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Bridge May Help Super-Seniors Trump Dementia

Nursing home study suggests that social engagement maintains memory

(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...

The Battle to Get Elderly Back on Their Feet After Falls

Falls treated as complicated medical events instead of routine part of getting old

(Newser) - Falling and breaking a hip is so common among the elderly it's been considered an inevitable sign of aging, but medical experts have now developed complex protocols to both prevent and treat breaks that often trigger a spiral of decline, the New York Times reports. Even minor falls "need...

Slow Medicine Lets Elderly Go More Gracefully

Approach prefers less aggressive stance in fighting signs of aging

(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...

Blood Pressure Drugs Cut Elderly Death Rate

Study finds surprise major benefit of treating those over 80

(Newser) - Death rates, heart attacks, and strokes among people over 80 can be cut significantly by common blood pressure medication rarely given to older people, finds a new large-scale study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found death rates among the elderly could be cut 21%...

Mental Decline Strikes 1/3 of Seniors
Mental Decline Strikes 1/3
of Seniors
Mar 18, 2008 12:53 PM CDT

Mental Decline Strikes 1/3 of Seniors

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

(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...

Websites Help Boomers Tend to Mom and Dad

Americans go online for doctors, medical data‚ even automated calls

(Newser) - Americans who juggle caregiving duties are increasingly turning to the Internet for help, the Boston Globe reports. Care.com, lotsahelpinghands.com, and parentcarecall.com are among sites that offer services like meal calenders and automated phone calls. The online data is "helping families navigate the increasingly complicated healthcare system,...

'Fuzzy Logic' Could Help Create Better Elder Care

Researchers add computational mathematics to monitoring systems

(Newser) - Researchers in the UK and US are collaborating to develop “fuzzy logic” technology to improve care for the elderly. The 6-month project aims to create more discerning medical and accident monitors that can distinguish between, for example, a slamming door and a person falling, CNET reports. So-called fuzzy logic...

Nursing Homes Misuse Meds to Control Patients

'Off label' antipsychotic use drives up costs, sparks concern

(Newser) - Understaffed US nursing homes are increasingly turning to antipsychotic drugs to control elderly residents, even though most display symptoms of dementia rather than the psychotic disorders the drugs are intended to treat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Such “off-label” usage defies FDA warnings that elderly patients using the drugs...

Nursing Homes Raise Profits, Cut Care

Private equity firms buying up, stripping down facilities

(Newser) - Caring for grandma has become big business for private firms that are buying nursing homes and making them profit generators. But to do it, they’ve severely cut staff—sometimes below legal levels, the New York Times found. “Chains have made a lot of money by cutting nurses,”...

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