This module is designed to foster understanding of the elderly by dispelling stereotypes and inspiring faculty and students to adopt health habits that will help them age "successfully"—achieve a longer life, free of chronic illness. While all those aged 65 and older are considered elderly, geriatric, or aged, they constitute a very diverse group influenced by age, gender, race, culture, environment and functional ability/disability. They are all undergoing the same sequence of physiological changes; the rate at which those changes occur, however, varies greatly. The tissue function of an aging body generally reduces with age, leading to a diminished capacity to resist disease and to use nutrients efficiently. In fact, after age 30, most organs and systems experience a decrease in efficiency at nearly a linear rate with age. The harmful effects of the aging process can be slowed by paying attention to wellness, by exercising, and by eating properly.

Health is more than the absence of disease and maintaining health goes beyond avoiding illness. Wellness for the elderly population includes regular physical and mental health exams. The chances of injuries or disease can be reduced by following safety guidelines in the home and in the car.

Exercise has many positive effects for the elderly, both physical and emotional. Exercise increases lean tissue while decreasing fat tissue. It can also change the distribution of fat by decreasing fat stores in the abdominal region. High density lipoprotein (HDL) levels are increased which is beneficial to the heart. Both cardiovascular fitness exercises and strength-training exercises are recommended for the elderly. Exercising—particularly as part of a group—helps prevent depression.

Proper diet can help in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases common to the elderly: osteoporosis, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. While one can argue that the current aged population has missed the opportunity to get the maximum benefit from following a nutritious food plan, the elderly can surprisingly derive substantial benefit from making positive diet changes, even for the oldest-old.