Guided care reduces cost of health care for older persons with chronic conditions

The nation's sickest and most expensive patients need fewer health care resources and cost insurers less when they are closely supported by a nurse-physician primary care team that tracks their health and offers regular support, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sc...

The Reduction of Eye Fatigue Improves Vision in Older Subjects

BURLINGTON, N.J., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Most people over the age of 40 begin to experience Presbyopia which is the increased difficulty to focus on nearby objects. Although this age related phenomena is usually assisted by reading glasses, a current study performed at the Kajita Clinic ...

Hip and back fractures increase mortality rates in people older than 50

Vertebral and hip fractures are associated with an increased risk of death, found a new study of 7753 people in Canada aged 50 years and older published in CMAJ ( Canadian Medical Association Journal ) http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj081720.pdf ( www.cmaj.ca ). According to the results, approxima...

Rush University Medical Center studies program to help older adults transition from hospital to home

In light of health care reform measures, Rush University Medical Center has launched a study of its program to help older adults transition from hospital to home. The goal of the study is to determine whether the program, first implemented two years ago, succeeds in reducing readmissions with...

Department of Aging Urges Citizens to Report Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvanians are urged to immediately report the suspected abuse or neglect of an older adult by calling the state's Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-800-490-8505, Secretary of Aging John Michael Hall said today. Older individu...

Regular moderate alcohol intake has cognitive benefits in older adults

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. A glass of wine here, a nightcap there new research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that moderate alcohol intake offers long-term cognitive protection and reduces the risk of dementia in older adults. The study is being presented at the Alzheimer...

On Memory, Older Americans Outsmart the English

Education, income and health care may explain results, study says FRIDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Older people in the United States scored better than their counterparts in England on a memory and awareness test, possibly because of differences in levels of depression and education...

Extreme Heat Causes Major Health Problems for Older Adults

NEW YORK, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As we prepare for hotter, humid weeks ahead and temperatures reach well over 100 degrees in some parts of the country, older adults are at higher risk of health problems if they don't take the proper precautions to protect themselves from the sweltering ...

CPR Survival Rates for Older People Unchanged

Lack of improvement in death rates, experts say, may be because recipients are sicker,,,, WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Despite efforts to fine-tune the procedure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, the survival rate for older people given CPR has not changed much in re...

Growth Hormone May Build Muscle in Older Men

Finding shows promise for treating age-related loss of strength, researchers say WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly men who exercised and received the growth hormone known as "mechano growth factor" (MGF) showed increased muscle mass, according to a British study. The re...

AUDIO from Medialink and AARP: Helping Older Americans Buy Groceries in a 'Snap'

NEW YORK, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- An estimated 3.6 million Americans over age sixty-five are living in poverty. Many must choose between going to the grocery store and paying their bills. Here's more from one advocacy group who wants to make sure no one, especially the elderly poor, has to make t...

Care management reduces depression and suicidal thoughts in older primary care patients

NEW YORK (June 23, 2009) -- Depression in older adults too often goes unrecognized and untreated, resulting in untold misery, worsening of medical illness, and early death. A new study has identified one important remedy: Adding a trained depression care manager to primary care practices can incre...

Having a higher purpose in life reduces risk of death among older adults

CHICAGOPossessing a greater purpose in life is associated with lower mortality rates among older adults according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The study, published in the June 15 issue of the journal, Psychosomatic Medicine , is available online at www.psychos...

Appetite-stimulating hormone is first potential medical treatment for frailty in older women

PHILADELPHIA Older women suffering from clinical frailty stand to benefit from the first potential medical treatment for the condition, according to a study presented today by Penn Medicine researchers at ENDO, The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting. Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appet...

Grilled Meats Not Tied to Breast Cancer in Older Women

Study finds no added risk for eating meat, even when cooked at high temps FRIDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Eating meat doesn't increase postmenopausal women's risk for breast cancer, new research has found. Previous studies looking at whether eating meat and increased breast cance...

Loyola fellow receives Amgen grant to study treatments for older leukemia patients

MAYWOOD, Il. -- Dr. Aileen Go of Loyola University Health System, who is studying treatment options for older leukemia and lymphoma patients, has won a prestigious Amgen Foundation Fellowship grant. Go, a second-year fellow in hematology/oncology, will work with Dr. Patrick Stiff, director of ...

Governor Rendell Proposes Offering Prescription Help to 30,000 More Older Adults as Part of Plan to Save $60 Million

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced his proposal to raise the income limit for the Lottery-funded PACENET prescription drug benefit for older Pennsylvanians, providing help to an additional 30,000 people who have little or no drug coverag...

Inner Ear Dysfunction Puts Older Adults at Risk of Falls

After 40, dizziness makes them 12 times more likely to suffer serious injury, study finds TUESDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- About 69 million Americans over age 40 have some form of inner-ear dysfunction that causes dizziness and makes them up to 12 times more likely to suffer a seri...

Video: Academy Award(R) Winner Olympia Dukakis and Husband, Actor Louis Zorich, Encourage Older Adults to Ask.Screen.Know.

Duo Teams up with Novo Nordisk to Urge Eligible Adults Age 65 and Older to Take Advantage of Free Medicare Diabetes Screening Benefit PRINCETON, N.J., May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Academy Award(R) winner Olympia Dukakis and her husband, actor Louis Zorich, have partnered with Novo Nordisk...

Study shows chemotherapy improves survival among older breast cancer patients

The average age of a woman diagnosed with breast cancer is 63, so it is critical to have effective proven, therapies for an older patient population. But older women with breast cancer are underrepresented in clinic trials, so there is little data on the effects of chemotherapy used in addition to...

Pennsylvania Council Formed to Advise on Improving Services to Older Adults, People with Disabilities

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Office of Long-Term Living today announced the formation of a 15-member Quality Council that will advise on new policies and procedures to ensure quality management of in-home and community services. ...

A stronger backbone: DHEA hormone replacement increases bone density in older women

ST. LOUIS Taking a DHEA supplement combined with vitamin D and calcium can significantly improve spinal bone density in older women, according to a new study from a Saint Louis University scientist and his colleagues at Washington University. "The results of our study are very promising. Simi...

Research says older people need more sun

Spending more time in the sunshine could help older people to reduce their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Exposure to sunlight stimulates vitamin D in the skin and older people are more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency due to the natural aging process and changes in lifesty...

Up to one in six older people living at home face malnutrition risk

As many as one in six people who took part in a study of older people who live at home were under-nourished and at risk of malnutrition, according to the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing . Researchers at Linkoping University, Sweden, found an overall malnutrition risk of 14.5 per c...

PA APPRISE Volunteers Honored for Helping Older Adults

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 100 APPRISE volunteers who help Medicare beneficiaries understand their health insurance and related issues were honored for their efforts at a luncheon ceremony today in Lancaster. These volunteers provide services through the state's 52 Ar...

Prescription Training Puts Docs in Shoes of Older Patients

Challenges for seniors on multiple meds better understood after taking hands-on approach FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies show that specific training and tools can help young doctors do a better job of prescribing medications for their elderly patients. Seniors fac...

Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk

As population ages, even small changes affect incidence, study finds TUESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) --Numerous lifestyle factors affect older adults' risk of diabetes, a new study finds. U.S. researchers analyzed the link between lifestyle and incidence of diabetes over 10 yea...

Autism Tied to Older Moms, Breech Birth

But it's unlikely these factors cause the neurological condition, experts say,,,, MONDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Children of older mothers and children who have breech deliveries are almost twice as likely to develop autism spectrum disorders (ASD), U.S. researchers report. Th...

Pregnant and Older May Mean More Complications

CDC finds some problems on the rise, with no clear explanations,,,, THURSDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Although the rate of complications during pregnancy has remained unchanged since 1993, the percentage of pregnant women with preexisting conditions, such as high blood pressure an...

Hormone therapy offers potential protective effect against colon cancer in older women

DENVER In a large study, a national team of researchers led by Mayo Clinic scientists observed that self-reported use of hormone therapy was associated with a significantly lower colorectal cancer risk. However, the mechanisms for the apparent protective association are still unclear. The stud...

Transplanted liver cells function in older animals but do not proliferate as much as in younger ones

When things go right, transplanted healthy liver cells transplanted by infusion or injection will find their way to the liver, integrate into the damaged tissue, start proliferating, and take over the liver's work of helping with digestion and removing waste products and worn-out cells from the bl...

Pelvic pain as prevalent in teens as older males, Queen's researchers discover

Kingston, ON A Queen's University research team has found that a painful pelvic affliction associated with adult men occurs as frequently in adolescent boys. Chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a urogenital disease associated with persistent and life-altering pelvic a...

Severe Low Blood Sugar Ups Older Diabetics' Dementia Risk

Study finds being hospitalized for hypoglycemia linked to mental decline TUESDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- Older individuals with type 2 diabetes who have been hospitalized with severe low blood sugar levels seem to have a greater risk of developing dementia, new research suggests....

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Eases Anxiety for Older People

The technique lessens worries more than usual care, study finds,,,, TUESDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) -- For older adults, anxiety is an increasingly common problem, and new research suggests that cognitive behavior therapy may help them ease their worries more than standard care does...

VA/UAB study looks at functional decline in older patients after hospitalization

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Motivation and expectation may be factors in helping older adults regain lost functional ability after hospitalization, say researchers with the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center and UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham). In findings published in March in the ...

Weight gain early in life leads to physical disabilities in older adults

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Carrying extra weight earlier in life increases the risk of developing problems with mobility in old age, even if the weight is eventually lost, according to new research out of the Sticht Center on Aging at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The study, funded by th...

Accumulated Lead May Affect Older Women's Brains

Levels of the toxin in leg bones are tied to poorer scores on cognitive tests FRIDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to higher levels of environmental lead earlier in the life span may be taking a toll on the brains of older American women, a new study finds. The Harvard study...

Recognizing cognitive impairment key to keeping older adults at home

INDIANAPOLIS Doctors, nurses and others who provide health care to older adults are often so focused on acute medical problems that they may miss symptoms of cognitive impairment. A unique educational summit to be held in April and May in Indianapolis focuses on the problem and will enhance the s...

Treating 'Complicated Grief' -- New NIMH Study Seeks 200 Older Adults Suffering from Unrelenting Symptoms of Complicated Grief for Participation in Non-Drug Clinical Trial

Psychiatrist Dr. Katherine Shear searches for treatment of prolonged grief that does not abate over time NEW YORK, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Unlike normal grief, which though intense improves over time, "complicated grief" is the inability to ever recover after the death of a loved one. ...

Kidneys From Donors Older Than 70 Still Viable

Using them would increase available organs, researchers say,,,, WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to kidney donation, you're never too old to give or receive, new research shows. In a study of kidney transplants from donors who were 70 years old and older, Italian...