The subject of how best to address the current and future health needs of older adult residents in this country's urban marginalized communities is one that has also received considerable attention in academic, policy, and practice arenas in the past decade. A variety of models have been put forth to achieve the goal of health in these communities but one of the most promising recommendations has been the use of health promotion as a vehicle for reaching and empowering communities of color in both rural and urban America. Older adult-led interventions, as addressed in various sections of this book, is one of the latest and most promising approaches towards health promotion that is grass-roots and community participatory based. Older adult-led health promotion represents an emerging field with tremendous implications for addressing the health needs of marginalized urban older adults in the United States and international.

The introduction of innovative social paradigms that stress community-participation, community-focused empowerment, assets, social and economic justice themes, and in the case of youth, civic participation, represents one of the outcomes of this questioning and bodes well for current and future generations. The subject of how best to address the current and future health needs of this country's urban marginalized comunities is one that has also received considerable attention in academic, policy, and practice arenas in the past decade. A variety of models have been put forth to achieve the goal of health in these communities. One of the most promising recommendations has been the use of health promotion as a vehicle for reaching and empowering communities of color in both rural and urban America. The youth-led environmental justice movement, as it will be addressed in various sections of this book, is one of the latest and most promising approaches towards health promotion that is grass-roots and community participatory based. Youth-led health promotion represents an emerging field with tremendous implications for addressing the health needs of marginalized urban youth of color in the United States.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Written to provide hospitals with current information about what hospitals across the country are doing to preserve and improve the health of their rapidly growing older-adult communities. Discusses the relationship between hospitals and older adults; market assessment; goal setting; program planning; learning process and environment; organizational placement, staffing, and training; finances; promotion of the program; and evaluation. Appendices contain information on resource organizations, packaged health promotion programs, program planning resources, and national certification programs for exercise instructors.