People Who Have AMD Can Use Desk Top Touch Screens Accurately

Older adults with central vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have no problem with accuracy in performing touch screen tasks, according to a study in the October 2015 issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer. A release from the… Continue reading People Who Have AMD Can Use Desk Top Touch Screens Accurately

Grief Shaming: The Latest Form of Bereavement Judgment

Blame it on the ability to remain anonymous, on people who have very small lives or a combination thereof. In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in varying sorts of public “shaming”  – weight shaming (be it “over” or “under”); height shaming, financial shaming, social status shaming, a certain kind of shaming that… Continue reading Grief Shaming: The Latest Form of Bereavement Judgment

Active Senior Travelers Have Different Approaches to Technology

Are you an Adventurous Experimenter, a Meticulous Researcher or a Fumbling Observer? These are the three groups active senior travellers can be divided into on the basis of how they use tourism-related information and communication technology, according to a recent University of Eastern Finland and Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences study. A release from the… Continue reading Active Senior Travelers Have Different Approaches to Technology

Dried Plums Can Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer

Researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of North Carolina have shown that a diet containing dried plums can positively affect microbiota, also referred to as gut bacteria, throughout the colon. This helps reduce the risk of colon cancer. A release from Texas A&M reports that the research was funded by the California Dried… Continue reading Dried Plums Can Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer

Surviving Longevity

Age 85+ is becoming the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. And those of us (the so called “boomers”, aged 51-69) who may be caregivers for those elderly parents may still be at the tail end of funding college kids or starting to babysit grandkids. They don’t call us the “sandwich generation” for nothing. As… Continue reading Surviving Longevity

Sex Does Not Increase Heart Attack Risk

Even if you’ve already had a heart attack, go ahead and enjoy some lovin’ in the bedroom! Sex is rarely the cause of a heart attack, and most heart disease patients can safely resume sexual activity after a heart attack, according to a research letter published in September 2015 in the Journal of the American… Continue reading Sex Does Not Increase Heart Attack Risk

For Prostate Cancer, Active Surveillance Is Recommended

In the wake of changing guidelines related to prostate cancer screening, a 2015 review article from University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland provides important guidance about the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. The peer-reviewed article, titled “Prostate Cancer Screening and the Associated Controversy”, was published in Surgical Clinics of North America.… Continue reading For Prostate Cancer, Active Surveillance Is Recommended

ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia

Among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with pneumonia, intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients, which appeared to be discretionary, was associated with improved survival and no significant differences in Medicare spending or hospital costs compared with patients admitted to general wards. That is the finding of a University of Michigan study published in the September 22/29… Continue reading ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia

4 Tips To Help Couples Keep The Peace About Money

Money may not have the power to buy happiness, but it sure can stress us out. In fact, a survey by the American Psychological Association pinpointed money as the leading cause of stress for Americans, with 72 percent saying they had felt at least some stress about money in the previous month. What’s more, about… Continue reading 4 Tips To Help Couples Keep The Peace About Money

Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Had a Constant Headache for Two Weeks and Her Pupils Are Not the Same Size, First Week

Editor’s note: Welcome to our ThirdAge feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth as we share the details of what happened when a patient presented with a problem that stumped the physician at first. We’ll start this week by letting you know what the patient told her PCP and how the doctor… Continue reading Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Had a Constant Headache for Two Weeks and Her Pupils Are Not the Same Size, First Week

Some Diabetes Drugs May Be Bad for Patients

Although a group of treatments for diabetes is in common use, it may help worsen the problem it was designed to solve, according to a new study. The researchers, from St. John’s College of the University of Cambridge, UK, say that while their results are not conclusive, they point to a lack of complete information… Continue reading Some Diabetes Drugs May Be Bad for Patients

Link Between Air Pollution and Increased Risk of Death

In what is believed to be the largest, most detailed study of its kind in the United States, scientists at New York University Langone Medical Center and elsewhere have confirmed that tiny chemical particles in the air we breathe are linked to an overall increase in risk of death. A release from the university notes… Continue reading Link Between Air Pollution and Increased Risk of Death

Diabetes Superfoods

When it comes to managing diabetes, some foods are better than others. In fact, some foods are downright super. Here, from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), is a list of the top ten diabetes superfoods: (all the foods have a low glycemic index and provide nutrients such as calcium; potassium; fiber; magnesium; vitamins A (as… Continue reading Diabetes Superfoods

Safe Bus Travel for Seniors

Buses are one of the safest options for passenger travel. But even one crash is too many – particularly if a loved one is affected. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Look Before You Book campaign is committed to increasing bus safety for passengers throughout the country. With more than 4,000 interstate… Continue reading Safe Bus Travel for Seniors

4 Ways To Fortify Your Marital Bonds

Marriage is a complex, ever-evolving relationship that challenges partners to remain active in their efforts to maintain the relationship. While the components of a healthy relationship – passion, commitment and intimacy – may seem abstract, I have found specific actions through my practice as a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist that couples can do… Continue reading 4 Ways To Fortify Your Marital Bonds

Yoga Improves Arthritis Symptoms and Mood

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that a randomized trial of people with two common forms of arthritis, knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, has found that yoga can be safe and effective for people with these conditions. A release from Johns Hopkins notes that eight weeks of yoga classes improved the physical and mental wellbeing of… Continue reading Yoga Improves Arthritis Symptoms and Mood

Refrigerating Food the Right Way

With age comes a change in our immune system: It becomes a bit sluggish in recognizing and ridding the body of harmful bacteria and other pathogens that can cause foodborne illness. The body doesn’t react like it used to – older adults who contract a foodborne illness are more likely to have a lengthier illness… Continue reading Refrigerating Food the Right Way

Researchers Discover Alzheimer’s “Subtypes”

  Alzheimer’s disease, long thought to be a single disease, really consists of three distinct subtypes, according to a UCLA study. The discovery could eventually lead to new treatments for the debilitating neurological disorder. Additionally, the study found that one of the three variations, the cortical subtype, appears to be fundamentally a different condition than… Continue reading Researchers Discover Alzheimer’s “Subtypes”