_ Aging Well ThereΓÇÖs No Place Like Home ΓÇô For Growing Old By Sondra Forsyth article ΓÇ£The stairs are getting so hard to climb.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£Since my wife died, I just open a can of soup for dinner.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£IΓÇÖve lived here 40 years. No other place will seem like home.ΓÇ¥ These are common issues for older people. And, you may share the often-heard wishΓÇöΓÇ£I want to stay in my own home!ΓÇ¥ The good news is that with the right help you might be able to do just that.
_ Senior Health Stroke Stroke Rates Have Dropped 40% for People 65+ By Sondra Forsyth article A new analysis of data from 1988-2008 by researchers at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine has revealed a 40% decrease in the incidence of stroke in Medicare patients 65 years of age and older. The decline is greater than anticipated considering this population's risk factors for stroke. Not only that, but the drop applies to both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. The team also found that deaths resulting from stroke declined during the same period. The findings are published in the July 2014 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
_ Heart Health Potassium May Save Lives for Heart Patients on Diuretics By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that patients taking prescription potassium supplements together with loop diuretics for heart failure have better survival rates than patients taking diuretics without the potassium. The degree of benefit increases with higher diuretic doses. The team, including senior author Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology in PennΓÇÖs Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), report their findings in a study published online July 16th 2014 in PLoS ONE.
_ New Hope for Alzheimer’s Treatment By Sondra Forsyth article A relatively frequent genetic variant turns out to provide significant protection against Alzheimer's disease and can delay the onset of the disease by as much as four years. That is the finding of research done by Judes Poirier, PhD, C.Q., and colleagues at the Douglas Mental Health Institute and McGill University in Montréal. The discovery opens new avenues for treatment against this devastating disease. Dr. presented the study at the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Copenhagen in July 2014.
_ How Friends and Family Can Help With Your Doctor Visit By Jane Farrell article At any age, itΓÇÖs crucial that you not only look after your health with doctor visits and self-care, but itΓÇÖs also essential that you learn the most from those visits. As people get older, and usually have several health conditions, itΓÇÖs even more important. ItΓÇÖs not uncommon, though, for patients to be so upset or even frightened by a doctor visit that they canΓÇÖt absorb what theyΓÇÖre being told, or the subject may be one theyΓÇÖre not familiar with. In either case, that means they wonΓÇÖt be learning as much as they could from the physician.
Heart Health Unnecessary Blood Tests Waste Money By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center used two relatively simple tactics to significantly reduce the number of unnecessary blood tests to assess symptoms of heart attack and chest pain and to achieve a large decrease in patient charges.
Healthy Diet & Nutrition How to Choose the Best Energy-Boosting Bars and Gels By Sondra Forsyth article By The Bone, Muscle, and Joint Team at HealthHub from Cleveland Clinic Contributor: Kylene Guerra, RD Do you stand in the aisle of energy bars and sports gels wondering what to choose? When it comes to offering you the best health benefits and fuel for your sports performance, not all energy bars and sports gels are equal. Below, find tips to choosing the best ones for you. Energy bars
Life in a Sandwich By blog About a third of all AlzheimerΓÇÖs and dementia patient caregivers are living their lives ΓÇ£sandwichedΓÇ¥ between caring for their loved one and raising their own children or grandchildren. With women often having their children later, and with so many young adults moving back into the nest, more families are finding themselves dealing with multi-generational caregiving challenges.
_ AD Drug to Prevent Brain Blood Clots By Sondra Forsyth article Experiments done in Sidney Strickland's Laboratory of Neurobiology and Genetics at Rockefeller University in New York have identified a compound that might halt the progression of Alzheimer's by interfering with the role amyloid-╬▓, a small protein that forms plaques in Alzheimer's brains, plays in the formation of blood clots. This work is highlighted in the July 2014 issue of Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.
_ The Drug That Improves Anti-Cancer Viruses By Jane Farrell article Combining a widely used medication with a cancer-killing virus might improve the effectiveness of the virus in battling malignancies, according to a new study.
_ Aging Well Discussing Sensitive Subjects With Your Doctor By Sondra Forsyth article Much of the communication between doctor and patient is personal. To have a good partnership with your doctor, it is important to talk about sensitive subjects, like sex or memory problems, even if you are embarrassed or uncomfortable.
_ Gene Variants Identified As Source of Deadly Illnesses By Jane Farrell article Two widely carried gene variants that lead to longer chromosome caps also increase the risk of developing the brain cancers known as gliomas. The researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, found that the variants lead to longer telomeres, the caps on chromosome ends that are thought to protect cells from aging. The genetic variants, in two genes known as TERT and TERC, are respectively carried by 51 percent and 72 percent of the general population.
_ Differentiating Among Dementia Diseases By Sondra Forsyth article Not all cognitive decline is Alzheimer’s. Now a new diagnostic tool developed at the University of Eastern Finland helps clinicians differentiate among Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and mild cognitive impairment. The method, devised by Miguel Ángel Muñoz Ruiz MD and explained in articles in PloS ONE and Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, consists of a Disease State Index combining data from multiple sources, and of a Disease State Fingerprint showing the findings in a visual format.
_ Is It Too Hot For Your Health? By Jane Farrell article Almost every summer, thereΓÇÖs a deadly heat wave in some parts of the country. Excessive heat isnΓÇÖt safe for anyone, especially for older people or those with health problems. But exactly what dangers are you facing and how can you protect yourself? HereΓÇÖs some advice from the National Institute on Aging: Your body is always working to keep a balance between how much heat it makes and how much it loses. Too much heat causes sweating.
_ Prostate-Cancer Radiation Has Some Dangers By Jane Farrell article Prostate-cancer patients who have received radiation treatment appear more likely to develop bladder or rectal cancer, new research shows. And while the number of cases is relatively low, investigators said that patients should still be monitored for those illnesses. ΓÇ£Overall the incidence of these cancers is low. But when men have received radiation treatments, itΓÇÖs important to evaluate carefully any symptoms that could be a sign of bladder or rectal cancer,ΓÇ¥ says senior study author Kathleen A.
_ Money Matters Change to Medicare Part D Would Save $5 Billion By Jane Farrell article The federal government could save over $5 billion in the first year by changing the way the government assigns Part D plans for Medicare beneficiaries eligible for low-income subsidies, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.
_ 7 Ways To Protect Yourself From Your Smartphone By Jane Farrell article By Stacy Vogler Baby Boomers are are wholeheartedly embracing technology, including mobile devices. Research shows that Boomers are now the fastest growing segment of smartphone users. But as they access the latest technology, they have to be careful about exposing themselves to risks, such as identity theft. And theyΓÇÖll need to think about ways to protect their valuable mobile electronics. Here are some tips: 1.
Medical Care Better Screening for Brain Aneurysms By Jane Farrell article New research by an international consortium, including a researcher from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, may help physicians better understand the chronological development of a brain aneurysm. The study was published in the June 2014 print issue of the journal Stroke.