The Southern Nevada Health District Announces Their New Healthy Aging Program In Clark County
Inaugural State of the Health District Address in Nevada
The Southern Nevada Health District, in a bid to expand services to a growing demographic in Clark County, unveiled a program to assist older Clark County residents with maintaining good health.
The District’s Chief Health Officer, Dr. Joe Iser, announced the new healthy aging program for Las Vegas seniors at the inaugural State of the Health District address. The program has many goals. Among them are “collecting data to identify any differences in overall health between demographic groups; initiating training programs to identify age-related health problems; creating healthier environments, such as places with more walkable areas for older adults; and addressing potential vulnerabilities to natural disasters.”
State of the Health District Address
“The initiative also aims to increase preventive care for older adults and teach them skills to support their overall health through the use of new and developing technologies.
According to the district, the over-65 demographic is the only age group increasing its proportion among the population in Clark County. That’s a trend the health district expects will continue for the foreseeable future. This growth is triggered by the aging of the baby boomer generation (those people born between 1946 and 1964) and the increasing longevity of older adults.”
According to census data, the population of people 65 and older in Clark County increased by almost 84,000 between 2010 and 2017. These older residents have specific health problems, including heart disease, cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease, among others, according to the district.
The problem the district faces in starting and sustaining the program, Iser said, is that there are fewer resources to put toward aging programs, compared to initiatives for other age groups. “One of the problems that we in public health have is that we don’t get a lot of resources for aging,” he said. Identifying sources of funding for senior-related health initiatives can be difficult, Iser noted. “There aren’t any federal funds for it, there aren’t any state funds for it,” he said.“Nevertheless, the district is committed to the program.”
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Source: https://media.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/download/sothd/southern-nevada-healthy-aging-initiative.pdf
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