Tag: older

Study: Women 75 and Older Benefit from Regular Mammograms

Women who are 75 or older should still get routine mammograms because of the comparatively high incidence of breast cancer in this group, researchers say. The age at which a woman should stop getting routine mammograms has been a controversial subject. In 2009, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released controversial guidelines stating… Continue reading Study: Women 75 and Older Benefit from Regular Mammograms

Alcohol and the Aging Brain

There’s really no way around it. Like all other organs and tissues of the human body, the brain is subject to the aging process and the typical structural and functional changes that go along with it. With normal aging, the brain begins to shrink in middle age, losing volume primarily in the frontal lobes and… Continue reading Alcohol and the Aging Brain

Can Plastic Surgery Make You Look Older? Yes . . .

The goal of cosmetic surgery is to make a patient look like a refreshed, enhanced version of herself. Many women seek cosmetic surgery to turn back the clock, which is a respectable, personal choice. But there is a downside: the expressionless, puffy, distorted look that makes some women appear older than they are. Here are… Continue reading Can Plastic Surgery Make You Look Older? Yes . . .

Wearable Device Can Predict Older Adults’ Risk of Falling

A wearable device with motion sensors could predict which over-60 women are likely to fall – and knowing that means they could do preventative rehabilitation exercises that might help avoid that outcome. Every year, more than one in three individuals aged 65 and older will experience a fall. Falls are the most common cause of… Continue reading Wearable Device Can Predict Older Adults’ Risk of Falling

Cognitive Health and Older Drivers

  Researchers have a history of studying driver safety in older adults after they’ve been diagnosed with dementia, a decline in memory and other mental abilities that make daily living difficult. However, we have limited knowledge about the effects on older drivers whose problems with mental abilities are less severe than those associated with dementia.… Continue reading Cognitive Health and Older Drivers

Targeted Antioxidants May Help Fight Heart Disease

Older adults who take a novel antioxidant that specifically targets hostile cellular powerhouses, or mitochondria, see age-related vascular changes reverse by the equivalent of 15 to 20 years within six weeks, according to new research. The study, from experts at the University of Colorado Boulder, was published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. It… Continue reading Targeted Antioxidants May Help Fight Heart Disease

How Memory Changes as We Get Older

It’s known that when it comes to memory proficiency, there are differences between younger and older adults. Now, though, researchers report that data from brain imaging can zero in to show the underlying causes for such memory deficits. The findings appeared in the journal Neuron. “At the fundamental level, we still understand very little about… Continue reading How Memory Changes as We Get Older

Choosing Healthy Meals as You Get Older

Eating well is crucial to good health, especially as we get older. The experts from the National Institute on Aging share strategies for making sure that your meals are healthy. Drink plenty of liquids With age, you may lose some of your sense of thirst. Drink water often. Low-fat or fat-free milk or 100% juice… Continue reading Choosing Healthy Meals as You Get Older

Muscle Strength Linked to Cognitive Functioning

There appears to be a newly discovered factor in maintaining better cognitive functioning in older people: muscle strength, according to a new Finnish study. The association of extensively measured upper and lower body muscle strength with cognitive function was observed, but handgrip strength was not associated with cognitive function. Cognition refers to brain functions relating to… Continue reading Muscle Strength Linked to Cognitive Functioning

Memory Loss Linked to Poor Sleep

A lack of sleep among older people elevates risk of memory loss as well as a number of physical and mental disorders, according to new research. UC Berkeley researchers published their conclusion in the journal Neuron. “Nearly every disease killing us in later life has a causal link to lack of sleep,” said the article’s… Continue reading Memory Loss Linked to Poor Sleep

Emergency-Room Visits Linked to Increased Disability Risks

Older adults who go to the emergency department (ED) for an illness or injury have higher risks for disability and decline in physical ability up to six months later, accordinig to a study from researchers at Yale. The study was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Most adults aged 65 and older who visit… Continue reading Emergency-Room Visits Linked to Increased Disability Risks

Brain Activity Linked to Falls in Older Adults

Brain activity can help predict a healthy older adult’s risk of falling, according to researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older Americans and all too often lead to physical decline and loss of independence. The findings were published in Neurology, the medical… Continue reading Brain Activity Linked to Falls in Older Adults

Vitamin D Can Help Older Patients Fight Respiratory Infections

Older, long-term care patients can reduce the incidence of acute respiratory illness by taking high doses of vitamin D, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The findings of the clinical trial, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, could help reduce one of the leading causes of serious… Continue reading Vitamin D Can Help Older Patients Fight Respiratory Infections

Blood Pressure Goals Good for Those 75 and Older

NIH-supported researchers are reporting additional details about a widely-publicized study that linked a systolic blood pressure target under 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) with reduced cardiovascular disease and a lower risk of death. A new analysis by NIH researchers found that a systolic blood pressure target of 120 helps reduce the risk of heart… Continue reading Blood Pressure Goals Good for Those 75 and Older

“Emotional Memory” in Older Adults

In a study exploring the relationship between memory for specific past experiences and recovery from strong negative emotions, researchers say that episodic memory be more important in helping midlife and older adults recover from a negative event than it is for younger adults. Rebecca Ready, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University… Continue reading “Emotional Memory” in Older Adults

Older Adults May Be Confused by Visual Stimuli

Older adults may have difficulty in combining what they see and hear – and that could have an effect on quick decision needed in situations like driving. A recent study from the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, found that seniors have a harder time distinguishing the order of events than younger adults. When researchers presented… Continue reading Older Adults May Be Confused by Visual Stimuli

Older Adults Better At Correcting Quiz Errors

When it comes to learning new things, older adults don’t always lag behind younger people, according to new research. The study, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows that older adults were actually better than young adults at correcting their mistakes on a general information quiz. “The take home… Continue reading Older Adults Better At Correcting Quiz Errors