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UrduMore than 82% of Americans age 50 to 80 take one or more kinds of prescription medication, and 80% of them say they’d be open to stopping one or more of those drugs — with major differences among people with different health conditions.
Tag: Older Adults
Exercise More, Sit Less to Manage Frailty and Hypertension Risk in Aging
A new study of middle-age and older adults looks at sex differences in frailty levels and their link with heart health. The findings suggest that moving your body more through regular exercise and sitting less can help keep both heart disease and frailty at bay as we age.
Marital separation, reconciliation, and repartnering in later life
Abstract Objective The growth in gray divorce raises new questions about the marital dissolution process experienced by older adults. Our goal was to assess patterns of reconciliation among couples following marital separation, treating forming a union with a new partner…
An unequal toll of financial stress: Poll of older adults shows different impacts related to health and age
Inflation rates may have cooled off recently, but a new poll shows many older adults are experiencing financial stress – especially those who say they’re in fair or poor physical health or mental health, as well as women and those age 50 to 64. A sizable minority report issues with health care costs.
Keeping us young? Grandchild caregiving and older adults’ cognitive functioning
Abstract Objective This study investigates longitudinal associations between providing care to grandchildren and cognitive functioning. It also examines heterogeneity in these relationships. Background Grandchild caregiving may support older adults’ cognitive functioning by providing social engagement and emotional meaning. However, studies…
Balancing Act: Novel Wearable Sensors and AI Transform Balance Assessment
Traditional methods to assess balance often suffer from subjectivity, aren’t comprehensive enough and can’t be administered remotely. They also are expensive and require specialized equipment and clinical expertise.
Study Challenges ED Protocols for Geriatric Head Injuries and Blood Thinners
Out of 3,425 patients enrolled in the study, 0.4% (13 patients) experienced a delayed intracranial hemorrhage, a significantly lower rate than previously reported (7.2%).
‘Fit2Drive’ Transforms Assessing Older Drivers with Cognitive Decline
With the help of an evidence-based calculator called “Fit2Drive,” researchers have made it easy to administer and evaluate an in-office test to predict an older individual’s probability of passing an on-road driving test. Based upon brief, easily administered cognitive tests, Fit2Drive provides an objective estimation of the ability to drive for those with cognitive concerns. Results show that the Fit2Drive algorithm demonstrated a strong 91.5% predictive accuracy.
Racial/ethnic differences in living arrangements, distant relations, and later-life mental health
Abstract Objective This research investigates associations between living arrangements and older adults’ depressive symptoms and whether these associations are moderated by extended family, friends, and neighborhoods for White, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Background The drastic marriage and kinship decline…
JMIR Aging Announces New Theme Issue on Digital Ageism
JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new theme issue titled “Addressing Digital Ageism in the Modern Era” in its premier open access journal JMIR Aging
Subtle cognitive decline precedes end to driving for older adults
Even slight cognitive changes can affect an older person’s decision to stop driving, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings suggest that routine cognitive testing — in particular, the kind of screening designed to pick up the earliest, most subtle decline — could help older adults and their physicians make decisions about driving that maximizes safety while preserving independence as long as possible.
Thinking outside the doctor’s office: Poll looks at older adults’ use of urgent care, retail clinics and more
Most older adults have embraced non-traditional sites for getting medical care that didn’t exist when they were younger, a new poll suggests. In the past two years, 60% of people age 50 to 80 have visited an urgent care clinic, or a clinic based in a retail store, workplace or vehicle.
Medicare pays for message-based e-visits. Are older adults using them?
E-visits have become a regular part of everyday health care for some of the 30 million older Americans who have traditional Medicare. About 1% of them have used asynchronous patient portal messaging in a way that prompted their doctor or other health care provider to bill Medicare for their time.
Skin Wetting Helps Cool Older Adults in Very Hot, Dry Weather
Spraying the skin with water helps reduce core and skin temperature in older adults during extremely hot and dry weather.
Regular Exercise Prevents DNA Damage with Aging
Regular aerobic exercise later in life prevents genomic instability characterized by DNA damage and telomere dysfunction
Despite dwindling resources, many older adult Israelis exhibited impressive resilience during the initial period of the Israel-Hamas war, Bar-Ilan University study finds
Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Bar-Ilan University Prof. Amit Shrira led a study measuring acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Israelis between November-December 2023, shedding light on the impact of the conflict on mental health across generations.
In sickness and in health, older couples mostly make Medicare moves together
Older Americans who enroll in Medicare, or change their coverage, do so as individuals, even if they’re married or live with a partner. But a new study suggests the need for more efforts to help both members of a couple weigh and choose their options together.
The Perceived Meaning of Traumatic Brain Injury for Older Adults: A Longitudinal-Multiple Case Study
Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the perceived meaning of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the first-year postinjury among older adults and to explore if and how meaning changes. Design A longitudinal multiple-case study design was…
Wrist Device That Monitors Activity Could Help Provide Early Warning of Alzheimer’s
Monitoring daily activity patterns using a wrist-worn device may detect early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
An aspirin a day? Poll of older adults suggests some who take it may be following outdated advice
One in four older adults take aspirin at least three times a week, mostly in hopes of preventing heart attacks and strokes, a new poll shows. But many people aged 50 to 80 who said they take aspirin may not need to because hey don’t have a history of cardiovascular disease.
Does trying to look younger reduce how much ageism older adults face?
How do ageism and positive age-related experiences differ for people who have tried to look younger, or feel they look younger, than they actually are? A new study examines this and the relationship with health.
Older adults rely more on trust in decision making. It could open them up to scams.
Elderly adults lose billions to financial scams by people they trust every year. New psychological research suggests this vulnerability could be linked to older adults’ overreliance on initial impressions of trustworthiness.
Music may bring health benefits for older adults, poll suggests
Three-quarters of people age 50 to 80 say music helps them relieve stress or relax and 65% say it helps their mental health or mood, according to the new results from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Meanwhile, 60% say they get energized or motivated by music.
Worries about costs, time off work and COVID-19 kept some older adults from having surgery
When it comes to having surgery, older adults don’t just base their decision on how much pain they’ll feel and how quickly they’ll recover, a new study finds.
Residents of Rural ‘Glades’ Take a ‘Leap of Faith’ to Combat Dementia
Compared to urban dwellers, racially/ethnically diverse older adults face up to an 80 percent greater risk of cognitive impairment in older age, and 2.5 times potentially preventable Alzheimer’s-related (ADRD) hospitalizations.
New COVID-19 vaccine a good value for U.S., U-M team finds
A cost-effectiveness analysis for the updated COVID-19 vaccine prepared for the CDC’s vaccine panel shows cost savings from vaccinating people over age 65, and good value from vaccinating adults of all ages.
Canadians with peptic ulcer disease faced mental health challenges during COVID-19 pandemic
The risk of depression among those with peptic ulcer disease was higher among women, those who felt lonely, those with functional limitations, those whose income did not satisfy their basic needs and those who experienced pandemic-related stressors
Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder Improves Quality of Life in Men and Women Aged 60+, Study Finds
Adults aged 60 and older reported better overall health and quality of life after treatment for their alcohol use disorder, according to a new study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
GW Experts Available: CDC Report Finds Older Adults Make Up Two-Thirds of Covid-19 Hospitalizations
WASHINGTON (October 11, 2023) – According to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults 65 and older accounted for nearly two-thirds of Covid-19 hospitalizations in the United States this year, 61% of intensive care unit admissions and…
New $81M NIH grant will help U.S. answer urgent need for better dementia care
Fueled by new five-year funding expected to total $81 million from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging, a multi-institution team will work to improve understanding of the health care workforce that cares for people with dementia, through surveys and other methods that will produce data for clinicians, researchers, policymakers and others to use.
Should older adults with fewer years to live keep getting cancer screenings? Poll explores attitudes
A majority of older adults disagree with the idea of using life expectancy as part of guidelines that say which patients should get cancer screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies, a new poll finds.
Primary care intervention reduces hypoglycemia risk from type 2 diabetes overtreatment in older adults
A newly published quality improvement study shows how a simple intervention by health care providers reduced the number of older adult patients with type 2 diabetes at risk for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) by almost 50% and led to de-escalation of diabetes medications that cause hypoglycemia in 20% of patients.
How can we preserve our cognitive health as we age?
National Healthy Aging Month (September) is underway. Professor Liz Stine-Morrow, a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studies the conditions and strategies that augment cognitive health and make us effective…
Ability to drive a car influences quality of life of older adults in Japan
Physical health and cognitive function declines as we age. Aging impacts people’s ability to perform routine tasks, which affects their well-being and sense of independence.
High levels of depression found among Canadian older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic
Older adults who have had cancer had a high risk of experiencing symptoms of depression during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new study published in Cancer Management and Research.
WashU Expert: ‘Golden Bachelor’ could normalize quest for romance at any age
This fall, ABC will premiere the reality show “The Golden Bachelor,” a spinoff of “The Bachelor,” where the star is Gerry Turner, a 71-year-old man looking for a new partner. The show has the potential to help normalize the desire for love at any age, said an expert on productive engagement of older adults.
Minds & eyes: Study shows dementia more common in older adults with vision issues
A new study lends further weight to the idea that vision problems and dementia are linked. In a sample of nearly 3,000 older adults who took vision tests and cognitive tests during home visits, the risk of dementia was much higher among those with eyesight problems – including those who weren’t able to see well even when they were wearing their usual eyeglasses or contact lenses.
A Generous Gift for the Future of Aging: Parker Health Group Gives $18.8 Million to Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
A gift of $18.8 million was announced today from Parker Health Group—a Piscataway, New Jersey-based leader in aging services—to the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. This gift will create the Parker Health Group Division of Geriatrics in the medical school’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, which will focus on improving care for seniors through applied research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Significant variations in hip fracture health costs and care between NHS hospitals and regions, study finds
There are significant variations in healthcare spending and care delivery across NHS hospitals in England and Wales following hip fracture, a new University of Bristol-led study aimed at understanding how hospital care impacts patients’ outcomes and costs has revealed.
Social participation promotes optimal aging in older adults, research shows
A new study followed more than 7000 middle aged and older Canadians for approximately three years to understand whether higher rates of social participation were associated with successful aging in later life.
Managing epilepsy in older adults
What special considerations must physicians make when managing epilepsy in older adults? Who is considered an “older adult,” anyway? Dr. Anca Arbune interviews two authors of a recent critical review by an ILAE task force.
Logging on for health: More older adults use patient portals, but access and attitudes vary widely
Far more older adults these days log on to secure websites or apps to connect with their health information or have a virtual health care appointment, compared with five years ago, a new poll shows. But it also reveals major disparities, with some groups of older adults less likely to use patient portals, or more likely to have concerns about them.
Cognitive training helpful for some but not a panacea for fall prevention
A new study, led by Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Briana Sprague, PhD, examines whether cognitive training – specifically, speed of processing, memory and reasoning training — can lower the risk of falling.
As “deprescribing” medicines for older adults catches on, poll shows need for patient-provider dialogue
As the movement toward “deprescribing” medications among older adults grows, a new poll shows strong interest in this idea, with 80% of adults aged 50 to 80 open to stopping one or more of the prescription medicines they’ve been taking for more than a year, if a health care provider said it was possible. Already, 26% said they have done so in the past two years – though some had done it without talking to a health provider.
Hearing aids may protect against a higher risk of dementia associated with hearing loss, study suggests
People experiencing hearing loss who are not using a hearing aid may have a higher risk of dementia than people without hearing loss, suggests a new study published in The Lancet Public Health journal. However, using a hearing aid may reduce this risk to the same level as people without hearing loss.
Older adults perceive artificial intelligence as more human-like than younger adults do
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly present in all of our lives, from newer offerings like ChatGPT to more established voice systems such as automated phone services, self-checkouts, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.
Depressed, and aging fast
Older adults with depression are actually aging faster than their peers, UConn Center on Aging researchers report.
On pandemic’s third anniversary, loneliness and isolation are down, but still high, among older adults
After three years of pandemic living, loneliness, isolation and lack of social contact have finally started to decline among older adults, a new poll shows.
Older Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder Need Age-Appropriate Treatment Interventions
Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) seeking to moderate their drinking respond differently to interventions depending on their age, a new study suggests.
Adding antipsychotic med to antidepressant may help older adults with treatment-resistant depression
Psychiatry researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led a multicenter study that found, in older adults with treatment-resistant depression, that augmenting an antidepressant drug with aripiprazole helped a significant number of patients.