Copyright 2009 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 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156438.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156438.php Professor Bo Malmberg and Professor Gerdt Sundström at the School of Health Sciences in Jönköping, Sweden have studied loneliness among older people. A common stereotype about older people is that loneliness is typical for older women, rather than for older men. One problem with this stereotype is that feelings of loneliness are not particularly common among either men or women in the Nordic countries. Seniors / Aging Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156270.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156270.php 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 heat. About 200 Americans die of health problems caused by high heat and humidity every year, most of them are 50 or older. Due to some of the physical changes that happen as we age, older adults can't cool down as easily as others. Seniors / Aging Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156322.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156322.php Researchers in Sweden found that people who have the APOE Alzheimer's gene and who live alone in middle age after being widowed or separated from a life partner, are at higher risk of developing dementia. The study is the work of Dr Krister Hakannson, a research fellow at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues, and is published in the 2 July online issue of the BMJ. Alzheimer's / Dementia Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156244.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156244.php After enrolling in Medicare Part D, seniors who previously had limited or no drug coverage spent more on prescriptions and less on other medical care services such as hospitalizations and visits to the doctor's office, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156247.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156247.php We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive function declines as we get older. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the specific kind of daily activities we engage in during the course of our lives appears to influence the extent of this decline. A team of researchers from Technische Universität Berlin are studying how division of labour among honey bees affects their learning performance as they age. Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156248.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156248.php Scientists in the UK and Denmark have shown that if elderly men were given growth hormone and exercised their legs showed an appreciable muscle mass increase. Dr. Geoff Goldspink (Royal Free and University College Medical School, UK) says: "This raises the question: Can age-related loss of muscle strength and increased fragility be ameliorated by the therapeutic application of mechano growth factor (MGF)?". Seniors / Aging Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156254.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156254.php Closing residential homes affects quality of life. Care providers must protect the elderly by ensuring those most in need have access to residential homes. That's according to Nick Bruce, owner of Nightingales Retirement Care, who has spoken out after a glut of home closures. "Around the UK there are a large number of homes being shut down and replaced by homecare services," says Bruce. Caregivers / Homecare Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156190.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156190.php The state Division of Senior and Disabilities Services is working this summer in coordination with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve its compliance with federal standards in the areas of Home and Community Based Medicaid Waivers and Personal Care Services (Personal Care Assistance). Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156172.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156172.php Tiffany Niemoller, a 5th year MD/PhD student at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies, has been awarded a grant in the amount of $148,480 over four years by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. A training grant for individual predoctoral students, the Ruth L. Stroke Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156158.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156158.php The drug industry began ramping up its lobbying efforts in 2003, when Medicare Part D began, and now is targeting Democrats. CQ Politics reports: "The industry is increasingly employing Democratic lobbyists with ties to the Obama administration and congressional leaders such as Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156097.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156097.php What is done when the elderly lodge complaints about their services? elderly care? Why is it that staff describe complaints made by the elderly as "trivialities"? In two recent studies, Tove Persson, doctoral student at the School of Health Sciences, shows that staff, as well as social services directors in local administrations often trivialize complaints from the elderly, which in turn makes it difficult for the elderly to influence their everyday lives. Seniors / Aging Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156098.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156098.php A new study examining the evolution of maternal mortality rates in Spain since 1996 shows a 17% increase in deaths. This trend is linked to the widespread increase in maternal age. The highest death rates are among foreign women and those who live in the province of Malaga. Medicine has taken giant strides during the 20th Century. However, European studies show a clear and constant increase in maternal mortality rates over recent years. Seniors / Aging Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156047.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156047.php Scientists from Texas are batty over a new discovery which could lead to the single most important medical breakthrough in human history - significantly longer lifespans. The discovery, featured on the cover of the July 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, shows that proper protein folding over time in long-lived bats explains why they live significantly longer than other mammals of comparable size, such as mice. Biology / Biochemistry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156033.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156033.php Each year in this country, one of every three people over age 65 suffers a fall, resulting in nearly 16,000 deaths. The federal government estimates that 1.8 million older adults who fall are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for nonfatal injuries - including bruises, fractures and head trauma - and that 433,000 of those individuals need to be hospitalized because of their injuries. Seniors / Aging Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156034.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156034.php A new report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and published in the scientific journal Osteoporosis International1, shows that populations across the globe are suffering from the impact of low levels of vitamin D. The problem is widespread and on the increase, with potentially severe repercussions for overall health and fracture rates. Nutrition / Diet Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155961.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155961.php The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries. ~ " Women's Health / Gynecology Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155993.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155993.php Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study whether and how video games can boost memory and thinking skills in the elderly - and then to use their findings to develop a prototype video game to do just that. The researchers will use the grant money, which is part of the federal stimulus package, to fund a two-phase research initiative. Seniors / Aging Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155883.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155883.php New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine finds that aerobic activity may keep the brain young. In the study published July 9 in the American Journal of Neuroradiology, physically active elderly people showed healthier cerebral blood vessels. Researchers led by Elizabeth Bullitt, M.D., Van L. Seniors / Aging Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155770.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155770.php A new test examining chromosomes in human eggs a few hours after fertilisation can identify those that are capable of forming a healthy baby, a researcher told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Dr. Fertility Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155787.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155787.php A long-term care program could produce some needed dollars, at least in the short range, CQ Politics reports: "A new insurance program for long-term care that Democrats have included in a Senate health overhaul bill would produce about $58 billion in revenue for the government over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, helping to offset the cost of the legislation. Seniors / Aging Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155665.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155665.php Morbidly obese seniors, age 65 and over, who had laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery lost nearly 76 percent of their excess weight after two years and had low complication rates and short hospital stays comparable to younger surgical patients, according to a new study presented today at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155645.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155645.php Researchers from the University of Valladolid have constructed a demographic and economic simulation model called 'Carrión', which projects the costs of pensions, Social Security contributions and GDP up until 2060. The model also includes detailed scenarios about the behaviour of people migrating to Spain currently and in the future, in relation to the length of time they stay, their fertility, salaries and employment rate. Seniors / Aging Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155595.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155595.php Social network sites should be designed to meet the needs of 55-65-year-old people. Researchers at Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT found out that many baby-boomers think social network sites like Facebook are unfit to them. This is the reason why so few of them use any social network services on the net. According to a study to be published in HCI2009 conference 55-65 year-old Finns consider social network sites unsecure. Seniors / Aging Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155509.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155509.php According to a new study from researchers at Duke University, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed in older patients with osteoarthritis of the knee result in long-term, significant improvement of physical functioning and motor skills when compared to patients who do not receive TKA. Seniors / Aging Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155532.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155532.php When humans and animals delay reproduction because food or other resources are scarce, they may live longer to increase the impact of reproduction, according to a new study by University of Minnesota researchers published in the June 25 issue of PLoS (Public Library of Science) One. The discovery, which explains why starvation can lead to longer life, has important implications for improving human health and lengthening lifespan. Fertility