Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People

Additional Resources: For More Information

You can make the most of your time with your doctor by being informed. This often includes drawing on other sources of health information such as the Internet, home medical guides, books and articles available at libraries, national organizations or associations, other institutes within the National Institutes of Health, and self-help groups.

NIA has free information in English and Spanish. Call the NIA Information Center at 1-800-222-2225 or TTY at 1-800-222-4225 to order publications or request a publications catalog. Publications can be ordered online by visiting www.nia.nih.gov/health; you can also sign up for email alerts about new NIA publications at this website. Spanish-language publications are also available at www.nia.nih.gov/espanol. Publications from NIA are available in bulk—for example, you may want to encourage your doctor to order copies of this publication for his or her office.

For free fact sheets and other publications about Alzheimer's disease, contact the NIA's Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 1-800-438-4380. The ADEAR Center website is www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers.

Good health care depends on good communication with your doctor and other health care professionals. Let the ideas in this booklet help you take a more active role in your health care. The organizations below are a sampling of other resources that may also be useful.

NIHSeniorHealth.gov

The NIA and the National Library of Medicine, both part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed a website designed specifically for older people. The website features a wide variety of popular health topics presented in a simple-to-use, easy-to-read format. It also has short videos and a "talking web" feature that reads the text to you. Visit this website at www.nihseniorhealth.gov.

General Resources

NIA Information Center
P.O. Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
1-800-222-2225
1-800-222-4225 (TTY)
www.nia.nih.gov/health
www.nihseniorhealth.gov
www.nia.nih.gov/espanol

National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
1-301-496-4000
1-301-402-9612 (TTY)

MedlinePlus
c/o National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
1-888-FIND-NLM (1-888-346-3656)
1-800-735-2258 (TDD)

Medicare
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
1-877-486-2048 (TTY)

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)
601 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20049
1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277)
1-877-434-7598 (TTY)

Advance Directives

Patient Education Forum: Advance Directives
The American Geriatrics Society
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801
New York, NY 10118
1-800-563-4916

Alcohol

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304
Bethesda, MD 20892-9304
1-301-443-3860

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
P.O. Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847-2345
1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727)
1-800-487-4889 (TTY)

Assisted Living

Assisted Living Federation of America
1650 King Street, Suite 602
Alexandria, VA 22314-2747
1-703-894-1805

National Center for Assisted Living
1201 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
1-202-842-4444

Housing Choices
AARP
601 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20049
1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277)
1-877-434-7598 (TTY)

Care in the Event of a Terminal Illness

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
1731 King Street, Suite 100
Alexandria, VA 22314
1-800-658-8898
1-877-658-8896 (multilingual)

Driving

SeniorDrivers.org
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Administrative Office
607 14th Street, NW, Suite 201
Washington, DC 20005-2000
1-202-638-5944

AARP Driver Safety Program
601 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20049
1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277)
1-877-434-7598 (TTY)

Patient Education Forum: Safe Driving for Seniors
The American Geriatrics Society
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801
New York, NY 10118
1-800-563-4916

Exercise

American College of Sports Medicine
P.O. Box 1440
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440
1-317-637-9200

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
1-888-232-6348 (TTY)

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Department W
Tower Building, Suite 560
1101 Wootton Parkway
Rockville, MD 20852
1-240-276-9567

Grief, Mourning, and Depression

National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
1-866-615-6464
1-866-415-8051 (TTY)

HIV/AIDS

National Association on HIV Over Fifty
23 Miner Street
Ground Level
Boston, MA 02215-3319
1-617-233-7107

Incontinence

National Association for Continence
P.O. Box 1019
Charleston, SC 29402-1019
1-800-BLADDER (1-800-252-3337)

The Simon Foundation for Continence
P.O. Box 815
Wilmette, IL 60091
1-800-23-SIMON (1-800-237-4666)

Medication

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20993
1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)

Medicare
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
1-877-486-2048 (TTY)