The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal and the Retired Teachers of Ontario/les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l'Ontario partner to promote informed healthy aging

The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal and the Retired Teachers of Ontario are pleased to announce a new partnership that will promote healthy aging and help inform seniors' health concerns across the province.

While healthy aging is an important consideration throughout life, retirement can mark a renewed interest in achieving optimal health and finding better ways to manage the health conditions that come with age. For many retirees, access to high-quality health information can fuel this pursuit. That's where the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal becomes a valuable online information resource.

"RTO/ERO is a community of retired workers from the educational field and nothing is more important to us than credible information to help us maintain a healthy active lifestyle in retirement," says Martin Higgs, president. "This new partnership will provide us with health content personalized to our members' needs and interests."

The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal is a website developed by McMaster University to provide public access to evidence-based information about prevalent seniors' conditions and health concerns. The content is presented in a consumer-friendly format and is based on the latest, systematically reviewed research evidence.

"The Portal is a trusted resource in a time when many people are turning to the internet for information about their health concerns," says Dr. John Lavis, Director of the McMaster Health Forum and one of the Portal Leads. "Our mandate is to leverage McMaster's world-class health research databases to help inform healthy aging. We look forward to working with RTO/ERO to provide their members with trustworthy health information to help them age well long into their retirement."

The Portal:

  • Puts the research into context: Blog Posts include commentary on what the scientific research on a topic actually means and why good science matters.
  • Makes sense of the science: Experts identify key messages from scientific research that's relevant and ready to be acted on.
  • Provides information you can trust: There are many free online health resources out there, but it's hard to know which are worth a closer look based on evidence. The Portal uses explicit criteria to assess and rate other free online seniors' health resources – as well as in the development of its own featured content.

"We aim to improve the lives of our members and all seniors--clearly a mission we share with the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal," says Jim Grieve, executive director of RTO/ERO. "Through this partnership, our two organizations will collaborate to create greater awareness about healthy aging during our 'awesome years' and to break down barriers and stereotypes about aging."

About the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal 
www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org

The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal is a free and easy to use website that gives you access to high-quality information to help you age well. The portal aims to be a trusted voice on healthy aging and is a valuable resource for seniors, caregivers and health professionals. The portal is part of McMaster's Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative, which was funded by a donation from retired businesswoman Suzanne Labarge who is personally committed to improving the health and well-being of older Canadians.

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About RTO/ERO
www.rto-ero.org

RTO/ERO is a bilingual trusted voice on healthy, active living in the retirement journey for the broader education community. Its insurance programs are designed by members for members. RTO/ERO promote a wide range of world-class programs, social networks and assistance throughout retirement. RTO/ERO's group insurance plan currently has 91,000 members. Most RTO/ERO members live in Ontario and are affiliated with one of 48 districts into which the organization is divided. There are also two districts in British Columbia. RTO/ERO welcomes those who work in the broader education community – including early years, school boards, post-secondary, private schools – to join the organization.

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McMaster Optimal Aging Portal