Aging News and Research

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Roundup: State spending drops $290 billion in 5 years; Emory hospital loses data on 315,000 patients

News outlets examine a variety of state health policy issues, including articles from California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Oregon.

20 Apr 2012

Breakdown of white-matter pathways affects decision-making as we age

If you are an aging baby boomer and you've noticed it's a bit harder to drive to unfamiliar locations or to pick a new brand of olive oil at the supermarket, you can blame it on the white matter in your brain.

20 Apr 2012

N.Y. Medicaid audit finds $42M in improper payments; Minn. commissioner to testify before congressional committee

Auditors in New York have found $42 million in improper payments were doled out to Medicaid providers. In the meantime, Minnesota's human services commissioner will testify before a congressional committee next week about financing and a payment made to the state by a managed care plan with Medicaid contract.

20 Apr 2012

Study investigates why women have increased risk of home care admission

New research from Queen's University Belfast, published today in the journal Age and Ageing, has investigated why women are 40 per cent more likely to be admitted in to a care home than men.

20 Apr 2012

Regular physical activity may decrease risk of AD even in very old adults

Daily physical activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80, according to a new study by neurological researchers from Rush University Medical Center that will be published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology on April 18.

19 Apr 2012

UCSF scientists solve mystery of how selective hearing works

The longstanding mystery of how selective hearing works - how people can tune in to a single speaker while tuning out their crowded, noisy environs - is solved this week in the journal Nature by two scientists from the University of California, San Francisco.

19 Apr 2012

Roundup: Texas spends $1.25M fighting federal government; Minn. doctor training money slashed; Kan. seeks to cut nursing home population

News outlets report on a variety of health policy issues in Texas, Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

18 Apr 2012

Study sheds light on why ageing makes us more susceptible to gum disease

New research from Queen Mary, University of London in collaboration with research groups in the USA sheds light on why gum disease can become more common with old age.

18 Apr 2012

PDAD patients have much denser accumulations of striatal plaques in the brain

Dementia is a frequent complication of Parkinson's disease (PD), but it is clinically impossible to distinguish PD dementia (PDD), which develops from the progression of the Lewy body pathology that underlies PD, from PD with coexistent Alzheimer's disease.

17 Apr 2012

Researchers identify 56 genetic variants that influence BMD

Researchers at The Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have co-authored the largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of osteoporosis as part of an international consortium and have identified dozens of genetic variants found to be linked to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and of suffering broken bones.

17 Apr 2012

UPCEA honors UC Berkeley Extension Counseling and Psychotherapy programs

UC Berkeley Extension's professional programs in Counseling and Psychotherapy are the 2012 recipient of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) Outstanding Noncredit Program Award. UPCEA, an organization of higher-education institutions, promotes excellence in university professional and continuing education by increasing awareness of the importance of lifelong learning.

16 Apr 2012

Seminar series on issues related to intervention, implementation science in aging

A seminar series focusing on issues related to intervention and implementation science in aging is the latest interdisciplinary initiative at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) Center for Innovative Care in Aging.

16 Apr 2012

Sebelius appeals to civil rights groups for health law support

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked civil rights activists to help defend the health law. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on specific aspects of the law, including how contractors have been preparing for its implementation, and the latest on accountable care organizations.

16 Apr 2012

Two research studies on genetic components of Alzheimer's

Two research studies, co-led by UC Davis neurologist Charles DeCarli and conducted by an international team that included more than 80 scientists at 71 institutions in eight countries, has advanced understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development. Both studies appear in the April 15 edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

16 Apr 2012

Chin implants fastest growing plastic surgery trend among all major demographics

New statistics released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that chin augmentation is the fastest growing plastic surgery trend among all major demographics -- a phenomenon which appears, in part, to be sparked by increased usage of video chat technology, an aging baby boomer population and a desire for success in the workplace.

16 Apr 2012

Four loci appear to decrease hippocampal volume

An international team of researchers led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has identified four loci that appear to be associated with decreasing the volume of the hippocampus.

16 Apr 2012

Flu shots offered to populations at risk at the beginning of season

All Care Inala Medical Centre doctor Michael Ho said flu shots were becoming more popular each year. “Flu seasons tends to begin in late March early April to June,” he said. “More and more people are opting to get vaccinations because they are promoted well within the community.” He added, “It is particularly important for elderly people to be immunized because their immune system is already not at its best…This is also the case for people who have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, severe asthma, or heart disease. With their current condition, if they catch the flu they can end up with a worse outcome.”

12 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Medicare may be unintended victim of bank crisis; Health care industry's fears of law's reversal

The banks' actions led directly to an increase in government debt, which in turn has made the reduction of that debt by "cutting runaway spending" a centerpiece of the Republican presidential campaign to date.

12 Apr 2012

Many Medi-Cal caregivers in California lack access to health insurance, adequate food

The demand for caregivers is growing rapidly as California's population ages, but the majority of state's Medi-Cal caregivers earn poverty or near-poverty wages and have poor access to health care and food, a new study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has found.

12 Apr 2012

AFAR to distribute nearly $2.5 million in career development awards

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) announced today it will distribute nearly $2.5 million in career development awards to 83 advanced fellows and junior faculty members at 28 Hartford Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training.

12 Apr 2012