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…
Tag: Older Adults
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 Poll of older adults suggests some who take it may be following outdated advice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.
Using radar to predict Alzheimer’s disease and fall accidents
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a method for predicting fall accidents and cognitive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease by reading a person’s walking pattern with the aid of a radar sensor.
Rutgers Researchers to Study the Impact of Multiple Health Conditions on Medication Outcomes in Older Adults
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Rutgers a $3.5 million grant to conduct a five-year study exploring the impact medications have on older adults with multiple medical conditions.
1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction, U-M poll finds
Whether you call them comfort foods, highly processed foods, junk foods, empty calories or just some of Americans’ favorite foods and drinks, about 13% of Americans aged 50 to 80 have an unhealthy relationship with them.
Many older adults declined home medical care for fear of COVID, causing new or worsening conditions
COVID-19 interrupted or delayed medical treatment for many people who chose to put off elective procedures or couldn’t get in to see a specialist.
Study Explores Effects of Resistance Training in Older Adults at the Cellular Level
Aging and related diseases are associated with alterations in oxidative status and low-grade inflammation, as well as a decreased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is a functional mechanism by which cells attempt to protect themselves against ER stress. Researchers analyzed these proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of elderly subjects and used computer simulation to predict the key proteins associated with these biomolecules underlying physiological adaptations to exercise. They collected blood samples about five to six days before and after the training period and analyzed various oxidative stress biomarkers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The study takes research one step further in helping to elucidate the benefits of exercise in this population.
Heart health tip for older adults in 2023: Step it up a bit
The evidence-based health benefits of walking continue to accumulate, according to ongoing research by a University of Massachusetts Amherst physical activity epidemiologist, who leads an international consortium known as the Steps for Health Collaborative.
Cost concerns keep older adults from seeking emergency care
Worries about what emergency care might cost them have kept some older adults from seeking medical attention even when they felt they might need it, a new study shows. In all, 22% of older adults who may have needed care from the emergency department didn’t go because of concerns about what they might have to pay.
Most older adults are wary of mixing health care and religion or spirituality, poll finds
When it comes to matters of personal beliefs, most older Americans prefer to keep their health care and their spiritual or religious lives separate, a new University of Michigan poll finds. But they do see a role for their health care providers in helping them cope with illness by looking for meaning or hope.
“Sandwich generation” study shows challenges of caring for both kids and aging parents
Their older parents need care. Their kids are still under 18. And they probably have a job, too. They’re the “sandwich generation” – a longtime nickname for the mostly female, mostly middle-aged group of Americans who serve as caregivers for both older and younger family members at once. A new study estimates there are at least 2.5 million of them, while giving a detailed view into who they are, and which older adults rely on them.
Five Key Factors Affect Physical Activity in Multi-ethnic Older Adults
A study is the first to use a large range of instruments/ tools and include older adults from many ethnic groups to determine factors affecting their physical activity. Results showed that age, education, social network, pain and depression accounted for a statistically significant proportion of unique variance in physical activity in this diverse older population living independently. Those who reported lower physical activity tended to be older, have less years of education and reported lower social engagement, networking, resilience, mental health, self-health rating, and higher levels of depression, anxiety, pain, and body mass index compared to the moderate to high physical activity groups.
Are older women being over-screened for cervical cancer?
Analysis showed that in 2019 more than 1.3 million women received cervical cancer screening-associated services, such as a Pap test, colposcopy and other cervical procedures, after age 65. While these services cost more than $83 million, the researchers concluded they were of “unclear clinical appropriateness.”
Poll documents the critical role of people over 50 as caregivers and helpers for older loved ones
More than half of people over 50 say they’ve helped at least one person over 65 take care of their health, personal hygiene, home or finances in the past two years. Nearly all say they get something positive out of the experience.
Many middle-aged adults wary of taking part in studies of dementia prevention drugs
Drug companies and university-based teams are working urgently to find and test new medications that could prevent or slow the decline of brain function in older adults. But a new study suggests they’ll need to work harder to find volunteers for their clinical trials.
Significant Number of Seniors Rely on Failing Public Transit Systems to Get to Medical Appointments
About one in 10 seniors who live in cities reported that they use public transportation, and 20 percent of older transit users said they relied on trains and buses to get to their doctor appointments.
Medical tests in the comfort of your own home: Poll shows high interest, uneven use by older adults
A new poll shows that 48% of people age 50 to 80 have bought at least one kind of at-home health test, including 32% who had bought COVID-19 tests, 17% who had bought a DNA test, and lower percentages who had bought other types of tests. But use of such direct-to-consumer medical tests varies greatly by age, race/ethnicity, marital status, income and years of education.
Rising food prices hit less-healthy older adults hardest, poll suggests
Three-quarters of people over age 50 in the United States say the rising cost of groceries has affected them somewhat or a lot, and nearly a third say they’re eating less healthily because of increased food costs, according to new poll findings. But some groups were hit much harder.
More older adults should be checking blood pressure at home, study shows
Only 48% of people age 50 to 80 who take blood pressure medications or have a health condition that’s affected by hypertension regularly check their blood pressure at home or other places, a new study finds.