Nursing home residents who have multiple diseases are most prone to falls, according to a study recently published in the journal BMC Geriatrics. Urinary incontinence, antidepressant use, multiple medication use and arrhythmias also were strongly associated with falls.
Seniors with chronic diseases have a significantly higher risk of death--up to 92%--during a heat wave. A recent Canadian report examines why.
Researchers in Germany have discovered that formal education can help stave off Alzheimer's disease symptoms, even if the brain has developed physical characteristics of the disease, according to a new study.
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease strikes before a person is old enough to qualify for Medicare, leaving many without health insurance. But advocates of those with the disease are lobbying to change that, according to recent news reports.
At the quadrennial meeting of the World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics in Paris this July, researchers will give a presentation describing for the first time the underlying causes and origins of aging.
Telemedicine improves both motor function and quality of life in nursing home residents with Parkinson's, according to a newly released report.
It is common for doctors to provide special stockings to stroke patients to prevent blood cuts. But a new study finds that they not only fail to reduce the chances of a clot, but they cause problems such as skin ulcers and blisters.
Seniors are at a high risk of suffering a stroke the week following a non-stroke-related hospitalization, according to the results of a new survey of stroke risk factors.
Seniors who have had a stroke sometimes do not report the event to their doctors, especially when they also suffer from other ailments, according to the results of a new study.
The World Health Organization has released a new report, "Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care," which target administrators, public health officials and healthcare workers.
Frequent nighttime urination, or nocturia, is common among elderly people, but recent research has linked it to a heightened risk of death.
A new study finds that people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease have difficulty discerning between important and unimportant information--a revelation that could help improve memory-training efforts.
Some of the key components of healthcare reform include chronic condition management and prevention, increased care-coordination efforts, and payment reforms, according to a report released Tuesday. All these improvements could help give providers more control over the care they deliver.
The important role of chronic disease management in healthcare reform was the topic of conversation Tuesday among former lawmakers and healthcare advocates at a forum in Wisconsin.
Elderly patients with diabetes fare better with heart bypass surgery than with angioplasty, according to a recent study.
Younger people who believe negative stereotypes about aging are more prone to suffer poor health when they themselves reach old age, new research suggests.
The Commonwealth Fund Thursday unveiled its plan to make universal healthcare and significant healthcare savings a reality. The plan also targets the prevention of chronic conditions, which affect nearly all seniors, as a way to improve overall health quality nationwide.
Most Medicare test programs designed to cut costs and keep elderly patients with one or more chronic conditions out of the hospital have failed, according to a recently published analysis of such programs.
Nurses who are frequently exposed to cleaning chemicals are at a significantly higher risk of developing asthma than other healthcare workers, according to a recent report.
Scientists at the Université de Montréal have discovered a gene that is responsible for the aging of neurons in the brain and central nervous system. This finding could lead to new therapies for Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's.
Prolonged use of antipsychotic medications on Alzheimer's patients is associated with a significantly increased risk of death, according to a new British study.
Having a "senior moment?" That may have more to do with high blood pressure than an aging brain, according to new research.
The total cost of diabetes to the nation was roughly $218 billion in 2007, according to a new report released on Tuesday. Diabetes prevalence is soaring in the general public, and among the nursing home population in particular.
November 10, 2008
McKnight's will offer a free Web seminar this afternoon on brain fitness. Registration for the event is still available at www.mcknights.com.
The elderly are routinely excluded from clinical trials for cancer treatments, even though 60% of all cancer cases occur among the senior population, according to new research.
The current healthcare system will remain under-funded and must be reformed if America is to remain competitive around the world, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told an audience in Utah last week.
Good oral hygiene can help prevent pneumonia, a leading cause of death among nursing home residents, according to a recent study.
Diabetics who take aspirin to prevent heart attacks could be putting themselves at a heightened risk for internal bleeding, a new study suggests.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has released an opinion piece touting the benefits of exercise when it comes to reducing rates of chronic diseases.
Conventional wisdom holds that it is too risky for older seniors to undergo certain stroke prevention surgeries. That thinking may soon change, thanks to new research.
