implications of this demographic shift represent two of the greatest challenges faced by federal and state governments today. An aging population will place intense stress on our healthcare system, its funding sources, and American families. Lack of personal savings for long term-care and a fragmented and institutionally-dependent delivery system will pose significant risks to the health and quality-of-life of aging Americans. Our healthcare workforce will need to be re-tooled to manage the multiple chronic conditions prevalent in this vulnerable population. Addressing the needs of the elderly will be a top priority of policymakers at every level. Meeting the health needs of an aging America requires policy proposals based on the best-available research evidence about how to improve access, affordability and the quality of health services. Today, for many reasons, health policymaking often fails to fully consider scientific research evidence. With aging Americans and their loved ones at risk, policymakers have a responsibility to inform their decisions with rigorous, objective evidence. At the same time, health policy researchers must find a way to present scientific results in a manner that is relevant to and applicable by policymakers. This study is the first in a series of efforts to connect research evidence to the set of policy recommendations being made to address the health needs of older adults in the United States. In an unprecedented effort to map evidence to health policies, a multidisciplinary team of researchers conducted a two-phase study to identify opportunities for policymakers seeking to improve the cost and quality of healthcare for the aging. Results of a broad literature search of medical research evidence were matched and compared to policy recommendations from multiple, cross-cutting healthcare stakeholder groups. From an initial search return of over four hundred thousand literature citations and over 493 health stakeholder organizations, researchers conducted a scoping study and policy scan to identify unique stakeholder policy recommendations and studies related to the health of the aging population. An expert panel used these results to organize the information into 10 usable policy categories (further divided for easy reference into 75 subtopic areas), which combine to present a comprehensive and unbiased view of the best-available evidence and policy activity around healthcare for older adults. The study intends to inform future policymaking in this critical area with an easily applied index of evidence-based policy research mapped to the full range of policy options. Matching these results allows policy makers and the stakeholder community to identify potential areas of interest: 1) Where there is significant policy interest and evidence to support proposed changes; 2) Where policy topics have a strong evidence base but are receiving little attention; and 3) Where there is policy activity but a lack of scientific evidence. Addressing the Health Needs of an Aging America | 5 Where Evidence and Policy Meet Evidence That Deserves Greater Attention From Policymakers The study revealed three areas in which a rich base of research evidence and a high level of demand for policy change exist: Prevention and Wellness interventions lower the cost of care and improve health outcomes by preventing the onset of disease entirely, detecting the early onset of disease through screening, and slowing or stopping the progression of disease. Within this broad category, the study revealed specific focus areas where evidence and policy demand strongly converge: screening and early detection; nutrition and diet; and patient education, empowerment, and physical activity. The Healthcare and Informal Caregiver Workforce reforms seek to address a significant shortage in the number of professionals who have the necessary skills to treat complex geriatric patients. Policy interventions could support the use of new models of care to expand the role of family caregivers, leverage the unique skills of nurses and other advanced practice providers, train the workforce in geriatric competencies, coordinate interprofessional teams to manage care, and identify opportunities for