Feature Channels: Seniors

• share
• favorite_border

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center offers Alzheimer's Disease expert.

• share
• favorite_border

Language task reveals that the brains of older people are not slower but rather wiser than young brains, which allows older adults to achieve an equivalent level of performance.

• share
• favorite_border

A brain imaging scan identifies biochemical changes in the brains of normal people who might be at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to research published in the August 24, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

A study by researchers at the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego finds that successful aging and positive quality of life indicators correlate with sexual satisfaction in older women.

• share
• favorite_border

Drivers over age 65 are the fastest-growing segment of the driving population, and their eye care providers—ophthalmologists and optometrists—are playing an increasingly important role in assessing their ability to drive safely.

• share
• favorite_border

Americans are remaining in the workforce longer and many are changing or advancing their careers well past age 40. “With this trend towards working longer, educational institutions have been trying to figure out their role in keeping up with the needs of our aging society,” says Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. The Brown School decided to study the experiences of their students who came to get their MSW after the age of 40. The survey focuses on pathways to graduate school, their experience in the classroom as well as field, and their post-MSW careers. Morrow-Howell says that these results can be applied to other graduate programs, particularly in fields that may face labor shortages in the future, such as education, health and social services.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study shows that a simple ultrasound test may help to identify people at high risk of stroke who have a condition called asymptomatic carotid stenosis, a narrowing of the carotid artery found in the neck, in which few or no symptoms are present. The research is published in the August 17, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

A study of 416,175 Taiwanese shows that moderate exercise adds three years to life expectancy compared to inactivity.

• share
• favorite_border

Moderate social drinking significantly reduces the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, according to an analysis of 143 studies by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found a protein normally involved in blood pressure regulation in a surprising place: tucked within the little “power plants” of cells, the mitochondria. The quantity of this protein appears to decrease with age, but treating older mice with the blood pressure medication losartan can increase protein numbers to youthful levels, decreasing both blood pressure and cellular energy usage. The researchers say these findings, published online during the week of August 15, 2011, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may lead to new treatments for mitochondrial–specific, age-related diseases, such as diabetes, hearing loss, frailty and Parkinson’s disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center’s Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Radiology found that advanced MRI techniques can be used to detect subtle changes in joint cartilage microstructure – and provide physicians a diagnostic tool for finding key markers of early osteoarthritis (OA).

• share
• favorite_border

A new study suggests that the relationship between brain shrinkage and memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease changes across the age spectrum. The research is published in the August 10, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

Wearing compression stockings may be a simple low-tech way to improve obstructive sleep apnea in patients with chronic venous insufficiency, according to French researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists from Durin Technologies and the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine have developed a blood test that detects specific antibodies in the blood that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with unprecedented accuracy. The test has a sensitivity of 96 percent and a specificity of 92.5 percent.

• share
• favorite_border

When it comes to revealing a person’s age, hands down, the back of the hand is more telling than the face and neck. Fortunately, dermatologists are applying new technologies to add volume to the hand as well as remove dark brown “age spots” to reverse these telltale signs of aging.

• share
• favorite_border

With so many sunscreen options on the market, it can be confusing to know which ones offer the best protection. A new study further emphasizes the importance of selecting a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect the skin against skin cancer and early aging. “Broad spectrum” means that a sunscreen provides protection against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.

• share
• favorite_border

People who live to 95 or older are no more virtuous than the rest of us in terms of their diet, exercise routine or smoking and drinking habits, according to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Their findings, published today in the online edition of Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, suggests that “nature” (in the form of protective longevity genes) may be more important than “nurture” (lifestyle behaviors) when it comes to living an exceptionally long life.

• share
• favorite_border

Computer scientists have created a way to take images from the web or personal photos collections and in seconds create an animation of a person’s face. The tool can make a face appear to age over time, or gradually change the expression from a smile to a frown.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered the biological mechanism behind age-related loss of muscle strength and identified a drug that may help reverse this process.

• share
• favorite_border

Worldwide, people aged 60 and above will comprise 13.6 percent of the population by 2020, and 22.1 percent of the population by 2050. China is the most rapidly aging country with older adults making up 13 percent of their population. “All countries will need to develop policies and programs that support productive engagement during later life,” says Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. “There is evidence that productive engagement in later life benefits both older adults and society at large. Expanding opportunities for productive engagement may increase the health and well-being of the older population.

• share
• favorite_border

When it comes to satisfaction with body function and body appearance, older men and women have different opinions, although physical activity does improve satisfaction in both sexes, according to new study by a Baylor University researcher.

• share
• favorite_border

Chimpanzees, the closest living relatives to humans, do not experience a decrease in brain volume as they age like humans do, according to a study by George Washington University researcher Chet Sherwood and his colleagues.

• share
• favorite_border

Older people rushed to the emergency room are more likely to be living at home up to a year later if they receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate evaluation during their hospital stay.

• share
• favorite_border

Though rats, fish oil and beetroot juice read like ingredients in a witch's brew, to a Kansas State University research team, information from this combination could lead to health breakthroughs for aging populations and people suffering from heart failure and diabetes.

• share
• favorite_border

Inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable as many as 20 years before problems with memory and thinking develop, scientists will report July 20, 2011, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Paris.

• share
• favorite_border

Falls and balance problems may be early indicators of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported July 17, 2011, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Paris.

• share
• favorite_border

Low health literacy in older Americans is linked to poorer health status and a higher risk of death, according to a new evidence review by researchers at RTI International-University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified how a gene for a protein that can cause Type 2 diabetes, also possibly kills nerve cells in the brain, thereby contributing to Alzheimer’s disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Study concluses that personality can contribute to people's weight fluctuation.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that grape seed polyphenols—a natural antioxidant—may help prevent the development or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Telomeres, the body’s own cellular clocks, may be a crucial factor underlying the development of emphysema, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.

• share
• favorite_border

Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person’s risk for developing dementia, according to a new study published in the July 13, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

When is it appropriate to perform genetic testing for Alzheimer disease (AD), and what information do patients need to understand their risk? The June issue of Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) presents a new practice guideline on genetic counseling and testing for AD.

• share
• favorite_border

When researchers at the Buck Institute dialed back activity of a specific mRNA translation factor in adult nematode worms they saw an unexpected genome-wide response that effectively increased activity in specific stress response genes that could help explain why the worms lived 40 percent longer under this condition. The study highlights the importance of mRNA translation in the aging process.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study brings the experience of physical therapists to a developing "Core Set" of criteria to guide evaluation and treatment for patients with osteoporosis, reports the April/June issue of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, official journal of the Section on Geriatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of North Carolina State University researchers has discovered more about how a gene connected to the production of new brain cells in adults does its job. Their findings could pave the way to new therapies for brain injury or disease.

• share
• favorite_border

New research provides the best evidence to date that the late-day anxiety and agitation sometimes seen in older institutionalized adults, especially those with dementia, has a biological basis in the brain.

• share
• favorite_border

Self-conscious about your age? Careful where you spit. UCLA geneticists now can use saliva to reveal how old you are. The June 22 advance online edition of the Public Library of Science ONE publishes the findings, which offer a myriad of potential applications. A newly patented test, for example, could offer crime-scene investigators a new forensic tool for identifying a suspect’s age.

• share
• favorite_border

AARP’s ambiguous statements about Social Security benefit cuts have led to a public roasting of the organization for caving into public pressure, says Merton C. Bernstein, LLB, a nationally recognized expert on Social Security and the Walter D. Coles Professor Emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. “Whatever stance AARP has taken, it does not provide ‘cover’ for the Obama Administration to agree to cut benefits now, soon or in the future. If AARP does not vigorously and clearly repudiate what some see as willingness to accept benefit cuts, AARP will be the loser.”

• share
• favorite_border

Communication Between Hair Follicles and Melanocyte Stem Cells Key to Mystery. Findings Also Offer Insight into Human Tissue Regeneration.

• share
• favorite_border

With record-breaking temperatures across the U.S., it's especially necessary to pay attention to older adults to ensure their safety in the heat.

• share
• favorite_border

A decline in testosterone levels as men grow older is likely the result—not the cause—of deteriorating general health, say Australian scientists, whose new study finds that age, in itself, has no effect on testosterone level in healthy older men.

• share
• favorite_border

A common hormone abnormality in older adults—a mild form of overactive thyroid called subclinical hyperthyroidism—is linked to a much higher risk of dying, a new study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the Medical University of South Carolina and American Life Science Pharmaceuticals of San Diego have demonstrated that oral administration of a cysteine protease inhibitor, E64d, not only reduces the build-up of β-amyloid in the brains of animal models for Alzheimer’s disease, but also results in a substantial improvement in memory deficit.

• share
• favorite_border

"Joint replacement used to be about doing the things you needed to do -- literally, being able to walk. Now, younger patients are coming and saying, ‘I want to continue playing tennis, skiing or golfing and don’t want to be sidelined by pain or disability,’” says Dr. Steven Haas, chief of the knee service at Hospital for Special Surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

A study by UNC researchers finds surprising evidence that the pelvis continues to grow wider even after people stop growing taller. This increase in pelvic width may account for a significant portion of the weight gain that many people experience as they get older.

• share
• favorite_border

News release on deteriorating skills of older drivers.

• share
• favorite_border

A yoga-based maneuver, reported in the peer-reviewed Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, relieves the pain of rotator cuff tear and restores range of motion during one short office visit. The subscapularis muscle takes over for the injured supraspinatus muscle in the rotator cuff. Symptoms usually almost completely disappear.

• share
• favorite_border

The older we get, the more difficulty we seem to have remembering things. We reassure ourselves that our brains' "hard drives" are too full to handle the new information that comes in daily. But a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist suggests that our aging brains are unable to process this information as "new" because the brain pathways leading to the hippocampus become degraded over time. As a result, our brains cannot accurately "file" new information.

• share
• favorite_border

An Indiana University of Pennsylvania criminologist has found that the fear of crime is not as prevalent in the elderly as it has been reported to be in previous studies. Dr. John Lewis, a faculty member in IUP’s Department of Criminology, recently co-authored a study in Law Enforcement Executive Forum, “The Role of Environmental Indicators on the Perceptions of Crime of the Elderly.” His co-author is Dr. Mike Arter, a 2005 graduate of IUP’s criminology doctoral program.