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 Poll of older adults suggests some who take it may be following outdated advice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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.