title: Health literacy challenges in the aging population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of low health literacy and discuss interventions to minimize its effect on the elderly population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low health literacy combined with the physiological changes of aging put the elderly in a vulnerable position. It can negatively affect health behaviors and health outcomes, and can lead to economic burden, not just on the individual but on the society as a whole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians need to recognize the indicators of low health literacy and utilize the available assessment tools. To improve clinician-patient communication, interventions must be tailored to the patients' literacy level.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas-Tyler, Tyler, TX.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mullen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000639:trends*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Communication; elderly; health literacy; older adult