While holiday celebrations are often joyous occasions, they can be challenging and stressful for the millions of families living with Alzheimer’s. Families and friends may be unsure of how to involve their loved one with Alzheimer’s in activities without overwhelming them (or others). The Alzheimer’s Association tells families that with some planning and adjusted expectations,… Continue reading Alzheimer’s Families and the Holidays
Author: Jane Farrell
The Medicare-Related Cost of A Cancer Diagnosis
Medicare beneficiaries who don’t have cancer and develop cancer will be faced with out-of-pocket expenses that average one quarter of their income and could reach as high as 63 percent, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center… Continue reading The Medicare-Related Cost of A Cancer Diagnosis
Keeping Home Medical Devices Safe
Although using a medical device in your home may seem overwhelming at first, it’s crucial that you know how the device works and when the device experiences any problems. The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health regulates medical devices to provide reasonable assurance of their safety and effectiveness. Here, from their… Continue reading Keeping Home Medical Devices Safe
Sexism Linked to Mental Health Problems in Men
Men who prefer traditional role are likelier to have more psychological problems than those who don’t conform as much to masculine norms, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “In general, individuals who conformed strongly to masculine norms tended to have poorer mental health and less favorable attitudes toward seeking psychological help, although… Continue reading Sexism Linked to Mental Health Problems in Men
Reconditioning the Brain to Overcome Fear
Fear-related disorders affect around one in 14 people and place considerable pressure on mental health services. Currently, a common approach is for patients to undergo some form of aversion therapy, in which they confront their fear by being exposed to it in the hope they will learn that the thing they fear isn’t harmful after… Continue reading Reconditioning the Brain to Overcome Fear
Alternative Remedies for Inflammation: How Good Are They?
Editor’s note: People who suffer musculoskeletal inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and tendinitis may try some alternative health treatments that have purported anti-inflammatory properties. But do these remedies actually work? Here, experts from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health weigh in on the evidence of how effective these treatments are –… Continue reading Alternative Remedies for Inflammation: How Good Are They?
Single Women and Retirement Savings
In many ways, single women face the same problems as men when they consider how to retire with enough income, with one exception: They worry more. Women in general are more likely than men to put money into their workplace retirement account and one third of women, according to a survey, said their savings plans… Continue reading Single Women and Retirement Savings
Creative Activity Contributes to Well-Being
People who engage in everyday creative activity may experience an “upward spiral” of increased wellbeing and creativity, according to researchers from New Zealand. In their study, Department of Psychology researchers from the University of Otsego asked 658 university students to keep a daily diary of their experiences and emotional states over 13 days. After analyzing… Continue reading Creative Activity Contributes to Well-Being
Online Security Tips While Traveling
Travelers often worry about flight delays, bad weather and disappointing accommodations when thinking about the factors that could ruin a vacation. However, a lack of secure Internet access and haphazard habits online can wreak havoc lasting long after beach tans fade away. According to Pew Research, about 27 percent of adults in the U.S. age… Continue reading Online Security Tips While Traveling
The Long-Term Care Patients Who Are at Highest Risk for Hospitalization
Long-term services and supports are provided to 12 million people who live in nursing home and assisted living facilities, as well as their own homes. Within that group, New York University researchers found, people who have a high probability of suffering from cardiopulmonary disease are hospitalized more often than people with other kinds of conditions.… Continue reading The Long-Term Care Patients Who Are at Highest Risk for Hospitalization
The Start of Alzheimer’s: A New Understanding
Australian researchers have shed new light on the nerve cell processes that lead to Alzheimer’s Disease . The discovery overturns previously held ideas of how the disease develops. It may alo pave the way to new treatment options that could halt or slow its progression. The study was published in the journal Science. Studying human… Continue reading The Start of Alzheimer’s: A New Understanding
What is “Outpatient Observation Status?”
The web of Medicare rules and regulations can be confusing at the best of times, but if you’re facing an imminent hospital stay or are suddenly visiting the emergency room, you can feel downright frightened by the rules that will affect you immediately. Here, the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy, in partnership with the John… Continue reading What is “Outpatient Observation Status?”
A Component of Areca Nut Has Anti-Cancer Properties
Arecoline — the stimulant component of areca nuts — has anticancer properties, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered. The findings were published in Molecular Cell. Paradoxically, the areca nut may also cause cancer. Areca nuts are chewed for their stimulant effects in many Asian countries, and evidence links the practice to… Continue reading A Component of Areca Nut Has Anti-Cancer Properties
Turning Back the Aging Clock
A new approach that aims to reduce aging-related cellular damage has been developed by researchers from Caltech and UCLA. Led by Nikolay Kandul, senior postdoctoral scholar in biology and biological engineering in the laboratory of Professor of Biology Bruce Hay, the team developed a technique to remove mutated DNA from mitochondria, the small organelles that… Continue reading Turning Back the Aging Clock
Home Remedies: Gas, Bloating and Belching
According to an article on the Mayo Clinic News Network, bloating, burping and passing gas are usually caused by swallowed air or the breakdown of food through digestion. Here’s what causes them, and how to remedy them: Bloating is a gas buildup in your stomach or intestines, the article says, building up in your stomach… Continue reading Home Remedies: Gas, Bloating and Belching
What to Ask Your Doctor before Taking Opioids
Editor’s note: The use and abuse of prescriptions has risen to alarming numbers, especially among senior citizens. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2015 nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries received at least one prescription for commonly abused opioids such as Oxycontin. The results of overuse range from addiction to death.… Continue reading What to Ask Your Doctor before Taking Opioids
Why Wounds Heal More Slowly in Older Patients
Although it’s long been known that wounds heal more slowly in older patients, researchers have never been sure exactly why that’s the case. Now, they have found out. Recent experiments at The Rockefeller University explored this physiological puzzle by examining molecular changes in aging mouse skin. The results, described in the journal Cell, reveal a… Continue reading Why Wounds Heal More Slowly in Older Patients
Vitamin D Can Help Older Patients Fight Respiratory Infections
Older, long-term care patients can reduce the incidence of acute respiratory illness by taking high doses of vitamin D, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The findings of the clinical trial, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, could help reduce one of the leading causes of serious… Continue reading Vitamin D Can Help Older Patients Fight Respiratory Infections