and social engagement are often limited, leading to poorer overall health and wellness.
That’s why across our initiatives, ODPHP works to ensure that everyone, regardless of age or ability, can participate and contribute to society in meaningful ways.
ODPHP’s Priorities to Support Healthy Aging
- Set national measurable objectives to improve the health and well-being of older adults through Healthy People 2030
- Promote physical activity for older adults – and all ages – through Move Your Way®
- Provide actionable and easy-to-use health information to older adults using MyHealthfinder
- Support healthy eating patterns for older adults using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Ensure inclusivity of older adults and all abilities in all resources and products
