For older adults, perceived social isolation is a major health risk that can increase the risk of premature death by 14 percent, according to research done at the University of Chicago and published November 23rd 2015 in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences A release from the university notes that researchers have long known… Continue reading Loneliness Can Cause Illness in Older Adults
Tag: older adults
Major Stress Makes Some Older Adults More Resilient
Dealing with a major stressful event appears to make some older adults better able to cope with the ups and downs of day-to-day stress, according to research done at North Carolina State University and published November 18th 2015 in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. A release from the university quotes co-author Shevaun Neupert, an… Continue reading Major Stress Makes Some Older Adults More Resilient
Four in 10 Older Adults Burdened by Demands of Health Care System
Nearly four in ten older adults say that managing their health care needs is difficult for them or their families, that medical appointments or tests get delayed or don’t get done, or that all of the requirements of their health care are too much to handle, according to a research done at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg… Continue reading Four in 10 Older Adults Burdened by Demands of Health Care System
Older Adults Possess Important Forms of Expertise
Just in time for Grandparents’ Day 2015, coming up on September 13th, researchers at Chapman University in California published an article in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology showing that as adults continue to age beyond their reproductive years, despite physical frailty setting in, they are often regarded as experts in areas such as in… Continue reading Older Adults Possess Important Forms of Expertise
Physical Activity Linked to Greater Mental Flexibility in Older Adults
A study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne and published in August 2015 in PLOS ONE has shown that older adults who regularly engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity have more variable brain activity at rest than those who don’t. This variability is associated with better cognitive performance, the researchers say. Beckman… Continue reading Physical Activity Linked to Greater Mental Flexibility in Older Adults
The Perils of Junk Food in Diets for Older Adults
The consumption of “junk food” has continued to increase over the last 20 years, including in anti-aging diets for older adults. In the beginning, the selection of junk food was found in a small area of the grocery store. Now, you’re presented with it in almost every corner, even at the checkout counter, which makes… Continue reading The Perils of Junk Food in Diets for Older Adults
Challenges of Delirium Detection in Older Adults in the Emergency Department
An estimated one to two million older adults with delirium visit hospital emergency departments in the United States annually. Yet about two-thirds of the cases of this sudden and potentially lethal change in mental status are unrecognized by emergency department clinicians who are under time pressure and almost always managing multiple patients at once. Half… Continue reading Challenges of Delirium Detection in Older Adults in the Emergency Department
Why Restorative Yoga Should Be Part of Fitness for Older Adults
People always seem to be busy working on something or the other, and all that work can contribute to stress, anxiety, and physical strain on the body. But fitness for older adults can help in a big way. Enter the art of relaxation and restorative yoga. The purpose of this valuable exercise is to help… Continue reading Why Restorative Yoga Should Be Part of Fitness for Older Adults
Housework Has Both Physical and Mental Benefits
Housework has both emotional and physical benefits for older adults, according to new findings by a Case Western Reserve University school of nursing researcher. “House cleaning kept them up and moving,” said Kathy D. Wright, PhD, RN, CNS, a postdoctoral KL2 Scholar at the university’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. “A clean environment is… Continue reading Housework Has Both Physical and Mental Benefits
Falls Becoming More Frequent in Older Adults
Falls among older adults appear to have been increasing over a 12-year period, according to a new study. And the increase isn’t due to rising numbers of older people. The findings from the nationally representative study were published in JAMA Internal Medicine. About one third of older adults fall each year, and falling is the… Continue reading Falls Becoming More Frequent in Older Adults
Helping People Adjust to Hearing Aids
When older adults wear their hearing aids for the first time, they are flooded with sounds they haven’t heard in months or years and the experience is not entirely positive. Research has shown that noises such as air conditioners, wind, and background conversations can be painful, irritating and difficult to ignore, so much so that… Continue reading Helping People Adjust to Hearing Aids
Web-Savvy Older Adults Who Enjoy Culture May Retain “Health Literacy” Better
Here’s one more reason to be glad you’re a “Silver Surfer” who often visits ThirdAge.com and other sites: Researchers from the University College of London found that regular Internet use helps to maintain health literacy skills, regardless of age related cognitive decline. Beyond that, older people who engage in cultural, civic, and leisure activities when… Continue reading Web-Savvy Older Adults Who Enjoy Culture May Retain “Health Literacy” Better
Running Keeps You Young
Seniors who run regularly can walk as efficiently as 20-somethings, according to a study done at the University of Colorado Boulder and Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA However, older people who walk for exercise rather than jog expend about the same amount of energy walking as older, sedentary adults, and expend up to 22… Continue reading Running Keeps You Young
Older Adults Can Safely Donate Kidneys
Previous studies linking older age with kidney and heart disease have raised concerns about the safety of living kidney donation among older adults. However, in the first study to look closely at this issue, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that older kidney donors (55 years and above) enjoy similar life expectancy and cardiovascular health as very healthy older people who did not donate their kidneys.