_ Delirium Severity Measure for Older Adults By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers from Harvard, Brown, and the University of Massachusetts have developed a new method for measuring delirium severity in older adults. A release from the Hebrew Senior Life Institute for Aging Research, a affiliate of Harvard Medical School in Boston explains that delirium is defined as the sudden onset of confusion or change in mental status that is often brought about by physical illness, surgery, or hospitalization. Delirium is a common and often costly condition that is a leading complication among older adults who are hospitalized.
_ Our New Secretary of HSS By Sondra Forsyth article In the wake of the error-plagued healthcare rollout that left millions of Americans struggling to log on to HealthCare.gov in order to get insurance, Kathleen Sibelius has resigned from the position of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. On April 11th 2014, President Obama nominated Sylvia Matthews Burwell to be Sibelius’ successor. Burwell, who will turn 49 in June, served as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget beginning in April 2013 after a stint as president of the Walmart Foundation starting in January 2012.
Facebook And The Doctor's Office By Jane Farrell blog I like a lot of things about Facebook. It allows me to see pictures and videos of my nephews and niece and of friends’ children, it quickly lets me know when something big (either happy or sad) is going on in people’s lives, it lets me know what people are thinking about, and it gives me the opportunity to share my own news, thoughts, pictures, or occasional videos with others.
_ Pets Do Therapy Animals Really Help Patients? By article While many people have an opinion on whether animals can help to improve wellbeing and care for patients in hospitals, does anyone really know whether there are benefits both for the patients and the animals themselves?
_ Does Memory Decline Lower Cancer Risk? By article Having some senior moments? The upside is that you may be at a lower risk for dying of cancer. A study done at the University Hospital in Madrid and in the April 9th 2014 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that older people who are starting to have memory and thinking problems but do not yet have dementia may have a lower risk of dying from cancer than people who have no memory and thinking problems.
_ Criteria for ΓÇ£Choosing WiselyΓÇ¥ Lists By Jane Farrell article In the creation of lists by specialty societies of medical services deemed least beneficial, the "Choosing Wisely" initiative, inclusion was often justified by evidence suggesting no additional benefit with higher risk, higher cost, or both, compared with other options, according to a study in the April 9th 2014 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
_ The New Challenges of Alzheimer's By Jane Farrell article The growing incidence of Alzheimer’s raises many question beyond diagnosis and, eventually treatment. As a society, we also need to think about the ethical and policy choices we are faced with, an expert says.
_ Specialist Docs Up Feeding Tube Use in Dementia Patients By article When elderly patients with advanced dementia are hospitalized, the specialties of the doctors at their bedside have a lot to do with whether the patients will end up with a gastric feeding tube -- a practice that some medical organizations recommend against for frail, terminal patients. That is the finding of a study done at Brown University and published in the April 2014 edition of the journal Health Affairs,
_ Grandparenting Watching Grandkids Once a Week Keeps Grandmas Sharp By article Taking care of grandchildren one day a week helps keep grandmothers mentally sharp, according to a study from the Women's Healthy Aging Project in Australia, published online April 8th 2014 in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). That's good news for women after menopause, when women need to lower their risks of developing Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders.
Advance Directives Critical for Elderly Still at Home By Sondra Forsyth article More than 70% of elderly Medicare beneficiaries experience cognitive impairment or severe dementia near the end of life and may need surrogate decision makers for healthcare decisions. Advance care planning for older adults with dementia may be particularly important for individuals who do not reside in a nursing home or a long-term care facility, according to research done at at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and published in the April 2014 issue of Health Affairs.
_ How You Can Help a Spouse With Cancer By article By Nurse Practitioner Jamie Kabat, BSN, MSN, CNP and Clinical Nurse Specialist Josette Snyder, RN, MSN, AOCN One of the most frequent – and touching – questions we get on the Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Answer Line is from people whose spouses or partners have been newly diagnosed with cancer. They want to know how they can help and support their spouses through this life-changing diagnosis and the ensuing treatment.
How to Love an Angry Man Part 4: Understanding Male Shame, Depression, and Dependency By blog For most of my life I haven’t understood my anger or why it was so often directed at the women in my life. I’ve been married three times. My first marriage lasted 10 years and ended in an acrimonious divorce. My second marriage began with extreme attraction and passion and luckily ended before one of us killed the other. I’m not talking metaphorically here.
_ This Is Your Brain on Meditation By article Brown University researchers have intergrated mindfulness meditation with brain imaging and neural signal data to form testable hypotheses about the science of the practice, and the reported mental health benefits. The investigators maintain that their method of coding the reports meditators provide about their mental experiences can be “rigorously correlated with quantitative neurophysiological measurements”.
_ Aging Well The Future of Aging, 2014 By article Here’s a link to a video of the General Session from the 2014 American Society on Aging "Aging in America" Conference in San Diego. JoAnn Jenkins (AARP); Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. (Age Wave); Joe Coughlin, Ph.D. (MIT AgeLab); and Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D. (UCLA) present their views about the future of aging.
_ Six Surprising Facts About You and Your Microbes By article By Bill Miller M.D. “I'm so nervous, my stomach is all in a knot.”