Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/seniors/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106931.php Two thirds of GB adults of all ages (67 per cent) think the present Government is not taking older people seriously, according to new research launched today (9th May)(1). Figures from leading older people's charity Help the Aged show that three-quarters (74 per cent) of older people themselves believe the Government isn't responding to their needs. Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106816.php Two projects by South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT) to promote dignity and independence for people who suffer from dementia were highly commended at this year's East of England Health and Social Care Awards. The innovative projects 'Lasting Memories' and 'My life Story' were launched in December 2007 and work closely with patients, their carers, families and friends to improve their quality of life. Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106755.php Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable disease that is increasing in prevalence and will increase even more rapidly as the Baby Boom generation enters the age of highest risk. The available AD drugs are only partially effective in some patients. New strategies are urgently needed. Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106743.php Children who speak a second or third language may have an unexpected advantage later in life, a new Tel Aviv University study has found. Knowing and speaking many languages may protect the brain against the effects of aging.Dr. Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106561.php It's wrong to assume that fatigue or memory loss is an inevitable sign of aging. They also are common symptoms of an underactive thyroid -- a condition that generally responds to treatment, according to the May issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.The thyroid gland, in the neck just below the Adam's apple, plays a significant role in overall health. Wed, 07 May 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106486.php Wall Street Journal columnist Johanna Bennett on Saturday examined unplanned pregnancies among older women in the U.S. and related health risks. According to Bennett, it is "not clear" how many women older than age 44 become pregnant because there is "little data" collected nationwide on pregnancy, abortion, miscarriages or contraceptive use among the group. Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106615.php Weill Cornell Medical College has been awarded $80,000 to study the creation of a Manhattan Elder Abuse Case Coordination and Review Center (EACCRC), in collaboration with the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale and the New York City Elder Abuse Network.Funded by the Fan Fox & Leslie R. Wed, 07 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106575.php AARP (American Association for Retired Persons) this week launches a new round of grassroots outreach and advertising throughout the country as a part of its effort to Keep Medicare Fair. During the month of May, television spots will run inside the Beltway and in select markets, urging Americans to tell Congress it must Keep Medicare Fair when it addresses the program this spring. Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106450.php Research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Perez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health. Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106195.php CMS on Thursday released a proposed rule that would reduce Medicare reimbursements for skilled nursing facilities by a net 0.3% in fiscal year 2009, CQ HealthBeat reports. Under the rule, Medicare reimbursements for SNFs would decrease by $770 million, or 3.3%, in FY 2009. Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106145.php Increases in copayments for potentially life-saving medications can significantly increase the odds that older adults will take the drugs less often, and may even discontinue taking them, suggests a study that will be presented here today at the American Geriatrics Society's 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting. The Society's annual meeting, which runs from April 30 to May 4, is the premier conference on aging research. Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106144.php The American Geriatrics Society's newly revised 2008-2009 print edition of Geriatrics at Your Fingertips (GAYF); Case-Based Geriatrics Review: 400 Questions and Critiques from the Geriatrics Review Syllabus; and Doorway Thoughts: Cross Cultural Health Care for Older Adults, Volume III, were released here at the Society's Annual Scientific Meeting. Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106176.php Older adults who take drugs designed to block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine including common medications for incontinence, high blood pressure and allergies are more likely to be dependent in one or more activities of daily living and to walk slower, according to new findings from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues. Fri, 02 May 2008 16:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106128.php Adults and children are being urged to be vigilant by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) if using walking frames manufactured by Trulife Limited. The problem concerns the plastic height adjustment clips that can fail, causing the user to fall. Standard models of walking frames manufactured by Trulife Limited from 02 April to 07 November 2007 with plastic height adjustment clips are affected. Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106029.php Attorneys presented closing arguments on Wednesday in a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs that alleges the agency is unequipped to provide medical services to treat the mental health problems of soldiers returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106127.php Deficiencies in nighttime sleep are associated with daytime napping in older adults, according to a study published in the May 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.Suzanne E. Goldman, PhD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues measured the nighttime and daytime sleep of 235 individuals (average age: 80. Fri, 02 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106103.php A novel study that attempts to paint the most accurate and detailed description yet of how Americans experience pain has found that a significant portion of the population -- 28 percent -- are in pain at any given moment and those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain. Those in pain are less likely to work or socialize with others and are more inclined to watch television than the pain-free. Fri, 02 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106096.php Commenting in response to Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg's speech on social care, King's Fund Chief Executive Niall Dickson said:'We welcome Nick Clegg's speech which comes at a critical point in planning for how we fund the care and support needs for tens of thousands of older and disabled people and their carers in this country. Fri, 02 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106017.php Elderly patients suffering from chronic illnesses who receive 'virtual' care from a team of medical experts linked together via phone, fax and e-mail, make fewer emergency visits than patients who do not receive this kind of coordinated team care approach according to a new study by Rush University Medical Center. The study was presented at the American Geriatrics Society's Annual Scientific Meeting on Friday, May 2. Thu, 01 May 2008 16:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105887.php According to a study published in the Journal of NeurologyNeurosurgery and Psychiatry,men and women have different risk factors that contribute to thedevelopment of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The French researchersfoundthat stroke is a main risk factor for men and depression is a criticalfactor for women.The researchers analyzed a sample of almost 7000 people over age 65from three French cities. Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105916.php Costs for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and some in-home care services have increased for a fifth consecutive year and might continue to increase as a result of an expected shortage of long-term health care workers, according to a study released on Tuesday by Genworth Financial, the Thu, 01 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105937.php Older nursing home residents who took medications for dementia and incontinence at the same time had a 50 percent faster decline in function than those who were being treated only for dementia, according to a study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues."It is likely that the oppositional effects of the drugs contributed to the accelerated decline," said Kaycee M. Sink, M.D., M.A.S., lead author. Thu, 01 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105934.php Elderly patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure who receive implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death live longer than those that do not, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. Further, the health care costs associated with ICDs, while substantial at the time of implantation, do not greatly increase downstream health care costs in this population. Thu, 01 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105875.php Roughly a quarter of Americans with disabilities age 65 and older reported using at least one prescription drug deemed inappropriate for persons his or her age, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Only about half as many (13 percent) of elderly people without disabilities used inappropriate drugs, according to the analysis of 2004 data. Thirty-three medications are regarded as inappropriate for people 65 and older. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105883.php An article published in The Lancet Neurologyrecommends a phase III study for the drug tarenflurbil, amedication given to patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thephase II study found that patients who took 800 mg of tarenflurbiltwice daily had better functional ability results than patients takingplacebo.