Pueblo County is a community with many older adults. Aging is a process that everyone experiences. As age increases so does the risk of chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. These are the nation’s leading drivers of illness, disability, death, and health care costs. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are most common in adults 60 and older, and the risk increases with age.
CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion funds partners to improve the health of older adults by:
- Helping those with dementia remain active, independent, and involved in their community as long as possible.
- Providing resources to help caregivers stay healthy and deliver quality care to their care recipients.
- Increasing early assessment and diagnosis, risk reduction, and prevention and management of chronic diseases for people with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
- Increasing the use of other clinical preventive services like blood pressure checks, cancer screenings, and blood sugar testing.
- Increasing the number of people who speak to a health care provider about their worsening memory.
- Providing CDC-recognized lifestyle change programs to Medicare beneficiaries through the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Promoting physical activity programs to reduce the risk of dementia, arthritis pain, and falls.