Scientists have identified a process in the brain that may eventually lead to new treatments for people with memory problems. The finding, published in the journal Nature Communications, was made by a team of researchers from Cardiff University in the UK. The investigators found that reminders could reverse the amnesia caused by methods previously thought… Continue reading Memories Can Be Lost – And Found
Category: Senior Health
Aging is part of the cycle of life. Senior living can be full of health, growth, and well-being. Learn more about senior health and key health issues here.
Seniors at High Risk for Readmission After Ambulatory Surgery
Patients 65 and older who have ambulatory surgery are much more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days than younger patients, regardless of their health before surgery according to a large national Northwestern Medicine study published in the August 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The likely cause,… Continue reading Seniors at High Risk for Readmission After Ambulatory Surgery
A Diet That Helps Stop Cognitive Decline
Researchers say that eating a group of specific foods – known as the MIND Diet – may slow cognitive decline among aging adults, even those who aren’t at risk of Alzheimer’s. This finding, by researchers from Rush Medical Center, Chicago, is in addition to a previous study by the research team that found that the… Continue reading A Diet That Helps Stop Cognitive Decline
Long-Term Care: Are You a Denier?
The statistics are staggering. About 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 each day and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that more than 70 percent of people over 65 will require long-term care services at some point. But few people make preparations for this inevitable part of life that can drain a family… Continue reading Long-Term Care: Are You a Denier?
High Intensity Training Helps Ease Arthritis Pains
According to researchers at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, arthritis is a disease that sneaks up on you. Fingers and toes slowly but surely become stiff and painful. A nice morning stretch is no longer all it takes to get your body moving. Arthritis is a chronic illness that sinks its claws into your… Continue reading High Intensity Training Helps Ease Arthritis Pains
Senior Vaccination Rates Are Too Low
While influenza, pneumococcal, tetanus, and shingles vaccines are effective, routinely recommended for older adults and covered in varying degrees by health insurance, vaccination rates among older adults are much lower than current targets set by the U.S. government’s Healthy People 2020 Initiative. The undesirable rates of vaccines have far-reaching results: Older Americans are much more… Continue reading Senior Vaccination Rates Are Too Low
Antibiotics and Hearing Loss
Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University have found that patients stricken with dangerous bacterial infections and treated with lifesaving antibiotics are at greater risk of hearing loss than previously recognized. The inflammation from the bacterial infections substantially increased susceptibility to hearing impairment by increasing the uptake of aminoglycoside antibiotics into the inner ear,… Continue reading Antibiotics and Hearing Loss
ThirdAge Health Close-Up: 71 and Going for the Gold
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Okay, perhaps 71-year-old Minnesotan Pat Lillehei lacks super powers, but the recently retired financial executive comes close. Cited as one of 13 Humana Game Changers, Pat is one of 10,000 athletes set to compete at the… Continue reading ThirdAge Health Close-Up: 71 and Going for the Gold
Too Many Pills for Seniors?
Although older Americans get mental-health medications at more than twice the rate of younger adults, they are much less likely to see a psychiatrist, according to new research. That raises questions about whether they could be at risk of problems caused by a collision of multiple medications – and about whether primary care doctors may… Continue reading Too Many Pills for Seniors?
Get Smart About Elder Financial Abuse
Billions of dollars in life savings are lost each year due to the financial exploitation of older adults. Perpetrators include scammers, professional caregivers, unethical businesses and family members. No federal agency tracks elder exploitation cases on an ongoing basis, but in a survey compiled by the Investor Protection Trust, 20 percent of Americans age 65… Continue reading Get Smart About Elder Financial Abuse
A Healthier Picture for Medicare Patients
The health picture is brighter for older Medicare patients: In a 15-year study, Yale School of Medicine researchers saw an estimated 20% drop in mortality, about 30% fewer hospitalizations, and 40% reduction in deaths after hospitalization. The findings were published In JAMA’s theme issue on Medicare and Medicaid at 50. In the study, researchers took… Continue reading A Healthier Picture for Medicare Patients
Helping Families Combat Elder Abuse
Our nation is experiencing a crisis that is shockingly — a dirty little secret few of us seem to want to know about. Officials report that 90 percent of elder abuse actually is occurring in homes, not in institutions. And, unlike accidents, and lack of know-how, elder abuse is intentional, taking the form of… Continue reading Helping Families Combat Elder Abuse
Challenges of Delirium Detection in Older Adults in the Emergency Department
An estimated one to two million older adults with delirium visit hospital emergency departments in the United States annually. Yet about two-thirds of the cases of this sudden and potentially lethal change in mental status are unrecognized by emergency department clinicians who are under time pressure and almost always managing multiple patients at once. Half… Continue reading Challenges of Delirium Detection in Older Adults in the Emergency Department
Caregiving Strategies for Traveling with Alzheimer’s Patients
Taking a person with Alzheimer’s disease on an overnight trip is a challenge. Traveling can make the person more worried and confused, so it’s important to think ahead. Here are some tips from the experts at the National Institute on Aging: Getting Started Talk with the person’s doctor about medicines to calm someone who gets… Continue reading Caregiving Strategies for Traveling with Alzheimer’s Patients
Why West Nile Virus Is More Dangerous in the Elderly
West Nile virus (WNV) is particularly dangerous in older people, who account for a large number of severe cases and deaths caused by the virus. WNV infection turns serious when the virus crosses the blood-brain-barrier and wreaks havoc among nerve cells in the brain. A study published on July 23rd 2015 in PLOS Pathogens suggests… Continue reading Why West Nile Virus Is More Dangerous in the Elderly
Chemotherapy and Quality of Life at the End of Life
Chemotherapy for patients with end-stage cancer was associated with worse quality of life near death for patients with a good ability to still perform many life functions, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology IN JULY 2015. A release from the JAMA Network Journals explains that physicians have voiced concerns about the benefits… Continue reading Chemotherapy and Quality of Life at the End of Life
Old Age – Then and Now
A long time ago, when I was just a teen, a girlfriend who already volunteered at a local nursing home, invited me to volunteer. For six months or so, twice a week, Sue, dressed in a cute Candy Striper outfit, pushed around the hospitality cart. Her job, which cast her in an angelic light, was… Continue reading Old Age – Then and Now
Taking a Vacation with Your Hearing Aids
It may come as a surprise, but wearing hearing aids can actually make travel less difficult, not more so. Instead of struggling to hear announcements in public transportation terminals or when listening to guides while on a tour, you can use their advanced technology to help you hear even better than normal-hearing tourists in similar… Continue reading Taking a Vacation with Your Hearing Aids