According to the National Institute for Health: Senior Health, more than one in three people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling — and the risk of disability and other life-changing problems caused by falls — increase with age. Falls are not an inevitable part of getting older, though. Many… Continue reading How Common Are Falls Among Older People?
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.
Systemic Antibody Responses to Oral Bacteria with Aging
On March 17th 2016 at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Jeffrey Ebersole, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA, presented a study titled “Systemic Antibody Responses to Oral Bacteria with Aging.” The AADR Annual Meeting was held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association… Continue reading Systemic Antibody Responses to Oral Bacteria with Aging
7 Secrets of Staying Sharp
As Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, wrote in the 18th-century, “The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.” You may recognize the importance of eating right, good sleep, exercise and social interaction in cultivating a healthy brain and body. But there are a few secrets of neuroprotection… Continue reading 7 Secrets of Staying Sharp
More Exercise May Reduce Memory Loss
Older people who are physically active have larger gray matter volume in key brain areas responsible for memory and cognition, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UCLA. The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, showed also that people who had Alzheimer’s disease or… Continue reading More Exercise May Reduce Memory Loss
Women Have Lost Their Advantage Over Men Regarding Living Free of Disabilities Past Age 65
In a reversal of a long-standing pattern, a 2016 study done at the University of Michigan found that older women in the U.S. have lost ground relative to older men in the number of years they can expect to live free from disabilities past age 65. The study, funded by the National Institute on Aging,… Continue reading Women Have Lost Their Advantage Over Men Regarding Living Free of Disabilities Past Age 65
Immune-System Cells May Help Fight Alzheimer’s
Immune cells that help fight bacterial and viral infections may play a far greater role in Alzheimer’s disease than originally thought, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists The researchers discovered this when Alzheimer’s disease mice genetically modified to lack these key immune cells in their blood developed the distinctive brain plaques associated with the… Continue reading Immune-System Cells May Help Fight Alzheimer’s
Hope for Better Treatments for AMD
According to a release from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), one approach that researchers have explored to treat retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) involves transplantation of retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Induced pluripotent stem cells are cells that have the potential to regenerate… Continue reading Hope for Better Treatments for AMD
Sensory Loss Affects 94 Percent of Older Adults
The first study to measure the full spectrum of age-related damage to all five senses found that 94 percent of older adults in the United States have at least one sensory deficit, 38 percent have two, and 28 percent have three, four or five. The study, published in the February 2016 issue of the Journal… Continue reading Sensory Loss Affects 94 Percent of Older Adults
Feeling Old Can Lead to Hospitalization
If you feel older than your peers, you’re more likely to be hospitalized, according to People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “How old you feel matters. Previous… Continue reading Feeling Old Can Lead to Hospitalization
February Is Low Vision Awareness Month: Tips for Managing Age-Related Vision Loss
As our population ages, the incidence of age-related conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetes is increasing. These conditions may result in vision loss that is not correctable with glasses, medication or surgery. A permanent decrease in visual acuity may make it difficult to complete everyday tasks – this loss of functional vision is called low… Continue reading February Is Low Vision Awareness Month: Tips for Managing Age-Related Vision Loss
Five Tips to Make Hearing Health Part of Healthy Aging
As people age, it is natural to be more proactive about health. The multitude of recommended screenings and tests that are linked with certain age milestones simplify making healthy aging a priority. However, for the majority of aging people, hearing health is too frequently left out of proactive health planning. For the 37.5 million American… Continue reading Five Tips to Make Hearing Health Part of Healthy Aging
A Knee, Hip or Shoulder Replacement To Go
When retired NHL goaltender Olie Kolzig underwent hip surgery a few years after his 14-year professional hockey career ended, I planned something unusual for his recovery. “They were trying a different approach,” says Kolzig, 45, who played nearly his entire career with the Washington Capitals. “They felt the hospital wasn’t the best place for my… Continue reading A Knee, Hip or Shoulder Replacement To Go
Geriatric Care for a Diverse Population
New guidance from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is designed to changes approaches to geriatric health care for an increasingly diverse population. Developed by a committee of experts in ethnogeriatrics (the study of how ethnicity and culture impact the health and well-being of older people), “Achieving High-Quality Multicultural Geriatric Care” outlines present health disparities and… Continue reading Geriatric Care for a Diverse Population
Hypothermia and Older Adults: Tips for Staying Safe in Cold Weather
The cold truth about hypothermia is that Americans aged 65 years and older face this danger every winter. Older adults are especially vulnerable to hypothermia because their body’s response to cold can be diminished by underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, some medicines including over-the-counter cold remedies, and aging itself. As a result, hypothermia can… Continue reading Hypothermia and Older Adults: Tips for Staying Safe in Cold Weather
Dealing with Incontinence in Alzheimer’s Patients
A person with Alzheimer’s disease may have other medical problems over time. These problems can cause more confusion and behavior changes. The person may not be able to tell you what is wrong. One problem, incontinence, means a person can’t control his or her bladder and/or bowels. This may happen at any stage of Alzheimer’s… Continue reading Dealing with Incontinence in Alzheimer’s Patients
You Health May Decline When You Stop Driving
For older adults, driving a car is an important aspect of having control over one’s life. While 81 percent of the 29.5 million U.S. adults aged 65 and over continue to hold a license and get behind the wheel, age-related declines in cognition and physical function make driving more difficult, and many seniors reduce or… Continue reading You Health May Decline When You Stop Driving
The “Silver Scams” that Target Seniors
If you are over 65, you probably grew up in an era when business was done with a firm handshake; unfortunately, crooks today are playing on that trust. The Federal Trade Commission says that fraud complaints to its offices by individuals 60 and older rose at least 47 percent between 2012 and 2014. Seniors are… Continue reading The “Silver Scams” that Target Seniors
Life-Extending Hormone Bolsters the Body’s Immune Function
A hormone that extends lifespan in mice by 40% is produced by specialized cells in the thymus gland, according to a January 2016 study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. The team also found that increasing the levels of this hormone, called FGF21, protects against the loss of immune function that comes with age. Published… Continue reading Life-Extending Hormone Bolsters the Body’s Immune Function