Today, there are over 40 million people 65 or older in the U.S. Unfortunately, this demographic, especially those with dementia and cognitive impairment, is left especially vulnerable to financial abuse. Almost three billion dollars is wrongfully taken from older adults annually, a number that continues to grow as Americans are now living longer. Such… Continue reading Elder Financial Abuse: Signs and Prevention
Author: Jane Farrell
Ophthalmologists and Electronic Health Records
Although ophthalmologists’ use of electronic health records (EHR) systems for storing and accessing patients’ medical histories more than doubled between 2006 and 2016, their perceptions of financial and clinical productivity following EHR implementation declined, according to new research. The study was published in JAMA Ophthalmology. “Our findings highlight the fact that companies that design EHR… Continue reading Ophthalmologists and Electronic Health Records
Neighborhood Factors May Predict Heart Failure
Neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors in low-income areas may significantly predict heart failure risk beyond individual health factors and socioeconomic status, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. According to this news release from the AHA, the study compared census tract data on socioeconomic deprivation – a clustering of… Continue reading Neighborhood Factors May Predict Heart Failure
4 Tips to Quit Smoking
If you’re ready to kick the tobacco habit, the experts at the Food and Drug Administration have some advice for you: What are your New Year’s resolutions? If you smoke, maybe this will be the year that you decide you want to quit. And you may not be alone: Nearly 70 percent of current adult… Continue reading 4 Tips to Quit Smoking
A Wrist Gadget Can Help in Sleep Studies
Sleep studies, which have always been performed in an expensive laboratory setting, could be replaced by a much simpler method that allows subjects to sleep at home. The details were published in Current Biology. According to the researchers, the findings represent a major breakthrough in sleep research because, for the first time, it will now… Continue reading A Wrist Gadget Can Help in Sleep Studies
Living with (and Loving) Senior Pets
I don’t feel good admitting this, but sometimes I’m impatient with my two old dogs, Basil and Rinaldo. Their gait is slow and uncertain. They need help getting in and out of the car. They have to go out more often to relieve themselves, and the really old one, Rinaldo, does not want to go… Continue reading Living with (and Loving) Senior Pets
How to Conquer Insomnia
The most common sleep problem in adults age 60 and older is insomonia. People with this condition have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Insomnia can last for days, months, and even years. There are many reasons why older people in particular may not get enough sleep at night. Feeling sick or being in pain can… Continue reading How to Conquer Insomnia
Some Bacterial Infections Could Benefit from Alternative Therapies
Developing alternative therapies for mild infections could slow the spread of antibiotic resistance, a problem that can severely hamper the treatment of more severe bacterial infections, according to researchers. The proposal was made by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers Kristofer Wollein Waldetoft and Sam P. Brown in an essay that was published in PLOS Biology.… Continue reading Some Bacterial Infections Could Benefit from Alternative Therapies
Brainwaves and Short-Term Memory
Researchers from the University of California Berkeley have found that in older people, brain rhythms during sleep are out of sync – and that results in poor recollection of new memories. While these brain rhythms, occurring hundreds of times a night, move in perfect lockstep in young adults, findings published today in the journal Neuron… Continue reading Brainwaves and Short-Term Memory
Erectile Dysfunction and Younger Men
Although erectile dysfunction has long been associated with cardiovascular disease, doctors have not paid enough attention to ED in younger men, according to a new study. The research was published in the journal Vascular Medicine. Risk factors for erectile dysfunction and CV disease are similar – including older age, smoking, obesity, and diabetes, among others.… Continue reading Erectile Dysfunction and Younger Men
How to Care for a Child with Chickenpox
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) offers tips and strategies for caring for children with chickenpox: Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. Although the incidence of chickenpox has declined significantly since the development of the chickenpox vaccine, there are still children who develop chickenpox every year, say dermatologists from the AAD.… Continue reading How to Care for a Child with Chickenpox
What Is Gene Therapy? How Does It Work?
The genes in your body’s cells play an important role in your health — indeed, a defective gene or genes can make you sick. Recognizing this, scientists have been working for decades on ways to modify genes or replace faulty genes with healthy ones to treat, cure or prevent a disease or medical condition. Now… Continue reading What Is Gene Therapy? How Does It Work?
Vitamin Deficiency in Later Life
Fifty percent of adults 65 and over have insufficient levels of Vitamin D, according to European researchers. That conclusion was reached in a study conducted by investigators at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, as part of the population-based KORA-Age study in the region of Augsburg in southern Germany. Moreover, as the authors of the study report… Continue reading Vitamin Deficiency in Later Life
A Common Cancer Drug and Hearing Loss
Scientists have found a new way to explain the hearing loss caused by cisplatin, a powerful drug used to treat many forms of cancer, according to a news release from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Using a highly sensitive technique to measure and map cisplatin in mouse and human inner ear tissues, researchers found… Continue reading A Common Cancer Drug and Hearing Loss
Is Your Retirement Plan Ready for The Longevity Revolution?
Americans are living longer than ever, with the average life expectancy now rising to about 79 years. Some have referred to this trend as the “longevity revolution,” but it’s also creating a revolution in the way people think about retirement. What worked for retirees a generation ago isn’t going to work today. For most people,… Continue reading Is Your Retirement Plan Ready for The Longevity Revolution?
A Computer App for Heart Patients
Researchers have developed an app that helps improve heart failure patients’ quality of life and longevity, according to a clinical study. The new app, which monitors heart failure patients’ medical tests and health status and promptly notifies clinicians, was developed by a multidisciplinary team of Intermountain Healthcare medical informatics specialists, home health experts, and clinicians… Continue reading A Computer App for Heart Patients
How to Accomplish Your Goals in The New Year
As January 1 rolls around every year, the question everyone seems to ask is “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” Hopes are high as people are motivated to improve themselves. The health experts at Envolve, an integrated healthcare solutions company, have put together five tips to help you create a blueprint for success to stay on… Continue reading How to Accomplish Your Goals in The New Year
Play It (Food) Safe This New Year’s
Whether it’s a New Year’s Eve party or a New Year’s Day feast, eating with friends and family can be the best part of the holiday season. But even the most festive occasion can be, well, spoiled by food that isn’t prepared or preserved in the right way. Stop Foodborne Illness, a national nonprofit, public… Continue reading Play It (Food) Safe This New Year’s