A SeniorNet Workshop
SeniorNet is a service program of the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania

What are the top 5 uses of the
Internet by seniors?*
 Send & receive e-mail (93%)
 Research hobbies (58%)
 Get the news (55%)
 Seek specific info on health & wellness (53%)
 Check the weather 50%
*Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

What benefit does health education have for seniors?

“Health education is one of the factors that have decreased the number of senior citizens who are chronically disabled and require nursinghome care.”
 Proceeding fo the National Academy of Science, 2003

Where can I go online for health education and information?
 There are many sites
 Check file extensions to understand who is sponsoring the site
 One of the best is Medline Plus

 Medline Plus is the official website of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
 Medline Plus consistently provides reliable and objective information about health care.

How do other websites qualify as links to
Medline Plus?
 Medline Plus contains numerous links to other websites providing health and medical information.
 Medline Plus uses a strict set of criteria to determine is a website should be linked.
 The criteria are found under Selection
Guidelines on the homepage.

 Medline Plus is located at: www.medlineplus.gov
or www.medlineplus.org

 Information
 Instructions
 Help and Advice
 News
 Links to other health-related sites

How should I use the information I find at
Medline Plus?
 The information you find on Medline Plus is intended for educational use only and is not intended to replace advice of a health care professional.
 Please consult your physician before you make any changes to your health care plan.

The Medline Plus homepage is organized into three major sections.

 Section #1 (homepage left)

Health Topics

Drug Information

Medical Encyclopedia

Dictionary

News


Directories
Other Resources

 Section #2 (homepage center)

Current Health News

Featured site

In the Spotlight

 Section #3 (homepage right)





Interactive tutorials
ClinicalTrials.gov
NIH SeniorHealth
E-mail subscription service
Tour the site link

How do I search for health information on Medline Plus?
 By linking to various sections then searching by alpha order, topic or subject and/or key word
 Note: once you link off the homepage, all major sections are displayed as tabs at the top of each page

By using the website’s search engine


YES! Let’s look for information on health care issues of interest by linking to Section #1.







Health topics (search by alpha or topic)
Drug Information (search by alpha)
Medical Encyclopedia (search by alpha)
Dictionary (by key word)
News (search by topic or subject)
Directories (search by provider type)
Other resources (search by topic)

How do I use the website’s search engine?
 On the homepage, type in the key words for your search subject into the Search
MedlinePlus text box.
 Select Search Medline Plus button to the right of the text box or select the Enter key
 Search results will be displayed

 Current news
 Featured site
 In the spotlight

 Links to current health-related news stories
 Stories change often
 Stories come from various sources

Note “Printer friendly” & “E-mail to a friend” options
 Note links to other related stories & Medline Plus pages

 Information on a special topic.
 Changes periodically.
 May be related to a current health issue or a seasonal concern.

Allergies in spring

Sun-burns in August

Frost-bite during February, etc.

 Similar to the featured site.
 Provides focused information about one current health issue or concern.
 Changes frequently

 Interactive tutorials
 ClinicalTrials.gov
 NIH SeniorHealth
 E-mail subscription service
 Site tour

 Movie-like presentation of a health topic with animated graphics & audio.
 Choose from 165 topics.
 Interactive tutorials require special software
(Flash plug-in, version 6.0 or higher).
 You will be prompted to download if needed.

Can you run an example of an interactive tutorial?
 Click on Interactive tutorial





Select Lyme Disease.
To begin, click on Go to Module and Start Module.
Use the green arrows to advance forward and backward.
Click on Mute Sound to eliminate the sound – this will speed-up the presentation.
Use the blue links on the left to skip to a different section.

 The section of Medline Plus called
ClinicalTrials.gov provides information about federally and privately supported clinical research using human volunteers.
 ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.

Why would I want to participate in a clinical trial?
 Altruistic - to advance our knowledge and understanding of wellness & disease.
 Personal - to get access to treatments and procedures that are not currently approved for use in the general population.

 This link takes you directly to a website developed exclusively for older adults by the National Institute on Aging, the National Library of Medicine and the
National Institutes of Health.
 Select Click to Begin to access the site.
 Accessibility features including enlarged text, high contrast and audio are available.

What is the e-mail service offered by
Medline Plus?
 Medline Plus offers a subscriber e-mail service on the link Sign-up now!
 Subscribers receive e-mail information from
Medline Plus tailored to meet their personal needs and interests.

 An animated tour of the site
 Lasts about 8 minutes
 Requires Flash plug-in Version 6.0 or higher
 You will be prompted to download Flash plugin if necessary

How can I get more information about
Medline Plus website?
 Try the FAQs link at the top right of the Medlineplus homepage.
 This is a list of the most frequently asked questions about this site.
 Questions are listed by topic.


Technical questions
Using Medline Plus

General Questions, etc.