Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Hypertension Predicts Dementia in Seniors Losing
Ability to Organize, Make Decisions
Control of high blood pressure in this senior
citizen group could cut in half the projected 50% five-year rate of
progression to dementia’
Feb. 8, 2010 - High blood pressure appears to
predict the progression to dementia in senior citizens with impaired
executive functions (ability to organize thoughts and make decisions)
but not in those with memory dysfunction, according to a report in the
February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.
Read
more...
Aging News & Information
Hand-Grip Strength Associated with Death, Disability
Risks Also Applies to the ‘Oldest Old’
Researchers find that handgrip strength has a
greater impact on mortality as people age
Feb. 8, 2010 – A weak handgrip has long been
associated with premature death, disability and other health problems in
middle-aged and older people. A new study of those called the “oldest
old” – age 85 or older – finds it again associated with poor chances of
survival and as a useful tool to assess mortality.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Women Mysteriously Not Taking Tamoxifen to
Prevent Breast Cancer
Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) can reduce the risk of
developing breast cancer; NCI wanted to know how many women aged 40 to
79 were taking it
Feb. 8, 2010 - Researchers with the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) have found that the prevalence of tamoxifen – brand
name, Nolvadex - use for the prevention of breast cancer among older
women without a personal history of breast cancer is very low.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Pays Doctors More for Bladder Biopsies in
Office; Dramatic Increase Occurs?
Medicare’s hope was to save money by escaping
hospital costs but it has opposite effect
Feb. 8, 2009-Increased Medicare payments to
physicians for outpatient surgeries for bladder cancer have led to a
dramatic rise in the number of these procedures being performed and an
overall increase in cost to the healthcare system. That is the
conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a
peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings
indicate that some Medicare policies aimed at decreasing costs may
instead be contributing to an increase in healthcare expenditures.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Just a Couple of Sodas a Week May Double the Risk of
Pancreatic Cancer
No association was seen between fruit juice
consumption and pancreatic cancer
Feb. 8, 2010 - Consuming two or more soft drinks
per week increased the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by nearly
twofold compared to individuals who did not consume soft drinks,
according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a
journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
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more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Major Chronic Disease for Senior Citizens,
Osteoarthritis, Under Attack by New Initiative
CDC, Arthritis Foundation, Ad Council launch ‘Moving
is the Best Medicine’
Feb. 4, 2010 – A major new initiative has been
launched to, hopefully, dramatically reduce the impact of osteoarthritis
on Americans – senior citizens in particular. The chance of developing
this chronic joint ailment increases with age and by age 65, half the
senior population has x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
ADT Therapy for Prostate Cancer Can Increase Heart
Risk Factors
Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) may increase
cardiovascular risk, but unclear whether it’s linked to increased death
from heart disease
Feb. 3, 2010 - Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT),
commonly used to treat prostate cancer, can worsen heart risk factors
and may increase the risk of heart attack and/or cardiac death, although
the relationship between ADT and heart attack or cardiac death has not
been definitively established, according to a science advisory published
in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Female Cancer Survivors Have More Health
Issues Than Cancer Free Contemporaries
As
cancer survivors live longer, questions arise about what kind of care
long-term survivors require
Feb. 3, 2010 - Older married women who survived
cancer had more health problems than married women without cancer in a
study of women - 245 in each group. The lead researcher of the study
from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social
Sciences is calling for more research with older cancer survivors.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Stroke Victims Recover Thinking, Learning, Memory
by
Taking Antidepressant Lexapro
Changes in neuropsychological performance resulted
in an improvement in related activities of daily living
Feb. 1, 2010 - Patients who received the
antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram)
following a stroke appeared to recover more of their thinking, learning
and memory skills than those taking placebo or participating in
problem-solving therapy, according to a report in the February issue of
Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Study Shows Cigarette Smoking Jumps Risk for
Alzheimer’s; All Research Not Trustworthy
Industry-affiliated studies = smoking protects
against the development of AD; independent studies = smoking increases
the risk of AD
Feb. 1, 2020 - A UCSF analysis of published studies
on the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and smoking indicates
that smoking cigarettes is a significant risk factor for the disease.
The study group also determined that the myth that smoking offers
protection from AD has been perpetuated by tobacco industry-affiliated
studies.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Avastin and Lucentis Equally Effective Treating ‘Wet’
Aged-Related Macular Degeneration
Leading cause of blindness in senior
citizens, AMD becoming leading concern
Feb.
1, 2010 – Although there has been concern about the drug Avastin
(bevacizumab) being used to treat age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) although it was originally approved as a
cancer drug, a new study by Kaiser Permanente Southern
California finds it just as effective as Lucentis (ranibizumab).
Read
more...
Aging News & Information
Falls by Senior Citizens Caused by Poor Central and
Side Vision, Study Finds
Recommends advising patients 60 and older, even with
normal vision, on their increased fall risk and need to take extra
precautions
Feb. 1, 2010 – Falls by senior citizens are common
and a major concern of many in the medical field. It has been well
established seniors with reduced central vision – the ability to see
clearly in front of them, which is often diminished by
age-related macular degeneration (AMD),
are more likely to fall. Now, a new study finds falls are also common
among the elderly with poor peripheral vision.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Cancer Risk from Low Dose Radiation of CT Scan May
Be Solved by Epigentics’ or NIH Study
Two reports in radiology journal: Epigenetics may
determine risk of low-dose radiation... and explain mechanisms of aging,
human development, and the origins of cancer, heart disease, mental
illness, etc.
Feb. 1, 2010 – Concern about the cancer risk from
low level radiation, particularly low-dose radiation delivered from
computed tomography (CT) scans, has been growing in the medical
community. Some suggest that about 1.5 to 2 percent of all cancers in
the USA might be caused by the clinical use of CT. A new study by NIH
and the possibility of epigenetics to better understand this risk are
two of the reports in the February issue of the Journal of the
American College of Radiology (JACR).
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more...
Aging News & Information
Healthy
People Need Less Sleep as They Age; Seniors Should Not Be Sleepy
in Daytime
Senior
citizens slept about 20 minutes less than middle-aged adults,
who slept 23 minutes less than young adults in study
Feb. 1, 2010 – Healthy senior citizens
without sleep disorders can expect to have a reduced "sleep
need" and to be less sleepy during the day than healthy young
adults. A new study indicates that during a night of eight hours
in bed, total sleep time decreased significantly and
progressively with age.
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more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Overweight Senior Citizens 70 Plus Less Likely to
Die in 10 Years; Different than Young People
People who survive to 70 in reasonable health have
different set of risks and benefits associated with the amount of body
fat to younger people; study questions current BMI guidelines for older
adults
Feb. 1, 2010 – Those diets that many senior
citizens started at the first of the year may not be as critical as
assumed. A new study of men and women who were between the ages of 70
and 75 as the research began found those classified as “overweight” less
likely to die over a ten year period than those in the “normal” weight
range. Read
more...
Senior Citizens and Internet
National Library of Medicine Launches Mobile
MedlinePlus to Meet Needs of On-the-Go Public
Compact
Website designed to meet needs of smart phones, other hand-held devices
- not iPhone 'app' - read below
Jan. 29, 2010 - Wondering what the side effects are for your new
prescription? Go to Mobile MedlinePlus (http://m.medlineplus.gov)
while you’re waiting for the pharmacist to fill your order!
Read more...
Reverse Mortgage News for Seniors
Reverse Mortgage Rules for Seniors Living in
Condominiums Changed by HUD
Senior condominium owners are affected by
this new procedure; author worried that senior borrowers may wait too
long
By Michael Branson, CEO,
All Reverse Mortgage
Company
Jan. 29, 2010 - I still get a call about once a
week with borrowers asking when they will be able to do a reverse
mortgage on their unit in a cooperative project. After all,
co-op's were included in the list of acceptable properties when the
Home Economic Recovery Act (HERA) passed in 2008 but the programs to
include them just have not been implemented by HUD / FHA as of this
date.
Read more...
Grandparent News
Grandpa's Broken Hip Appears to Indicate Weaker Bones for His
Grandsons
Osteoporosis
common in older women; as many as half of all women and a
quarter of men older than 50 will break a bone due to
osteoporosis
Jan. 29, 2010 - A new study shows that hip
fractures in grandfathers are linked to low bone density and
reduced bone size in their grandsons, according to a report in
the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
FDA Announces Class I Recall of Over Two Million
Huber Infusion Set Needles
Huber needles used in implanted ports to withdraw
blood, inject medications, and other solutions
Jan. 27, 2010 - The Food and Drug Administration
yesterday announced a Class I recall of Exel/Exelint Huber needles, Exel/Exelint
Huber Infusion Sets and Exel/Exelint “Securetouch+” Safety Huber
Infusion Sets, manufactured by Nipro Medical Corporation for Exelint
International Corporation.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Victoza (liraglutide) Gets FDA Approval as New
Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes
Seniors aged 60 with type 2 diabetes are about
one-third of all adults with this chronic disease
Jan. 27, 2010 - Victoza (liraglutide), a drug
intended to help lower blood sugar levels along with diet, exercise, and
selected other diabetes medicines, was approved on January 25 for a
once-daily injection to treat type 2 diabetes in some adults.. It is not
recommended as initial therapy in patients who have not achieved
adequate diabetes control on diet and exercise alone, according to the
Food and Drug Administration.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Older Brains of Senior Citizens Make Good Use of
‘Useless’ Information in Decision-Making
Older adults show 30% advantage over younger adults;
may be the wiser decision-makers because they pick up so much more
information
Jan. 26, 2010 - The aged brain of a senior citizen
has a weakened ability to filter out irrelevant information, which
sounds like bad news for older people. A new study, however, suggests
this may actually give the older folks a memory advantage over younger
people. Read
more...
Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens
Physical Activity Leads to Healthier Aging Say Four
New Studies of Senior Citizens
Papers in Archives of Internal Medicine detail
associations between exercise and cognitive function, bone density and
overall health
Jan.
25, 2010 – Four articles in the current issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, add to the mountain of
research that finds physical activity can be a major contributor to
healthier aging. These studies found older women who survived the
longest exercised in middle age, exercise helped cognitive skills (two
studies) and it added to bone density of senior citizens.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Senior, Physician, Military Groups Urge Fix to
Medicare’s Annual Crisis in Physician Pay
Almost yearly physician’s face mandated cut in pay
that is then reversed by Congress
Jan. 25, 2010 - Focusing on looming Medicare
physician cuts of 21 percent scheduled to begin on March 1, the American
Medical Association (AMA), AARP and the Military Officers Association of
America (MOAA) have joined together in an “unprecedented” multi-state
event to urge a lasting fix to this annual crisis.
Read
more...
Social Security News
Social Security Opens Access to Data About
Disability Hearings, Processes at Data.gov
Commissioner Astrue says it is part of ‘President
Obama’s commitment to creating an unprecedented level of openness in
government’
Jan. 25, 2010 – What has to be seen as a good step
forward in helping Americans find their way more quickly through the
approval process to receive disability assistance from Social Security,
the agency has made available public Online access to data about beneficiaries
and the agency’s disability and hearing processes.
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more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Lighter Sedation for Elderly Surgery Patients May
Reduce Risk Of Confusion, Disorientation
Elderly seldom afraid of dying… they just want to
know if they’ll return to the same mental and physical level as before
surgery
Jan. 24, 2010- A common complication following
surgery in senior citizens is postoperative delirium, a state of
confusion that can lead to long-term health problems and cause some
elderly patients to complain that they “never felt the same” again after
an operation. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that
simply limiting the depth of sedation during procedures could safely cut
the risk of postoperative delirium by 50 percent.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Cardiac Respiratory Stress Test Can Quickly Detect
Significant Coronary Artery Disease
RSR test is simple and fast to perform in a doctor's
office without the need for significant expense and hardship
Jan. 19, 2010 – Testing a patient's cardiac
respiratory stress response (RSR) can quickly and accurately detect the
presence of significant coronary artery disease (S-CAD), according to
new research published in the current issue of Cardiovascular
Revascularization Medicine. The results found patients with S-CAD had a
significantly lower RSR compared to patients without (6.7% vs. 17.4%,
respectively) suggesting RSR is a strong indicator for the disease.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Drowsiness, Staring, Other Mental Lapses by Senior
Citizens May Signal Alzheimer's Disease
Seniors with mental lapses were 4.6 times more
likely to have dementia than those without mental lapses
Jan. 18, 2010 - Older people who have "mental
lapses," or times when their thinking seems disorganized or illogical or
when they stare into space, may be more likely to have Alzheimer's
disease than people who do not have these lapses, according to a study
published in the January 19, 2010, print issue of Neurology, the
medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Medicare’s Coverage of Bariatric Surgery at
Certified Facilities Improved Results
Patients benefited from shorter length of stay,
lower complication rates, no significant change in hospital mortality
rates
>> Second study
finds morbidly obese live longer with gastric bypass (see below
first story)
Jan. 18, 2010 – When Medicare decided to approve
coverage for bariatric weight-loss surgery, the agency also established
a requirement that senior citizens could only be treated at certified
institutions. The results have been better results and more minimally
invasive procedures, according to a report in the January issue of
Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
Caregiver & Elder Care News
Stress of Caring for Spouse Increases Risk of
Stroke, Especially for Black Men
Male spouse caregivers may need special support to
offset increased strain-related health risk
Jan. 15, 2010 - The stress of caring for a disabled
spouse appears to significantly increase the caregiver’s risk of future
stroke, especially among African-American men, says a researcher report
in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Fractures that Plague Senior Citizens Can be Reduced
by Taking Calcium with Vitamin D
Large study supports growing consensus that combined
calcium and vitamin D is more effective than vitamin D alone in reducing
fractures
Jan. 14, 2010 – The risk of bone fractures, a major
cause of disability, loss of independence and death for senior citizens,
can be reduced for people of any age and any sex by taking calcium with
vitamin D supplements on a daily basis, according to a study of nearly
70,000 patients.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Inconsistent Use of Surveillance Colonoscopy
Concerns Authors of Two Studies
Patients with a history of advanced polyps are at
particular risk and should be monitored closely with timely
surveillance, researchers says
Jan. 14, 2010 – Surveillance colonoscopy, performed
to monitor patients who have had precancerous polyps (adenomas) found on
a previous colonoscopy, is both overused and underused in with serious
implications for health care and health care spending.
Read more...