A new online resource that will provide health professionals and the general public with trusted, evidence-based information about how to stay healthy, active and engaged as we grow older has been launched by McMaster University.

The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal brings together research evidence about questions related to aging, and presents it in various ways that discuss the key messages from the research, how trustworthy it is, and how it can be acted upon. The Portal also includes links to a wide range of other online resources that have been rated for quality.

The Optimal Aging Portal was created by a team of researchers at McMaster as part of the University’s aim to become a leading authority in Canada on the study of aging. This team of researchers includes Dr. Parminder Raina, lead principal investigator of the CLSA. Dr. Raina is providing overall scientific direction of the Optimal Aging Portal, including leadership of the Portal’s Expert Advisory Council.

There are many other online resources that deal with health and aging available, but what sets the Optimal Aging Portal apart from the crowd is its emphasis on providing only the best evidence, and telling you why it’s considered the best. The Portal has been developed to appeal to a broad range of audiences, including patients, caregivers, health-care professionals, decision-makers, and anyone interested in optimal aging.

To help the public learn more about the portal, two online webinars are planned. The first webinar on October 15 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET will focus on showing citizens how to use the Portal’s various features. The second webinar on October 21 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET will focus on how the content of the portal is evaluated, and specifically on the Web Resources Ratings. Information on registration may be found here.

For more details on what the Portal includes, click here.