_ States' Restrictions on ACA Hampering Access By article The first study to gauge the impact of state restrictions on the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) indicates that community health centers across the country are engaged in an intensive effort to find and enroll eligible and uninsured patients and community residents.
_ Flu Forecasting Website Posts Predictions By article Infectious disease experts at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City have launched a website that reports weekly predictions for rates of seasonal influenza in 94 cities in the United States based on a scientifically validated system. The URL is cpid.iri.columbia.edu. New predictions are posted every Friday afternoon during the flu season.
New Love Research By blog The average British woman will kiss fifteen men, enjoy two long-term relationships, and have her heartbroken twice before she meets ‘The One’, a new study reveals British researchers found she will also average four disaster dates and be stood up once before she finally settles down with the man of her dreams, but she will also have been in love twice, lived with one partner, and had four one-night stands. In comparison, men face being stood up twice and having six one-night stands before they meet their ideal partners.
_ Aging Well DonΓÇÖt Fall for Scams Targeted to Seniors By article By Hilary Young It’s been estimated that over $2.6 billion was lost to scams that targeted seniors in 2013. Are you as shocked by that number as I am? In order to help you better protect yourself or your loved ones, I’ve put together a helpful guide to shield you from these rip-offs in 2014. There are five popular scams that predators use to target seniors:
Living in Place May Just Get Easier By Jane Farrell blog The business of aging is growing up. What is today a $2 billion aging in place technology and longevity industry is projected to reach $20 billion by 2020. Entrepreneurs, many just in their 20s and 30s, are scrambling to develop products and services that allow older adults to be independent and safe — and give their adult children peace of mind.
_ New Features on MyDiabetes.com By article Registration is free on the site called MyDiabetes.com, an online community for patients, friends, families, and healthcare professionals. In addition to sharing personal stories and getting access the latest information on the disease, members can use a diabetes management dashboard to keep track of important personal information such as blood sugar levels, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and medications. Now, for 2014, the site has added new features:
_ The Right Way to Practice = Faster Learning By article The old adage notwithstanding, practice doesn’t make perfect unless you do it the correct way -- especially when it comes to learning quickly. That’s the finding of research done at the University of Sheffield in the UK and The New York Times Research and Development Lab. The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.
_ Glaucoma Senior Health Vision Health What You Must Know About Glaucoma By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth In April of 2013, I went for my annual eye exam. I’ve worn glasses or contacts for distance correction ever since elementary school but over the years, other than the usual age-related need for “readers”, I’ve never had any vision problems. This time, though, I saw a look of concern flash across the optometrist’s face when she did the test for ocular pressure. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
_ Heart Health A Patch for Tracking Heart Rhythms By article Research done at the Scripps Translational Science Institute in San Diego has found that a small adhesive wireless device worn on the chest for up to two weeks does a better job detecting abnormal and potentially dangerous heart rhythms than the Holter monitor that has been the standard of care for more than 50 years.
How Can I Give What I Never Had? By blog Most of the insecurity and low self-esteem in the world is caused by rejection by a parent, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband or wife, or the loss of a parent or some other significant other early in life. Early shame, rejection or abandonment may become internalized at an early age, making us feel worthless and unworthy of love. The greatest loss and the most difficult to work through is the death of a parent.
Vision Health Brain Hot Spots for Post-Stroke Vision Recovery By article Research done in Germany and published in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience suggests that vision restoration after a stroke depends mostly on activity of residual vision that is still left after the injury. The study showed that both local neuronal activity and activity in the immediate surrounding area influence the development of visual recovery "hot spots." The team maintains that this is evidence that recovery of vision is mediated by partially surviving neurons.
_ Breast Cancer Stopping Breast Cancer Metastasis By article Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah in salt Lake City have discovered a cellular mechanism that drives the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body, as well as a therapy which blocks that metastisis. The research results were published online in the journal Cell Reports on January 2nd 2014.
_ Pain Management Chinese Medicine for Chronic Pain By article Corydalis, a plant used for centuries in Chinese medicine, may be just what we in the West need to relieve chronic pain, according toa study done at the University of California-Irvine and published in the journal Current Biology on January 2nd 2014. A key pain-relieving ingredient is a compound known as dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) found in the roots of the flowering plant, which is a member of the poppy family.
Vitamin E Helps AD Patients Function Better By article New research from the faculty of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City working with Veterans Administration Medical Centers suggests that alpha tocepherol, fat-soluble Vitamin E and antioxidant, may slow functional decline in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and decrease caregiver burden. The study is published online first in the January 1st 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Brain Training Works ΓÇ£With a CatchΓÇ¥ By Jane Farrell article Do online exercises, games, software, and apps designed to “train your brain” really work? University of Oregon psychologists say, yes, but "there's a catch." The catch, according to Elliot T. Berkman, a professor in the Department of Psychology and lead author on a study published in the January 1st 2014 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, is that training for a particular task does heighten performance, but that advantage doesn't necessarily carry over to a new challenge.
_ Parenting The Unspeakable Pain of Losing a Child By Sondra Forsyth article The wrenching news of the three teenage boys whose lives were cut short during the recent school shootings in a little Ohio town touched us deeply here at ThirdAge. Like parents and grandparents across the nation, we were riveted by sorrow and horror as the coverage unfolded. The poignant statement by 16-year-old Demetrius Hewlin's mother and father seemed to us especially moving: "We are very saddened by the loss of our son and others in our Chardon community. Demetrius was a happy young man who loved life and his family and friends.
_ Living Single Are You Lonely? By Sondra Forsyth article If you're a Boomer who's living alone, you're part of a growing phenomenon. Close to 30% of the older population is in what the Census Bureau calls "single person households," and the number skyrockets to almost 50% for women over the age of 75. Yet while mid-lifers who are yearning for some "me time" may think that flying solo sounds great, the truth is that coming home to an empty house or apartment night after night can bring on depression as well as a host of related physical ailments.