Explore the NIHSeniorHealth.gov redesign. NIHSeniorHealth is designed specifically for the senior-searcher. The site was recently redesigned after further usability testing with older adults. Developed by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging, NIHSeniorHealth.gov already included user-friendly features such as the ability to resize text and change contrast for low vision searchers. The NIHSeniorHealth Toolkit for Trainers provides librarians and other health information providers with lesson plans and student handouts to teach MedlinePlus and NIHSeniorHealth.

New features of the redesign include:

• A search feature providing results from NIHSeniorHealth, MedlinePlus, the NIA Aging Age Pages, and other content selected by MedlinePlus staff.
• A new banner with easy access to over 50 health topics and 150 videos.
• Email updates highlighting new topics.
• A Bookmark feature and a Share Button to help you share information with colleagues, friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and many other ways.
• Health topics organized with the following headings for ease of navigation: In this Topic; Learn More; and Related Topics.

Take a look at the redesign, and discover how NIHSeniorHealth can help you provide patient education and care for the health of your family and friends.

Hello All, For those of you who could not attend the Healthy Communities COI’s webinar on creative ways to evaluate community outreach projects presented by the OERC’s Cindy Olney, you may listen to the recording of the webinar. The presentation is captioned. Cindy did a great job of explaining various methods of activity and outcomes evaluation.

She gave some practical examples and advice on how to measure behavior change outcomes as well as surveying for changes in participants’ knowledge and attitudes after a community health education event.

Learn when you can employ a direct surveying approach and when a logic model method of evaluation works best. Cindy was also willing to speak to anyone individually and advise them on evaluation possibilities for a specific outreach event being planned. The OERC has some helpful booklets that can be printed from the website at http://nnlm.gov/evaluation/ . Check it out along with the webcast.

By Deb Clark, Healthy Communities COI Leader

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-LM-12-001.html

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) solicits resource grant applications for projects that will bring useful, usable health information to health disparity populations and the health care providers who care for those populations. Access to useful, usable, understandable health information is an important factor during health decisions. Proposed projects should exploit the capabilities of computer and information technology and health sciences libraries to bring health-related information to consumers and their health care providers. Preference will be given to applications that show strong involvement of health science libraries.
Because this FOA focuses on providing health information to health disparity populations, institutions with demonstrated commitment to the needs of health disparity communities (including Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and other institutions in rural and socially disadvantaged areas) are encouraged to apply.

In March, NIHSeniorHealth, the premier government website for older adults, will soon have a fresh look and enhanced features.

The redesigned site will include longer pages, more menu choices, and a search feature — all presented in an inviting, colorful, and still easy-to-use format. The updated look reflects input from visitors to the website as well as testing with older adults.