Dietary Protein May Reduce Hip Fractures In The Elderly

Seniors who consume a higher level of dietary protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures than seniors whose daily dietary protein intake is less, according to a new study by the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School...

Caring For An Aging Mother?

Pernille Ostberg cherishes memories of growing up with her mother in Michigan, and providing care later in life when her mom was struggling with Parkinson's disease. "Through the difficult times, we continued to celebrate Mother's Day together over a special meal, sharing memories of our lives," said Ostberg, president and CEO, Matrix Home Care, a statewide service provider...

In Elderly Men, Age, Ethnicity And Environment Impact On Risk Of Falls

Falls and fall prevention are a major concern for the elderly and people with osteoporosis, a common chronic disease which causes weak and fragile bones. People with osteoporosis are at increased risk of fracture, even after a minor fall from standing height...

New Nerve Cells — Even In Old Age

After birth the brain loses many nerve cells and this continues throughout life - most neurons are formed before birth, after which many excess neurons degenerate. However, there are some cells that are still capable of division in old age - in the brains of mice, at least...

More Than 1 In 5 Non-Elderly Americans Has A Diagnosed Pre-Existing Health Condition

Approximately 57.2 million people under the age of 65-more than one in five (22.4 percent) of America's non-elderly population-have a diagnosed pre-existing condition that could lead to a denial of coverage in the individual health insurance market, according to a report released today by the consumer health organization Families USA...

The Doctor Pay Fix: Medicare’s Groundhog Day

NPR reports on the delayed fix for Medicare physician payments, "Medicare's version of Groundhog Day." "For the third time this year, Congress has just days to avert a scheduled 21 percent cut in pay to doctors who treat seniors and others on the Medicare program...

In Older Men, Friendship And Confiding In Spouse Eases Stress Over Sexual Issues

A new study suggests that it may not help older men and women with sexual problems to talk to a doctor, but men who talk to their partner report greater happiness - and those who talked with friends felt less depressed...

Hebrew SeniorLife Institute For Aging Research Recommends More Protein In Diet To Prevent Fractures

Seniors who consume a higher level of dietary protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures than seniors whose daily dietary protein intake is less, according to a new study by the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School...

Urgent Changes Needed To Prepare Doctors To Care For Aging America

Leading physician policy experts are calling for changes in medical education policy at multiple levels to ensure that doctors are prepared to treat the country's aging adult population. In the May issue of Health Affairs, co-author Steven R. Counsell, M.D...

White House Unveils Subsidies To Preserve Early-Retiree Coverage

A federal program that was authorized in the new health law will help companies pay for as much as $5 billion worth of medical bills of early retirees that they continue to insure, The New York Times reports. The program's purpose "is to reverse the erosion of employer-sponsored insurance...

Dementia Risk Six Times Higher For Those Caring For A Spouse With It

Researchers in the US found that people caring for a spouse with dementia were six times more likely to develop it themselves compared to similar older married adults whose spouse never develops it. A paper on the study, led by Dr Maria Norton of Utah State University, is about to be published in a May issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, which is available online...

Study Of Depression In Later Life Offers Important Clue In Search For New Therapies

Scientists have found an important clue in the quest to understand why people who suffer from depression in later life are harder to treat and keep well in the long term. A study led by Toronto's Baycrest has found that older adults with depression don't respond normally to emotional stimuli, such as when they see happy, sad or neutral faces...

Cardiovascular Disease And Death Rates In China Expected To Surge By 2030

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death rates will surge in China by up to 73 percent by 2030, due to aging, smoking, high blood pressure and other risk factors, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. "China is a prime example of a middle income nation in transition...

Health Law Program May Benefit Early Retirees, Big Firms

A health law program that will go into effect next month will steer $5 billion to buttress employer-sponsored health plans for retirees who are not yet old enough to qualify for Medicare and have no other options for buying coverage, The Associated Press reports...

What Is Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)? What Causes Dry Mouth?

Xerostomia is a medical term used for dry mouth due to lack of saliva - there is not enough saliva to keep the mouth wet; there is reduced or absent saliva flow. It is also informally known as pasties, cottonmouth, drooth, doughmouth or des (from desert). It is usually a subjective complaint - the patient complains about it and subsequently sees the doctor...

Technology Offers New Way To Test Potential Cancer Drugs, See Effects Of Environmental Toxins

Our DNA is under constant siege from a variety of damaging agents. Damage to DNA and the ability of cells to repair that damage has broad health implications, from aging and heritable diseases to cancer. Unfortunately, the tools used to study DNA damage are quite limited, but MIT researchers have developed a new tool for rapid DNA damage analysis that promises to make an impact on human health...

Doctor Still Not Giving Much Healthy Eating Advice To Their Adult Obese Patients

Only about half of obese adult Americans were advised by their doctors to cut down on fatty foods in 2006, and the rate had not significantly changed since 2002, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality...

Los Angeles Latino Eye Study Is First To Track Eye Disease Incidence In Latino Population

Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment, blindness, diabetic eye disease, and cataracts than non-Hispanic whites, researchers found. These are the first estimates of visual impairment and eye disease development in Latinos, the largest and fastest growing minority population in the United States...

Study Searches For The Secrets To Healthy Longevity

A study in the May 1 issue of the journal SLEEP is the first to examine sleep issues in a large sample of exceptionally old adults, including nearly 2,800 people who were 100 years of age and older. Results show that about 65 percent of the sample reported that their sleep quality was good or very good, and the weighted average daily sleep time was about 7.5 hours including naps...

TV Chef Backs Hospital Food Project For Older People, UK

Pioneering research from the University of Reading is being used to enhance the taste of hospital food to help prevent or treat malnutrition in older people. The project is supported by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and funded by Research into Ageing, the medical research arm of Age UK...

Research Roundup: Managing Nursing Home Patients, Streamlining Medical Billing, Financial Disclosures

Health Affairs: Saving Billions Of Dollars--And Physicians' Time--By Streamlining Billing Practices - "The U.S. system of billing third parties for health care services is complex, expensive, and inefficient," write the authors, who analyzed Massachusetts General Physicians Organization staffing and cost data in fiscal year 2006...

Best Care For The Oldest Lung Cancer Patients

Although more than two fifths of lung cancers are diagnosed in patients over 70, data from clinical trials on the safest and most effective treatments for this age group are scarce...

Liver Transplantation Linked By Study To Accelerated Cellular Aging

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that liver transplant recipients develop premature immune senescence, the normal process by which the immune system ages and becomes less effective. Full details appear in the May issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)...

Calorie Reduction Boosts Immunity

Scientists funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that volunteers who followed a low-calorie diet or a very low-calorie diet not only lost weight, but also significantly enhanced their immune response. The study may be the first to demonstrate the interaction between calorie restriction and immune markers among humans...

Seniors Often Don’t Choose Best Quality Medicare Advantage Plans, Study Finds

The Associated Press: "Millions of seniors signed up for popular Medicare Advantage insurance plans don't get the best quality, an independent study found. How the private plans score on a quality rating system set up by the government is about to have a direct impact on insurers' finances - not to mention seniors' benefits and premiums...

OrbusNeich’s Genous(TM) Bio-engineered R Stent(TM) Demonstrates Excellent Safety And Clinical Outcomes In High-Risk Elderly Patients

OrbusNeich announced that a subset analysis of patients over 70 years of age in the final 12-month clinical results of the global e-HEALING Registry confirmed that the company's Genous Bio-engineered R stent is safe and demonstrates excellent clinical outcomes in this high-risk patient group. The data were presented by Dr. Andres Iniguez, M.D...

Older Population Has Special Medication Needs

Drugs can affect older people differently, causing dangerous adverse effects that could cause serious injury or even death. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has just released its new book, Fundamental Geriatric Pharmacology: An Evidence-Based Approach, by Lisa C. Hutchison, Pharm.D., MPH, FCCP, BCPS and Rebecca B. Sleeper, Pharm.D., FASCP, BCPS...

Alternative Therapy Usage For Pain Increases With Age, Wealth

In a University of Michigan Health System study, 1 out of 3 patients with chronic pain reported using complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic visits for pain relief. Socioeconomic factors - primarily race and age - played a large role in the use of alternative therapy in chronic pain patients, the study showed...

Study Finds High Rates Of At-Risk Drinking Among Elderly Adults

A new study by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has found that more than a third of drinkers 60 years old and older consume amounts of alcohol that are excessive or that are potentially harmful in combination with certain diseases they may have or medications they may be taking...

Canadians Lead Longer, Healthier Lives Than Americans

Compared to their neighbours south of the border, Canadians live longer, healthier lives. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Population Health Metrics has found this disparity between the two countries, suggesting that America's lack of universal health care and lower levels of social and economic equality are to blame...

Mass. Legislation To Push Poor Seniors Into Managed Care Plans Stirs Concerns

The Boston Globe: "Legislation that could push more than 100,000 low-income senior citizens in Massachusetts into managed care health plans spurred intense lobbying yesterday, as consumer advocates argued the measure would strip patients of their freedom to stay in traditional Medicare, while proponents said it could save the state significant money...

AIDS, ART And Cause Of Death

New research shows that Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) continues to dramatically reduce rates of mortality from HIV infection in high-income countries, such that non-AIDS-related deaths exceed AIDS deaths after approximately four years of taking ART...

VaxInnate’s VAX125 Seasonal Flu Vaccine Shown Safe And Highly Immunogenic In Phase II Study Of Elderly Subjects

VaxInnate Corporation presented preliminary Phase II data showing that its VAX125 seasonal flu vaccine was safe and highly immunogenic in elderly subjects at the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases' (NFID) Thirteenth Annual Conference on Vaccine Research here today. VaxInnate is a biotechnology firm pioneering breakthrough technology for developing novel vaccines...

Economic, Gender Concerns May Lead To Reversal Of China’s One-Child Policy

The Chinese government's longstanding one-child policy "may be on its way out," as some demographers predict that the country could face a population decline in about 15 years, the AP/Google News reports. The policy limits most residents to one child, although exceptions are allowed for ethnic minorities or rural families whose first child is a girl...

Middle-Aged Americans Most Optimistic About Health Care Bill

Overall, support for the new health care legislation remains low, but a new poll indicates that middle-aged Americans are much more likely to approve of it. A national University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released suggests that 53 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds are in favor of the legislation...

Elderlink Provides Free Senior Care Referrals For Families In Need

Elderlink, Inc., a free senior care referral service serving California since 1994, is offering senior citizens and their families the ability to find the care they need via personalized referral lists based upon their individual needs...

Signs Of Aging Accelerated By Phosphorous In Sodas And Processed Foods

Here's another reason to kick the soda habit. New research published online in the FASEB Journal shows that high levels of phosphates may add more "pop" to sodas and processed foods than once thought. That's because researchers found that the high levels of phosphates accelerate signs of aging...

Blood Cancer Strikes Nearly 5 Times More Americans Than Previously Thought

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) - a group of serious blood cancers - are nearly five times more common in seniors than previously thought, according to a new study by researchers from the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center...

Manipulative Treatment Benefits Older Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients

A clinical trial of 406 subjects 50 years of age and older who were hospitalized with pneumonia showed a one-day reduction in the length of hospital stay in those patients who received osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in addition to conventional medical care when compared to patients who received only conventional medical care...

Demographer Offers Prediction Of Baby Boomer Future

Baby boomers are retiring healthy, financially secure and with a desire to travel. According to Universite de Montreal demographer Jacques Legare, baby boomers will remain among the most self-reliant generations to reach their golden years. "They've been independent their entire lives...

New Health Law Offers Protection Against Elder Abuse, But Advocates Complain Provision Is Not Funded

CQ HealthBeat: "As baby boomers and their parents age, many stumble across an unsettling surprise - elder abuse that occurs in both institutions and the home. The problem, and the lack of a national strategy to combat it, is something that advocates for the elderly have been complaining about for years...

Minister Brady Welcomes Response To Consultations About Positive Ageing Strategy, Ireland

Minister for Older People and Health Promotion, Aine Brady TD, said she is delighted with the response to her Consultation Meetings about the Positive Ageing Strategy...

Better Vitamin D Status Could Mean Better Quality Of Life For Seniors

According to legend, it was The Fountain of Youth that the famed Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was seeking when he landed on the Floridian coast in 1513. It has long been said that he who drinks from the Fountain will have his youth restored. Without a doubt, the quest for eternal youth is as ancient as any pursuit...

Research Roundup: Arthritis Racial Disparities, Hospital Mortality Data, Voters On Long-Term Care

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Differences In The Prevalence And Impact Of Arthritis Among Racial/Ethnic Groups In The United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2002, 2003, and 2006 - "Blacks and Hispanics were approximately 1.3 times as likely as whites to have activity limitation, 1.8 to 1.9 times as likely to have severe joint pain, and 1.6 to 1...

Report: Health Reform Will Cover More People, Cost More Than Orginally Projected

The Associated Press reports that "Economic experts at the Health and Human Services Department concluded in a report issued Thursday that the health care remake will achieve Obama's aim of expanding health insurance - adding 34 million to the coverage rolls...

Minorities, Seniors See Positives In Health Law; Worries Persist About Insurance Costs

African Americans are hoping new health will improve their lives, but there's "a debate about whether the coming changes will actually ease the health disparities that black Americans face," NPR reports. "Nationally, about 1 in 5 black Americans has no health insurance. That's likely to change - up to 32 million people are expected to have access to health coverage because of the new law...

Advice On Finding Quality Nursing Home Care From The American Geriatrics Society’s Foundation For Health In Aging

Nearly 1.6 million older Americans live in nursing homes in the United States. While many are receiving quality care, the move to a nursing home can still be difficult for older adults and their family members alike...

Domestic Robot Helps Sick Elderly Live Independently Longer

To enable elderly people to live at home as long as possible, a group of European researchers, coordinated from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), will link robots and 'smart homes'. The robot, a 'sensible family friend', will ensure that home is a nice place to stay. And that patients do the right things...

Daniel Gottschling, Cell Biologist, Elected To American Academy Of Arts & Sciences

Cell biologist Daniel Gottschling, Ph.D., a member of the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has been elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, or AAAS, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and independent policy-research centers...

Recovery Of The Sense Of Taste Dramatically Delayed In Aging Mice

Age dramatically delays the time it takes to recover the sense of taste following a significant nerve injury, Medical College of Georgia researchers said. When old rats received nerve injuries similar to ones that can occur in ear or dental surgery, their taste buds took essentially twice as long to recover function as their younger counterparts, Dr...

Osteoporosis Patients And Martial Arts Training

Martial arts could be the key to helping osteoporosis sufferers fall more safely. A study published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes has found that martial arts training can likely be carried out safely. Brenda Groen worked with a team of researchers from the Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, to study the effects of fall training in six healthy people...

Benefits For Retired Public Employees In Budget Trimmers’ Sights

Miami Herald: "The [Florida] House dropped its plan to save $224 million by eliminating a monthly health insurance subsidy for about 300,000 retired public employees, many of them politically influential former teachers, police officers and firefighters...

Productivity Commission Inquiry Incomplete With Examination Of Medical Care For The Elderly, Australia

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the terms of reference for the Productivity Commission's public inquiry into aged care are missing one vital component - medical care of the elderly in residential aged care. Dr Pesce said medical care is not specifically addressed in the terms of reference released today...

The American Geriatrics Society Announces New Association WithAmerican Journal Of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is pleased to announce that it is now associated with Elsevier's American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy. This influential, bimonthly journal publishes original, peer-reviewed research of interest to clinicians, scientists and educators in a wide range of disciplines...

Computerized Brain Trainers Don’t Boost Brain Power Say Researchers

A large UK study concluded that brain-training computer games don't boost brain power: they may train people to get better at the games themselves, but this improvement is not transferred to other cognitive tasks, said the researchers...

Florida House Approves Expanding Medicaid Managed Care; Kansas Weighs Proposal To Raise Nursing Home Fees

Health News Florida: "Calling the current system 'broken' and warning of long-term financial problems, the state House today approved a proposal that would gradually shift almost all Medicaid recipients into managed-care plans. The votes on two bills set the stage for the House and Senate to try to reach agreement on a Medicaid overhaul before the annual legislative session ends April 30...

Scam Artists Hawk Fake Insurance Policies, Prey On Seniors

McClatchy News Service/The Miami Herald: "[S]cam artists are working overtime. They're hawking fake insurance policies by preying on the fears and confusion that surround" the new health overhaul law, according to consumer advocates. "For the record, there is no government health insurance program called ObamaCare, and federal employees aren't out selling it door to door or by telephone...

ANF Welcomes Aged Care Inquiry’s Focus On Workforce And Accountability, Australia

Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) has welcomed the decision by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd to include aged care workforce issues in the Productivity Commission's review of the sector. "This review provides an opportunity to finally address the major issues facing the aged care sector systematically...

White House Touts Health Tax Credits, Some Consumers Question Costs

Congress Daily: "More than 4 million postcards were mailed Monday to small-business owners, touting a tax credit in the new healthcare law that many of them are eligible to receive. The mass mailing is the first step in an aggressive sales and information campaign planned by the White House in an effort to blunt criticism of the law...

How Do Older People Use E-Mail?

Researchers at the Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF) have studied how older people interact and use email in their daily life. The study was carried out in social centres in Barcelona and will be used to design new email systems that are more intuitive and accessible...

Today’s OpEds: Heritage Disputes Obama’s Claims On Health Law; Florida Nursing Home Reforms In Danger

Health Care's Original Sins The Washington Post Think tank analysts usually brim with pride when the president of the United States goes around claiming that his policies are based on their work. But when President Obama tries to sell his health-care law as a moderate approach that borrows ideas developed by the Heritage Foundation, we get incensed (Robert Moffit, 4/19)...

Ga. Couple Allegedly Took Medicare, Medicaid Payments While Patients Were Shorted Food, Medicine

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: "George D. Houser, 62, and his wife, 46-year-old Rhonda Washington Houser, were arraigned Friday on charges of conspiring to defraud the Medicare and Georgia Medicaid programs. George Houser also faces charges for allegedly failing to pay payroll taxes to the IRS and file personal income tax returns...

Common Genetic Variation Impacts Breast Cancer Diagnosis In Older Women

Researchers from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) are converging on Washington, D.C., this week for the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to share their findings on how a common genetic variation can impact diagnosis of breast cancer in postmenopausal women...

95% Of People In Later Life Feel Ageing Should Be A Time Of Celebration – Despite 78% Feeling That Older People Are Ignored By Society, UK

New research by Age UK, the new force combining Age Concern and Help the Aged, has revealed that 95% of people over 60 think getting older should be a time of enjoyment and celebration. This is despite 78% of this age group feeling that older people are ignored by society...

Fostering Chemical Senses Research And Understanding Smell And Taste In Health And Disease

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), a US-based scientific organization, is holding its 32nd annual meeting. About 700 scientists are gathering to present new information on the role of smell and taste in disease, nutrition and social interactions in humans as well as animals. Smell and taste play essential roles in our daily lives...

Seniors’ Gait, Balance Improved By Dance Therapy

For seniors, dancing isn't just for fun; it also can be therapeutic. Two recent studies conducted by University of Missouri researchers found that participation in dance-based therapy can improve balance and gait in older adults. Improved functionality among seniors can decrease their risk of falling and reduce costly injuries...

IVF with Two Eggs Prevents Babies Inheriting Mitochondrial Diseases

UK scientists have developed a fertilization procedure that uses the nuclear DNA of the father and the mother, but the mitchondrial DNA of a third person, an egg donor, that potentially offers couples where the mother has a family history of mitchondrial diseases, a way to have healthy children via IVF (in vitro fertilization)...

For Post-Boomers, Public Education Is Worth More Than Social Security And Medicare

It's easy to assume retiring baby boomers will benefit from Social Security and Medicare at the expense of younger generations, as analysts estimate that these government-run programs will pay out more than they collect in payroll taxes by 2017...

CLASS Act Provision In Health Law Will Provide Long-Term Care For Elderly, Disabled

Kaiser Health News: The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act program, a provision of the health reform law, "establishes a voluntary, long-term care program that will provide cash to enrollees who suffer at least two limitations in daily activities, such as eating, bathing and dressing. ...

Perhaps A Longer Lifespan, Certainly A Longer ‘Healthspan’

Organisms from yeast to rodents to humans all benefit from cutting calories. In less complex organisms, restricting calories can double or even triple lifespan. It's not yet clear just how much longer calorie restriction might help humans live, but those who practice the strict diet hope to survive past 100 years old...

Physician Shortage Expected To Deepen With Health Overhaul

There is only one primary care doctor per 2,000 patients in certain parts of the country, which the government calls "health professional shortage areas," according to Medill Reports...

The Risks Of Anti-Aging Hormones With Little Or No Benefit

In the wake of the American Medical Association's (AMA) Council on Science and Public Health's recently released report "The use of hormones for "anti-aging": a review of efficacy and safety," a leading medical authority has criticized the use of anti-aging hormones. Dr. Thomas T...

Almost 40 Percent Of Chronically Ill Older Adults Rely On Others For Care

Almost 40 percent of chronically ill older adults in the U.S. live alone, and a majority of those who are married have spouses with at least one chronic illness that can affect their ability to provide support, according to a U-M study published in the journal Chronic Illness...

Britain’s Elderly Always Look On The Bright Side Of The Past

Despite the trials and tribulations of growing old, the elderly don rose tinted spectacles to gaze back at their lives. Priors Mead retirement home has put a theory from Duke University, in the US, to the test and found the elderly blank out negative thoughts when thinking about the past...

Identification Of Additional Genes Associated With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

A large genetic study of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has identified three new genes associated with this blinding eye disease - two involved in the cholesterol pathway...

Findings That Key Protein Aids In DNA Repair Have Potential For Cancer, Other Age-Related Diseases

Scientists have shown in multiple contexts that DNA damage over our lifetimes is a key mechanism behind the development of cancer and other age-related diseases...

Today’s Opinions And Editorials: Immigration As A Solution; Health Care Comparative Shopping; And Medicare Advantage Competitive Pricing

Immigration: Could It Solve Social Security, Medicare Woes? Christian Science Monitor Forty years ago there were five workers for every retiree. Now there are three. Within a couple of decades, there will be only two workers per retiree. There's no way just two workers will be able or willing to pay enough payroll taxes to keep benefits flowing to every retiree (Robert Reich, 4/11)...

Aetna Hit With Penalty, Suspended From Signing Up New Medicare Members

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare officials have suspended the Aetna insurance company from enrolling new members for "its Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription-drug plans because the insurer didn't comply with rules about changing drug-plan designs, the government said...

Labour Manifesto Strong On Words But More Substance Needed, Says Age UK

In response to Labour's manifesto published today, Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director for Age UK said: 'Four new announcements on employment, state pensions and healthcare, in addition to the recent commitment to a national care service will bring considerable benefits for older people...

Seniors Keep Their Cool This Summer And Learn How To Prevent Heat-Related Injuries

The dog days of summer are fast approaching, and while we cannot control the rising temperatures on the streets, we can control the heat index of our bodies. When temperatures rise, so does the risk for heat stroke and other heat-related injuries, but often the warning signs for these conditions go dangerously unnoticed...

Free Health Education Targeted Toward Aging Population

The National Association For Continence (NAFC) is holding a free educational webinar, Nocturia: Risk Factors for Falls & Fractures and Nighttime Fall Prevention Strategies, on Tuesday, April 20 at 8 p.m. (EST). This event will benefit seniors who live with incontinence and their caregivers...

Advancing Age Associated With Increased Risk Of Complications, Death After Implantation Of Cardiac Devices

Older patients may be more likely to die in the hospital following the implantation of defibrillators or pacemakers, according to a report in the April 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals...

Good Start But More Needed In Aged Care, Australia

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the AMA welcomes the Government's investment in many aspects of the aged care sector and advises that more funding will be needed to meet the growing and future demand for quality care for older Australians...

Government Announcement Is A $700 Million Band-aid, Australia

The Australian Nursing Federation welcomes a much needed policy focus on aged care but is disappointed with the government's first aged care announcement which focuses on financial initiatives for state governments and ignores the more crucial issues facing the sector. More beds without nursing staff will only increase the pressure on residents and those who care for them...

UnitedHealthcare To Offer Seniors Hispanic-Centered Medicare Education Seminars

This month, UnitedHealthcare will offer two free Medicare education seminars aimed at helping Hispanic-American seniors understand the basics of Medicare. Following the seminar, seniors are encouraged to take a free Zumba® Gold class, a Latin-infused fitness program that blends the rhythms of merengue, salsa, cumbia, rumba, and tango...

Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis Causes Dysphagia In Older Patients

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a common but often unrecognized systemic disorder observed mainly in elderly people. All papers related to DISH demonstrate a consistent and marked increase of the disease with advancing age...

Secrets To Happiness, Depression Among Oldest Of Old

Researchers from Iowa State University's gerontology program have helped identify what predicts happiness and long life in centenarians, as well as what causes depression in 80-somethings and above...

Research Project On Early Cardiovascular Risk Factors Set Up By CNIC And Banco Santander

Felipe Petriz, Secretary of State for Research and Emilio Botín, President of the Grupo Santander, has signed a milestone agreement giving birth to the PESA (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) CNIC-Santander trial. The project's main goal is to increase the knowledge about cardiovascular diseases...

A Tumor Suppressor In The Gastrointestinal Tract

Recql5 is a member of the mammalian RecQ helicase family. Genetic mutations that result in loss of RecQ helicase activity give rise to disorders that are associated with cancer predisposition and premature aging, such as Bloom, Werner, and Rothmund-Thomson syndromes. This class of enzymes is best known for their role in maintaining the integrity of the genome to prevent oncogenic mutations...

Link Between Sleep Apnea And Increased Risk Of Stroke: Even Mild Sleep Apnea Puts Men In Danger

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of stroke in middle-aged and older adults, especially men, according to new results from a landmark study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Overall, sleep apnea more than doubles the risk of stroke in men...

Study Finds Delayed Retirement Among Americans May Bolster Future Of Social Security And Medicare

An unprecedented upturn in the number of older Americans who delay retirement is likely to continue and even accelerate over the next two decades, a trend that should help ease the financial challenges facing both Social Security and Medicare, according to a new RAND Corporation study...

HHS, HUD Partner To Allow Rental Assistance To Support Independent Living For Non-Elderly Persons With Disabilities

Thousands of Americans with disabilities will have housing assistance specifically targeted to meet their needs, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today...

U-M Study Shows Generational Shift In Obesity

It was a provocative prediction that due to the obesity epidemic Baby Boomers may outlive their children. But a new study by the University of Michigan Health System on obesity trends shows Americans are getting heavier younger and carrying the extra weight for longer periods over their lifetime...

Transcendental Meditation Shown To Reduce Depression: New Studies

The Transcendental Meditation® technique may be an effective approach to reduce symptoms of depression, according to two new studies to be presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Seattle, Washington April 9th, 2010...

Access To Affordable Coverage Likely To Improve With Health Reform Law

"Rather than asking whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) does everything to improve access and lower costs, we should ask how it compares with the status quo," the American College of Physicians' (ACP) senior public policy adviser said in a paper published online in Annals of Internal Medicine, the flagship journal of ACP...

Complex Back Surgeries Skyrocket, Raising Concerns About Cost, Complications

NPR: "Too many complex back surgeries are being done and people are suffering as a result, according to a study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The general tendency noted in the study - that many patients and doctors think more medical care is always better - has implications for the new health overhaul law...

Today’s Opinions And Editorials

In Medicine, The Power Of No The New York Times From an economic perspective, health reform will fail if we can't sometimes push back against the try-anything instinct (David Leonhardt, 4/6)...

UAW Suing GM Over $450 Million For Retiree Health Benefits

The Associated Press: "The United Auto Workers union has sued General Motors Corp., saying the automaker owes it $450 million for retiree health care" (4/7)...

The Skinny On Brown Fat

Last year, researchers made a game-changing realization: brown fat, the energy-burning stuff that keeps babies warm, isn't just for the youngest among us. Adults have it, too (if they are lucky, anyway), and it is beginning to look like the heat-generating tissue might hold considerable metabolic importance for familiar and irritating trends, like our tendency to put on extra weight as we age...

Today’s OpEds: Harkin, Coleman, Leavitt And Others

New Health Reform Law Will Benefit Americans Des Moines Register Despite all the talk recently about how our nation has become divided and ungovernable, we have proved not only that we are governable, but also that we still have the capacity to act with boldness and vision (Sen. Tom Harkin, 4/6)...

Large Increase Seen In Social Security Disability Applications

The Fiscal Times reports on the rapidly growing number of people applying for Social Security retirement benefits and federal disability insurance because of the poor economy and job market. "Last year, applications totaled 2.6 million for retirement benefits and over 3 million for disability benefits - both representing modest increases over the previous year...

Exercise Key To Older Adult Fall Prevention

Being able to stay in their homes and remain independent is a daily struggle for many older adults. As we age we tend to lose our flexibility, our connective tissue tightens and we have prolonged reaction times. Problems with vision, including depth perception, all increase the likelihood of falling. When a child falls it may result in a few bumps and bruises...

Practice Makes Perfect For Stem Cells

Multipotent stem cells have the capacity to develop into different types of cells by reprogramming their DNA to turn on different combinations of genes, a process called "differentiation." In a new study, researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science have found that reprogramming is imperfect in the early stages of differentiation, with some genes turned on and off at random...

Nanoparticle-Core Polymer Holds Promise As An Absorbable, Weight-Bearing Replacement For Traditional Graft Materials

Orthopedic surgeons are often hamstrung by less-than-ideal grafting material when performing surgeries for complex bone injuries resulting from trauma, aging or cancer...

News From Annals Of Internal Medicine, April 6, 2010

1. Survivors of Childhood Cancer Face Shortened Life Expectancy in Adulthood Due to advances in treatment, five-year survival rates for childhood cancer have risen to approximately 80 percent. As the population of long-term survivors continues to grow, health care providers will need to understand the late effects of cancer and its treatments on survivor's long-term health...

Aging Motorcyclists Hit The Road, But At Greater Risk Of Injury, Death

Motorcycle riders across the country are growing older, and the impact of this trend is evident in emergency rooms daily. Doctors are finding that these aging road warriors are more likely to be injured or die as a result of a motorcycle mishap compared to their younger counterparts...

Born A Copy – Die An Original

The older we get, the more different we become. This is the conclusion of a study that followed people from their 70th to their 90th year of life. Old people are usually thought of as a rather homogenous group - they are considered to be ill, lonely and unable to take care of themselves...

A Sense Of Home Important Is In Residential Care For The Elderly

Many elderly people in residential care feel insecure during relocation or renovation work but there are ways of handling the situation. Those who manage to create a sense of home where they live are in a better position to cope with the stresses that go with change, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy...

Belief That Intentional Weight Loss Is Harmful To Seniors Is Unfounded

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is the first to refute the widely held belief that intentional weight loss in older adults leads to increased risk of death...

More Corporations Announce Tax Impact Of Health Law

Verizon Communications, Inc. announced Thursday "it will record a related $970 million non-cash charge in the first quarter," The Associated Press reports. "So far at least 15 companies have disclosed about $2.8 billion in charges prompted by the health care overhaul. Verizon's charge is the second-largest after AT&T, which last week announced a $1 billion charge related to the tax bill...

The Middle-Aged Are Most Confident But Self-Esteem Declines Sharply Among Older Adults

Self-esteem rises steadily as people age but starts declining around the time of retirement, according to a longitudinal study of men and women ranging in age from 25 to 104. "Self-esteem is related to better health, less criminal behavior, lower levels of depression and, overall, greater success in life," said the study's lead author, Ulrich Orth, PhD...

Ageing Gene Found To Govern Lifespan, Immunity And Resilience

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) at the University of Birmingham have discovered that a gene called DAF-16 is strongly involved in determining the rate of ageing and average lifespan of the laboratory worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and its close evolutionary cousins. DAF-16 is found in many other animals, including humans...

Success Of Hip Surgery Partially Predicted By Number Of Other Existing Conditions

Hip fractures are the second leading cause of hospitalization of elderly patients. In many cases, a hip fracture is the first step in a complete decline in the patient's health, setting off a long list of potential complications...

Findings Support Value Of Advance Directives, Living Wills And Other Means Of Making End-Of-Life Treatment Preferences Known

One in four elderly Americans require someone else to make decisions about their medical care at the end of their lives, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. "The results illustrate the value of people making their wishes known in a living will and designating someone to make treatment decisions for them, the researchers said," The Associated Press reports...

Seniors Worry About Medicare Reforms, Especially Changes To Medicare Advantage

The Associated Press: "While Democrats hail the sweeping legislation as the greatest expansion of the social safety net since Medicare, they also fear that seniors won't see it that way for this fall's elections...

More Big Companies Report Charges Spurred By Health Law

News regarding the health law's early impact on large companies - millions of dollars in lost tax exemptions - is continuing to emerge. CNNMoney: "Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) became the latest company to disclose that the law, which was signed by President Obama last week, will negatively impact its financial results...

Better Sleep Quality In Older Adults Who Maintain Regular Daily Routines

A study in the April 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that the maintenance of daily routines was associated with a reduced rate of insomnia and improved quality of sleep in older adults living in a retirement community. Results of regression analyses indicate that increased stability in daily routine predicted a shorter time to fall asleep, higher sleep efficiency and improved sleep quality...

Ageing Gene Influences Lifespan, Immunity And Resilience Say UK Scientists

UK researchers have discovered that a gene called DAF-16, that is known to be involved in the process of ageing, strongly influences the rate of ageing and average lifespan in nematode worms, and suggest the finding could open new doors for altering ageing, immunity and stress resilience in humans, since we have the same gene, as do many other animals...

Decision-Making Capacity Lacking In More Than One-Quarter Of Elderly At Time Of Death

More than one in four elderly Americans lacked the capacity to make their own medical care decisions at the end of life, according to a study of 3,746 people to be published April 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine...

Daily Routine Linked To Sleep Quality For Older Adults

New research from Israel found that keeping to a regular daily routine was linked to better quality of sleep and reduced insomnia in older adults living in a retirement community...

The Early Detection Of Age-related Memory Deficits In Mice

By studying the aging of memory in the mouse, researchers in the Laboratoire Neurobiologie des Processus Adaptatifs (CNRS/Université Pierre et Marie Curie) have developed an experimental protocol that can detect age-related memory deficits at an early stage...

Secretary Sebelius Awards Funding For Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs For Older Americans

Older Americans with chronic diseases can learn how to manage their conditions and take control of their health using the $27 million in grants announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius...

Unveiling Prototype Bionic Eye

Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) unveils their wide-view neurostimulator concept - a bionic eye that will be implanted into Australia's first recipient of the technology...

Most Americans Still Don’t Draft Advance Directives Or Living Wills

The Associated Press: "Five years after the court fight over allowing Terri Schiavo to die, most Americans still don't draft the legal documents that spell out how far caregivers should go to keep them alive artificially. Schiavo's life and death captivated the country and fueled conversations about the necessity of the documents, known as advance directives or living wills...

How The Overhaul Will Affect Insurance Premiums For Three Key Groups

One looming question for many consumers is whether the health overhaul will change how much they pay for insurance. Reports explore how the legislation will affect insurance premiums for three different groups. Indianapolis Star: People with employer-sponsored insurance can expect to see their rates increase even faster. And that's before the major provisions of the legislation take effect...

Close-Ups On How The Health Overhaul Gives And Takes Away

There's something for - or against - everyone in the health overhaul legislation. These reports hone in on specific issues and the groups they will affect...

Age Concern And Help The Aged Respond To The Government’s Care And Support White Paper

Responding to the Government's care and support White Paper, Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: 'This is a very important day for securing decent care in later life...

Ideas For Preventive And Therapeutic Approaches Against Heart Attacks And Strokes

University of Washington (UW) researchers have gathered evidence that dangerous plaques in blood vessels can rupture by overproducing protein-digesting enzymes. Plaques are fat-laden rough spots in the otherwise smooth walls of arteries. When a plaque ruptures, blood accumulates inside of it, a process known as plaque hemorrhage. The plaque enlarges and artery-blocking clots can form...

Murder Or The Right To Live Versus The Right To Die With Dignity

It is time to discard the word euthanasia because it mixes ideas and values that confuses the debate about dying, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). "The end of life debate seems particularly burdened by confusion over the term 'euthanasia'," writes Dr. Ken Flegel, Senior Associate Editor and Dr...

Industry Groups, Lobbying Firms Gain From Health Overhaul

The Associated Press: Under the new health care law, "pharmaceutical lobbyists won new federal policies they coveted and set a trajectory for long-term industry growth." Ramsey Baghdadi, a Washington health policy analyst, "projects a $30 billion, 10-year net gain for the industry. 'I don't see how they could have done much better,'" he said...

How The Health Legislation Will Affect Consumers

The Los Angeles Times explores some key questions: Will insurers continue to raise premiums; when will the Medicare "doughnut hole" close; and, "how do I sign up for my new insurance?" In answer to the last one, the Times writes, "Although there are some provisions that take effect this year, such as bans on lifetime limits and the denial of coverage to children with pre-existi...

Medical Conditions Putting Seniors At Risk Of Medicare Donut Hole

Among seniors, women and patients with diabetes and dementia are the most likely to fall into the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan "donut hole" - the gap occurring after beneficiaries reach their annual coverage limit and before catastrophic coverage kicks in - according to new research published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine...

AAHSA Testimony Urges Senate Panel To Speed Pain Relief For Nursing Home Residents

In written testimony to the U.S...

In Cases Of Dependency, Women Bear Caregiving Responsibility In Spain

The main conclusion of this research is that in spite of the noteworthy advances of recent decades, women continue to be the main caregivers for minors as well as for the elderly, disabled or the sick...

Transplanted Embryonic Cells Create New Period Of Brain “Plasticity”

UCSF scientists report that they were able to prompt a new period of "plasticity," or capacity for change, in the neural circuitry of the visual cortex of juvenile mice. The approach, they say, might some day be used to create new periods of plasticity in the human brain that would allow for the repair of neural circuits following injury or disease...

Medicare Roundup: Changes From Health Reform, Payments For HIV Patients

USA Today: "Perhaps the biggest factor in whether your Medicare costs will rise or fall depends on your Medicare plan. There are two: a traditional Medicare plan run by the federal government and Medicare Advantage, which is run by private insurance companies. Medicare Advantage costs more than the traditional plan, but provides more generous benefits. There are 10...

Memory Decline Linked To An Inability To Ignore Distractions

One of the most common complaints among healthy older adults relates to a decline in memory performance. This decline has been linked to an inability to ignore irrelevant information when forming memories...

Minister For Older People In Face-to-Face Meeting With Older People And Service Providers In The West, Ireland

"The expected increase in the numbers of older people in the population in the years ahead will present great opportunities for Irish society", the Minister for Older People and Health Promotion, Aine Brady TD said today in Galway...

Gene To Explain Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Immortality Revealed By NIA Researchers

Researchers at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a key to embryonic stem (ES) cell rejuvenation in a gene - Zscan4 - as reported in the March 24, 2010, online issue of Nature. This breakthrough finding could have major implications for aging research, stem cell biology, regenerative medicine and cancer biology...

People Are Living Longer And Healthier — Now What?

People in developed nations are living in good health as much as a decade longer than their parents did, not because aging has been slowed or reversed, but because they are staying healthy to a more advanced age. "We're living longer because people are reaching old age in better health," said demographer James Vaupel, author of a review article appearing in the March 25 edition of Nature...

DEA Crackdown On Nursing Home Drugs Comes Under Congressional Scrutiny

The New York Times previews a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday where nursing home operators and caregivers will criticize a narcotics crackdown by the Drug Enforcement Administration that they say "has left seriously ill patients crying for pain relief. The D.E.A...

Health Reform Debate Often Misrepresents Changes To Medicare

The Chattanooga Times Free Press: Seniors, as well as doctors who treat Medicare patients, "have been shaken up by news that health care reform efforts are largely funded by about $455 billion worth of projected savings in the government health insurance program for the elderly...

Falls Risk: Comprehensive Screening Test Developed By MU Researcher

More than one-third of adults ages 65 and older fall each year in the U.S., and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 40 percent of all seniors admitted to the hospital are there due to injuries from falls. However, a new study has found that falls are not just a problem for older adults...

Enforce The Nursing Home Reform Law Instead Of Weakening The Controlled Substances Act, USA

The Center for Medicare Advocacy is troubled by the Senate Special Committee on Aging's March 24 hearing, "The War on Drugs Meets the War on Pain: Nursing Home Residents Caught in the Crossfire." The Center's Senior Policy Attorney Toby S...

AARP Asks Senate To Finish The Job On Health Reform, USA

AARP CEO A. Barry Rand today sent a letter to every member of the U.S. Senate. In his letter, Rand urged senators to promptly pass the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 without amendments. Rand highlighted provisions in the legislative package that would address key priorities of AARP members and all older Americans...

Older Adults Remember The Good Times

Despite the aches and pains that occur in old age, many older adults maintain a positive outlook, remembering the positive experiences from their past. A new study, reported in the April 2010 issue of Elsevier's Cortex, reveals that older adults' ability to remember the past through a positive lens is linked to the way in which the brain processes emotional content...

“Close The Doughnut Hole” AARP Board Chair Tells Senate

AARP Board Chair Bonnie M. Cramer, M.S.W., joined Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Members of Congress to urge the Senate to help millions of seniors with the high cost of prescription drugs by closing the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap...

Jaw Angle Changes Add To Aging Appearance, May Lead To Two-Step Approach To Facial Rejuvenation

Facelifts and other wrinkle-reducing procedures have long been sought by people wanting to ward off the signs of aging, but new research suggests that it takes more than tightening loose skin to restore a youthful look...

Philips Electronics Introduces Lifeline With AutoAlert, An Enhanced Medical Alert Service

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) introduced Lifeline with AutoAlert, an enhanced medical alert service. This integrated solution offers an added layer of protection by combining the industry-leading Philips Lifeline medical alert service with automatic fall detection capabilities...

Lifelong Learning And Community Action For Older Adults

The UN has said that population aging is "transforming the world." Now that a large portion of the world population is joining the ranks of the "baby boomers," the phenomenon is permeating many areas of life, including the economic, medical, moral, political, and social. In the U.S., as of 2008 (the last time data was collected), the number of persons 65 or older came to 38.9 million...

Cyclists Over 50 Benefit From Dietary Supplement

Taking arginine supplements can improve the cycling ability of over-50s. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition tested a combination of the amino acid and an antioxidant in sixteen cyclists, finding that it enhanced their anaerobic threshold - the amount of work done before lactic acid begins to accumulate in the blood...

Health Reform Creates Winners, Losers And An Interesting Timeline

The health legislation creates a slew of winners and losers, as well as immediate effects and changes that will arrive slowly. USA Today has an interactive timeline of when provisions will take effect as well as an article about how the bill could affect "nearly all" Americans. "Poor adults will get Medicaid. Low-income families will get federal subsidies to buy insurance...

Government Has Failed To Invest In Lifelong Learning For An Ageing Society

Debates about the rising cost of social care for the elderly have been raging in Parliament and beyond but a new study says that the government has failed to invest in learning activities that can promote health and well-being among older people...

Good News For Elderly Sleep Apnea Sufferers

Findings from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology could provide good news for elderly patients who suffer from sleep apnea. The research results from Prof. Peretz Lavie and Dr. Lena Lavie of the Faculty of Medicine show that elderly patients with moderate sleep apnea live longer than their counterparts in the general population...

Free Online Course About Caring For Older Adults In Critical Care Hospital Units

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and American Academy of Nursing (AAN), Washington, recently launched "Best Practices for Elder Care," a free online continuing education course that focuses on the complex needs of older patients in acute and critical-care hospital units...

How The Health Bill Would Affect You

Kaiser Health News has a Q & A for consumers, detailing who would have to get health insurance, what programs are available to help them afford it and how the legislation would affect seniors and young adults (Galewitz, 3/21). In a separate article, KHN details the immediate effects of the bill...

Women Bear Care Giving Responsibility In Cases Of Dependency In Spain

Women are the main caregivers for the elderly in 80 percent of the cases, according to a study by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). The average age of the caregiver is around 50. The main conclusion of this research is that in spite of the noteworthy advances of recent decades, women continue to be the main caregivers for minors as well as for the elderly, disabled or the sick...

Government Plans To ‘Backtrack’ On ‘Death Tax’, UK

In today's media there are reports that the government is planning to shelve plans for a new settlement on care and support for older people. It has been suggested that the government will propose working towards a new settlement on care in the next parliament for fear of a backlash ahead of the election campaign...

Details Of Democratic Tweaks To Health Bill

News reports scour the latest health overhaul bill for specific provisions and adjustments. The New York Times: "The reconciliation package unveiled by Democrats would impose $28 billion in fees on the drug industry over 10 years ... That is $5 billion higher than the $23 billion the brand-name pharmaceutical industry had agreed to in the Senate package...

CBO Numbers For Health Reform Package Buoy Democrats

Democrats unveiled a health overhaul reconciliation bill the Congressional Budget Office says will cost $940 billion but also cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years. The New York Times: The release of the CBO estimates started a 72-hour countdown for a Sunday vote. House Democratic leaders promised members the time to read the bill...

Older Workers’ Health Harmed By Looming Unemployment

Downsizing and demotions at the workplace can be a health hazard for people over age 50, according to research reported in a recent issue of The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences (Volume 65B, Number 1). A team of researchers found that job insecurity increased the chance of harmful effects for a sample of older workers in Cook County, IL...

As Reform Hangs In Balance, Policy Benefits Continue To Be Discussed

News outlets report on policy issues the health care reform bills would address. NPR reports on the immediate effects of the proposed health care bill, and that Congressional Democrats are focusing on those benefits in messages to constituents...

What Is Euthanasia (assisted Suicide)? What Is The Definition Of Assisted Suicide Or Euthanasia?

Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide (dying) , doctor-assisted dying (suicide) , and more loosely termed mercy killing, basically means to take a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable) suffering. Some interpret euthanasia as the practice of ending a life in a painless manner...

Aged Care Nurses Suffer Almost 5 Times More Pay Disparity Than Other Women Workers In Australia

The aged care workforce - comprised of 98% women workers - is one of the most unfairly remunerated in Australia. The Australian Nursing Federation federal secretary, Ged Kearney, said nurses, assistants in nursing (AINs) and personal care workers (PCWs), who care for vulnerable elderly residents in nursing homes suffer pay discrimination because it is a largely female dominated industry...

Technology And Aging Focus Of Conference To Be Hosted By UPMC, Pitt And CMU

Technology is assuming an increasingly important role in the delivery of health care to the aged and in the way that individuals and families manage their own health and the health of their elderly family members. New systems are changing how clinicians access patient information and communicate with each other, expediting prevention, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic disorders...

American Geriatrics Society Names AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen Its New CEO

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has chosen AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen, RN, MSN, FAAN, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Hansen, who finishes her term with AARP this spring, will take over from Linda Hiddemen Barondess in April. During her 27-year tenure, Ms...

Report Calls For Medicaid, Social Security Changes For LGBT Seniors

The Los Angeles Times: A report released Wednesday at a national meeting on aging asks lawmakers to consider changes to Medicaid and Social Security rules that could help gay and lesbian senior citizens...

Drugmakers Are ‘Under-Exposed’ In Emerging Markets, Report Says

Growing markets for pharmaceuticals in China, Brazil, Russia and India are outpacing national markets in Europe and the U.S., but major drugmakers have been slow to expand in these markets and may lose opportunities, a new study finds, The New York Times reports...

Senate Parliamentarian Wields Authority Over Democrats’ Health Care Efforts

The Associated Press: "When Congress battles over thorny bills, parliamentarian Alan Frumin has been known to sleep in his office - on call 24/7 as the Senate's Solomon, divining the answers. Frumin's ability to review long-standing rules and centuries of precedent to resolve Senate questions makes the mustachioed parliamentarian something of a Washington rock star these days...

Avoiding ‘Boomeritis’ — The Achilles’ Heel Of A Fit Generation

Orthopedic surgeons are seeing a wave of exercise-related injuries among baby boomers -- a phenomenon dubbed "boomeritis." The March issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource covers what's behind boomeritis. Baby boomers, now in their 50s and 60s, are fitter and more athletic longer into their lives, compared with their parents' generation...

Feeling Lonely Increases Blood Pressure For People 50 And Older

Chronic feelings of loneliness take a toll on blood pressure over time, causing a marked increase after four years, according to a new study at the University of Chicago...

Major Grant Puts Wake Forest In Lead Role On Study About Mobility Disability In Older Adults

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, together with Wake Forest University, will play a key role in a new study that seeks to determine whether a program of structured physical activity can prevent or delay major mobility disabilities in older adults...

Older Adult Specialists Travel To Haiti To Provide Needed Care To Vulnerable Nursing Home Residents

Two months after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the needs of older adults in the region remain an urgent priority. Dr. Martin Gorbien, a geriatrician, and Lauren Kessler, a licensed clinical social worker, both from Rush University Medical Center, will be among the first older adult specialists to travel to Haiti to provide care at make-shift nursing homes...

Older Patients With Colon Cancer Less Likely To Receive Chemotherapy After Surgery, And Have Fewer Adverse Events

Even though older patients with colon cancer are less likely to receive chemotherapy following surgery because of concerns of adverse events, new research indicates that when they do receive this treatment, it is less toxic and of shorter duration than therapy younger patients receive, and older patients experience fewer adverse events, according to a study in the March 17 issu...

Reversal Of Aging Shown In Human Stem Cells

A team of North American collaborators from both industrial research centers (Biotime Inc, Mandala Biosciences LLC and Sierra Sciences LLC) and academic institutes (Ontario Cancer Institute, Burnham Institute for Medical Research and The Scripps Research Institute) have demonstrated successful reversal of the developmental aging of normal human cells...

Costs And Benefits Of New Chemotherapy Drugs Evaluated By Study

New chemotherapy agents appear associated with improvements in survival time for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer but at substantial cost. David H...

Older Adults With Melanoma Incur Significant Costs

Treating melanoma in older adults is estimated to cost approximately $249 million annually. Anne M. Seidler, M.D., M.B.A., Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, and colleagues used national databases to assess health care resource consumption by a total of 1,858 patients age 65 and older with melanoma during fiscal years 1991 to 1996...

Study Suggests Older Non-Smokers Gain Most From Tobacco Ban

Older people who have never smoked benefit most from smoking bans, a study suggests. A study in New Zealand showed that, three years after a smoking ban on all workplaces was introduced, hospital admissions for heart attacks among men and women aged 55-74 fell by 9 per cent. This figure rose to 13 per cent for 55-74 year olds who had never smoked...

Age Concern And Help The Aged Comment On The King’s Fund Review Of Social Care, UK

Commenting on the new report by the King's Fund updating the review of social care led by Sir Derek Wanless in 2006, Michelle Mitchell, Age Concern and Help the Aged Charity Director, said: 'We welcome this updating of the original King's Fund report as a useful contribution...

Study Suggests Doctors Overlook Effects Of Implanted Heart Defibrillators In Dying Patients

The Associated Press reports that heart defibrillators implanted in a patient's chest may disrupt a quiet death, but doctors and relatives of people dying of non-heart related diseases often don't consider that issue. "It's not unusual for health professionals to avoid the topic, says Dr. Nathan Goldstein of New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center...

Childhood Adversity May Promote Cellular Aging

Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse could be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research published by Elsevier in Biological Psychiatry. It's an easy fact to forget - the aging process begins at birth...

Late-Stage Melanoma Results In Economic Burden

In an article published in the March 2010 Archives of Dermatology, researchers report that in the United States, melanoma treatment in late stages of the disease is of significant cost in the population 65 years and older. The incidence of melanoma has risen dramatically over the years, and older white men have the highest rate of mortality...

Alzheimer’s Disease-Like Changes Discovered In Elderly People Without The Disease

The emergence of multiple new brain imaging technologies and the combined application of these new approaches is helping to create new insights into aging and Alzheimer's disease. One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid beta protein in clumps or "plaques" within the brain...

Seniors And Driving

Public safety should win against personal choice especially when it comes to elderly seniors who shouldn't drive, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Seniors can be the safest drivers but that decreases with age as a growing number of medical conditions can lower a person's ability to drive. By 2025, one in four Canadians will be 65 or older...

A Molecular Mystery In Muscle Solved

The muscle-building abilities of hormones known as insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are legendary. Just do an online search and you'll find not only scientific papers discussing the effects of IGFs on the cells that give rise to muscle tissue, but also scores of ads touting the purported benefits of IGF supplements for bodybuilding...

Political Debate On Social Care Fails To Reassure The Public, UK

Almost two thirds (59%) of people are worried about the standard of care they could receive in old age while nearly a third (30%) feel none of the three main political parties are addressing the issue successfully...

Statement From American Geriatrics Society President Cheryl Phillips, MD, Regarding AGS Board’s Endorsement Of Healthcare Reform

The American Geriatrics Society's Board of Directors expressed its strong support for the enactment of healthcare reform in a letter to President Barack Obama Friday...

When Does ‘youth’ End And ‘old Age’ Begin? Results From The European Social Survey

Professor Dominic Abrams and Dr Melanie Vauclair from the School of Psychology at the University of Kent will present findings from the European Social Survey's research project 'Attitudes to Age in the UK and Europe' during an event at City University, London, on Monday 15 March. Titled What do the British think about...

Exercising Just Got Easier For Busy People, Study Shows

If you're the type of person who invokes the "not enough time" clause when it comes to exercising, it's time to find a new excuse. Researchers who have been studying interval training have found that it not only takes less time than what is typically recommended, but the regimen does not have to be "all out" to be effective in helping reduce the risk of such diseases at Type 2 diabetes...

U.N. Not Fully Funded To Meet Needs In Haiti, Says Humanitarian Chief; Media Examines Care For Country’s Elderly

After announcing a revised appeal of $1.4 billion in February to finance emergency relief as well as recovery and reconstruction, the U.N. "is struggling to provide support for equake-ravaged Haiti," according to humanitarian chief John Holmes, Reuters reports...

Some Older ER Patients Are Getting The Wrong Medicines

A University of Michigan study recently published in Academic Emergency Medicine says that it is common for patients 65 and older to receive potentially inappropriate medications when treated in an emergency room. Nearly 19.5 million older patients, or 16.8 percent of eligible emergency visits from 2000-2006, received one or more potentially inappropriate medications - or PIMs...

EHSI: New High-Level Telemedicine Study Launched

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets: EHSI) was pleased on learning the news that Intel, The Mayo Clinic and GE Healthcare have launched a new initiative to study the care and cost benefits of home-based telemedicine for elderly patients with chronic illnesses. Emerging Healthcare Solutions has licensed a cutting-edge mobile telemedicine platform from Telemedicus, Inc...

Multiple Benefits To Surgery Reported For Patients With Advanced Osteoarthritis

Total knee replacement (TKR) successfully relieves pain and improves function in patients with advanced knee arthritis, according to a study presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The surgery also significantly improves dynamic balance among elderly patients...

Computer Algorithm Able To ‘Read’ Memories

Computer programs have been able to predict which of three short films a person is thinking about, just by looking at their brain activity. The research, conducted by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London), provides further insight into how our memories are recorded...

What Is Hypothermia? What Causes Hypothermia?

Hypothermia occurs when a person's normal body temperature of around 37°C (98.6°F) drops below 35°C (95°F). It is a medical emergency. The body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Hypothermia is the opposite of hyperthermia which is present in heat exhaustion and heat stroke...

Minister For Older People In Face-to-face Meeting With Older People And Service Providers In The Northwest, Ireland

"The expected increase in the numbers of older people in the population in the years ahead will present great opportunities for Irish society", the Minister for Older People and Health Promotion, Aine Brady TD said yesterday in Sligo (Thursday, 11th March 2010)...

Our Response To Health Committee’s Social Care Report, UK

Responding to the publication of the Health Committee's report on Social Care, Hilary Evans, Age Concern and Help the Aged's Head of Public Affairs, said: 'With the debate on social care raging, the publication of this report is extremely timely...

Does Medicare ‘Doughnut Hole’ Spur Increase In Foreign Drug Imports?

Medill Reports: "Unless federal legislation closes the Medicare coverage gap colloquially known as the 'doughnut hole,' seniors may opt for online drug imports to alleviate steep prescription costs. ... 'As seniors start falling into the doughnut hole, they are going online to find deals on prescription drugs, whether they're based in the U.S...

Knee Replacement In Elderly Patients Shown To Improve Balance

Total knee replacement (TKR) successfully relieves pain and improves function in patients with advanced knee arthritis, according to a study presented today at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The surgery also significantly improves dynamic balance among elderly patients...

Age Concern And Help The Aged’s Response To Today’s Care Summit, UK

Following Age Concern and Help the Aged's care summit, Andrew Harrop, Director of Policy and Public Affairs for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: 'Our care summit did exactly what it set out to do. It provided all three main political parties the neutral platform that was needed to re-open dialogue about reforming the current care and support system...

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