ITHACA, N.Y. - As overdoses from fentanyl and opioids continue to rise, many communities have created interactive overdose dashboards showing data trends and community resources to help with substance abuse. However, there’s not much research looking at how effective these dashboards are at helping public health officials make data-driven decisions, especially in rural areas. Researchers from Cornell University are filling that gap.

“Why bother? At my age, breast cancer is the least of my worries,” says a patient in the opening vignette of “Helping Patients Make Health Care Decisions,” the latest publication from the Gerontological Society of America. This new guide equips health care providers with essential strategies to support informed, value-based decision-making with their older patients, recognizing the many factors that influence how individuals approach their health care.