Tag: older

Efforts to support older people during extreme heat should focus on those who lack independence or have pre-existing health issues, according to an expert from the University of Warwick. New research shows that having locations where older people can keep cool plays a key role in reducing their vulnerability to extreme heat, but that older

A new study has found that variability in night-to-night sleep time and reduced sleep quality adversely affect the ability of older adults to recall information about past events. The study also found unexpected racial differences in the type of sleep patterns tied to lower memory performance across both younger and older African American research participants.

(HealthDay)—Older adults with impaired vision are at increased risk for perceived discrimination, which in turn is associated with poorer emotional well-being, according to a study published online May 30 in JAMA Ophthalmology. Sarah E. Jackson, Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues analyzed data from 7,677 participants (mean age, 66.7 years; 52.4 percent female) in

A new study has found that the longer older women sit or lay down during the course of a day—and the longer the individual periods of uninterrupted sitting—the greater their risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. But reducing their sedentary time by just an hour a day appears to lower the

Single and multiple hip, vertebral, and rib fractures strongly affect the quality of life of older adults over a prolonged period of time, according to a new study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. For the study, which involved 10-year follow-up data, researchers determined the long-term impact of fragility fractures on health-related

A new study links higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood with more efficient brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tests in older adults. The study, reported in the journal NeuroImage, looked at 32 key nutrients in the Mediterranean diet, which previous research has shown is associated with better brain function in aging.

Many older patients who are considered frail by medical standards receive anticoagulants (blood thinners) and undergo cardiac catheterization during a heart attack. While these treatments can be helpful, they also can cause major bleeding, and frailty is an important bleeding risk factor according to a study published today in in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. The research

A positive sense of mental well-being is related to better brain health among older adults, according to a new report issued today by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) and involving University of Exeter research. Studies shows our sense of mental well-being tends to increase after middle age and there are steps we can

Older adults in Canada are being overprescribed benzodiazepines and other sedative-hypnotic drugs with brand names such as Ativan, Valium and Xanax, according to University of Alberta experts. “These drugs are among the most frequently prescribed for older adults, often to aid with sleep, and while there are short-term pluses, the long-term use has very little

Older adults at risk for falls are less likely to suffer fall-related hospitalizations when they have a “fall plan of care,” according to new research featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University at New York. Older adult falls pose a growing burden on the U.S. healthcare system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Stopping

Older women are at higher risk for developing breast cancer than younger women are—almost half of all breast cancer cases, and most breast cancer deaths, occur in women who are 65 or older. Despite this, we know very little about how breast cancer and its treatments affect older women. In particular, we don’t fully understand

A new study has found that “skinny fat—the combination of low muscle mass and strength in the context of high fat mass—may be an important predictor of cognitive performance in older adults. While sarcopenia, the loss of muscle tissue that is part of the natural aging process, as well as obesity both negatively impact overall

High risk, frail heart patients might derive benefits from “prehabilitation,” a strategy designed to enhance the recovery process after heart surgery by maintaining or improving the patient’s overall physical and mental status before surgery, according to a group of eminent cardiac specialists writing in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. The authors reviewed the current evidence

It’s called the Silver Tsunami—the increased incidence of cancer with ageing, combined with the rapidly ageing population means that the Australian health system needs to prepare for an onslaught of cancer diagnoses. A new study out of Monash University, published today in the journal Cell Reports, may have found a group of immune cells that

Researchers at the University of York have shown that there has been a 118% rise in those aged over 40 presenting to specialist drug treatment services citing cannabis as their primary health concern. Cannabis continues to be the most popular illicit drug in the UK, but the numbers of people using it has been in

A drug that reduces delirium in postoperative patients may work by preventing the overactivity of certain receptors in brain cells, according to a new study published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The researchers say the findings could lead to more widespread use

Staying mentally sharp—that’s aging Americans’ highest priority, according to the National Council on Aging. While thousands of clinical trials suggest that exercising the body can protect or improve brain health as we age, few studies provide practical prescriptive guidance for how much and what kind of exercise. Now, an exhaustive systematic review of 4,600 clinical

In a BJS (British Journal of Surgery) analysis of 18,730 older patients with oestrogen receptor- positive breast cancer in the UK, the risk of dying from breast cancer was greater in patients treated with primary endocrine therapy than in those who received surgery. For the study, researchers analysed cancer registration data from two English regions

Older Americans are often at a high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, yet this illness remains vastly underdiagnosed, a new study finds. University of Michigan researchers found evidence that more than half (56 percent) of persons ages 65 and older have a high risk of OSA, a sleep disorder in which the throat collapses during

A questionnaire of older men and women suffering from chronic pain who were given medical marijuana found that the drug significantly reduced pain and their need for opioid painkillers, Northwell Health researchers report. The results of the study, “Older Adults’ Use of Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain: A Multisite Community-Based Survey,” are scheduled to be