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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: old age

old age stories: 18 news summaries

 Aging Brains Can't 
 Fend Off Stereotypes  

Research suggests older adults have stronger recall for stereotypical information

Oct 1, 09 6:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The way the brain ages may make older people more inclined to prejudice, with new research suggesting that the elderly may have greater difficulty suppressing stereotypes. In one study, young and old adults were read stories which, in the words of the researchers, “allowed for stereotypic inferences” about blacks,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • stereotypes • racism • old age • prejudice

(AP) - The world's oldest known person has died in Los Angeles at age 115. Gertrude Baines died today at a hospital, probably of a heart attack; an autopsy will determine the exact cause. Baines was born in 1894 in Shellman, Ga., and she got a letter from President Obama on her... More »

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California • Georgia • Los Angeles • old age • President Obama • Gertrude Baines • oldest person

 Running May Be 
 Good for Knees 

Runners' 'motion groove' can prevents arthritis in old age

Aug 12, 09 3:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Conventional wisdom holds that running will eventually trash your knees by wearing down their cartilage, ultimately leading to arthritis. But that may have to be revised: Recent studies suggest that runners may have healthier knees in old age than their sedentary peers, reports Gretchen Reynolds for the New York Times.... More »

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health • running • old age • knee • knee injury • arthritis • jogging

A Couple Drinks Daily May Prevent Dementia: Study

Moderate drinkers developed dementia less often than teetotalers

Jul 13, 09 5:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Moderate drinking may prevent the onset of dementia, MedPage Today reports. A study found that adults aged 75 and over who had one or two drinks daily were 37% less likely to develop dementia. Across the study’s 6-year window, adults who drank more than two drinks a day were... More »

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dementia • alcohol • drinking • cognitive decline • old age • drinkers • mild cognitive impairment • older people

(Newser) - A landmark study of rhesus monkeys suggests one way to live to a ripe old age in good health: Eat less. A lot less. Monkeys on a strict diet over the past 20 years—as in, a whopping 30% fewer calories than normal—have proven to be a healthier bunch... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health • diet • aging • monkey • calories • old age • rhesus monkeys





 Bridge May Help 
 Super-Seniors 
 Trump Dementia 

Nursing home study suggests that social engagement maintains memory

May 22, 09 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - An exclusive club of senior citizens—people who have passed 90 without suffering from dementia—is helping researchers delve into the secrets of aging and the keys to staving off mental decline. "The most successful agers on earth," who represent just one-half of 1% of the population, are... More »

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dementia • bridge • old age • eldercare • retirement communities • Alzheimer's Disease

(Newser) - A pregnant 66-year-old woman on track to become Britain's oldest mother is unapologetic about her decision, and insists she feels like a 39-year-old woman—some days, reports the Mirror. The successful factory owner claims that she's in better shape than many of her younger employees. "It’s not... More »

MORE ABOUT:
pregnancy • motherhood • in vitro fertilization • old age • Elizabeth Munro

 US Seizes Demjanjuk; 
 Court Halts Deportation 

Appeals court will consider family's claims that Demjanjuk is too frail to travel

Apr 14, 09 4:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Accused Nazi guard John Demjanjuk will stay in the US for at least a while longer after a federal appeals court granted him a last-minute stay of deportation, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Six US immigration agents removed Demjanjuk from his home in suburban Cleveland today and drove him away... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Germany • war crimes • concentration camp • Nazi • old age • Munich • John Demjanjuk

Analysis

 Watch Out World, 
 You're Going Gray 

Aging, population decline mark next decades

Jan 4, 09 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) - Wall Street's a wreck and terrorists are clamoring for WMDs, but the world's real crisis is far worse: It's getting old, Neil Howe and Richard Jackson write in the Washington Post. By the 2020s, baby boomers will push the median age in Western Europe and Japan to near 50,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
United States • aging • youth • extremism • old age • developed countries • human population • seniors • demographic trends

Analysis

 It's Health, Not
 Age, That Matters

McCain probably has enough juice left in tank

Aug 26, 08 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - At 72, John McCain would be the oldest person elected president, but should that matter to voters? Probably not, according to geriatrics experts consulted by the Wall Street Journal. “Aging has such a small impact on how we function that it is of minimal importance,” says one... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • John McCain • retirement • Obama 2008 • old age • geriatric medicine

Opinion

Why Aren't I Laughing About McCain's Age?

Hopeful kids about being elderly, but US voters are nervous

Jun 28, 08 7:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - Face it, John McCain: You’re old. How old? “When I was born, you were nearly six years older than my mother,” writes Charles Blow in the New York Times. “Now, seven years into her retirement, you want a new job: the hardest job in the world.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
John McCain • age • old age • McCain 2008

New Release

 'Blue Zones'
 Harbor Key
 to Long Life 

Authors find world's oldest populations and keys to longevity

Jun 8, 08 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's not quite the Fountain of Youth, but one author spent 5 years exploring the world's "blue zones," or areas which sport unusual concentrations of long-lived people. In his new book, Dan Buettner details some keys to happy old age—including creating an environment that fosters physical activity,... More »

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old age • longevity • dan buettner

Slow Medicine Lets Elderly Go More Gracefully

Approach prefers less aggressive stance in fighting signs of aging

May 5, 08 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - In a medical culture seemingly aimed at reviving and resuscitating, the slow medicine approach instead allows elderly patients to weigh the risks and burdens of treatment against the likelihood that it will significantly extend their lives. For many seniors, the philosophy offers the freedom to choose comfort over cure, dying... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health care • nursing homes • death • old age • eldercare • end of life care • geriatric medicine • hospice

 Get Old, Get Happy 

Researchers find people get happier as they age

Apr 19, 08 5:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Happiness really does come with age, researchers have discovered in one of the widest-ranging studies ever of happiness in America. Measures of happiness steadily climbed among study participants into their mid-60s. Levels dipped only slightly after that, and people in their 80s still tended to be happier than people under... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • aging • old age • happiness • senior citizens

analysis

Revenge of
the Geezers?

As boomers hit 60, politics become
an old man's—or woman's—game

Apr 12, 08 1:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Once, Frank Lautenberg was a 58-year-old hopeful who implied that his opponent, at 72, was too old. Now, Lautenberg is running for re-election in New Jersey at the spry age of 84. “Age is not a factor,” he says. “The question is effectiveness.” But as John... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Hillary Clinton • John McCain • baby boomer • old age • Election 2008 • age discrimination

Mental Decline Strikes 1/3
of Seniors

Alzheimer's will afflict
1 in 8 baby boomers, report projects

Mar 18, 08 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cognitive problems ranging from forgetting what day it is to full-blown dementia are affecting one-third of the nation's seniors, reports a new study by the National Institute on Aging. The report says 22% of those over 71 have mild impairment, added to 16% suffering dementia, the Washington Post reports. An... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • dementia • public health • aging • cognitive decline • old age • eldercare • National Institute on Aging • Alzheimer's Disease

Octogenarian Busted for Racing

New traffic-safety law applies to 85-year-old speedster

Jan 8, 08 12:18 PM CST
(Newser) - An 85-year-old speedster has been charged with street racing after a Canadian cop clocked him going 100mph, the Globe and Mail reports. When the officer tried to pull over the rocketing Oldsmobile Intrigue, the heedless octogenarian sped up, weaving between lanes in icy conditions to maintain speed. When he... More »

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Canada • speeding • old age • Oldsmobile Intrigue • street racing • senior citizens • speed limit

Old Doesn't Mean Crotchety, Whippersnapper

Study finds 'negative bias' erodes with age

Sep 2, 07 5:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Aging might cause the memory to, er, lapse, but it also can create a more positive outlook, reports Science. We tend to have a "negative bias"—an inclination to pay more attention to bad news than good—which is reversed as we age. Young people's brain activity... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • aging • brain • neurology • old age

18 Stories


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