Geriatrics News and Research

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Protective effect of moderate alcohol intake is related to life-style factors

According a new study of over 3,000 adults aged 70-79, the apparent association between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of functional decline over time did not hold up after adjustments were made for characteristics related to lifestyle, in particular physical activity, body weight, education, and income.

15 Oct 2009

Winner of the 2009 Donald P. Kent Award

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - has chosen Barbara Berkman, DSW, PhD, of Columbia University as the 2009 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award.

14 Oct 2009

Good nutrition and exercise vital to stay young and healthy

Keeping fit at a young age may be one of the secrets to living a long and healthy life, according to new research co-authored by researcher Oscar Franco, MD, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor in Public Health at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

14 Oct 2009

NIH awards Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center $38.2M in grants

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been awarded $38.2 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

12 Oct 2009

Researchers identify tool to bolster motivation and improve health behaviors in older adults

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a tool, the "Getting-Out-of-Bed (GoB) measure" to assess motivation and life outlook in older adults.

9 Oct 2009

New four-year accreditation for SCAN Health Plan's medical education program

SCAN Health Plan announced today that its continuing medical education program for physicians has received a new four-year accreditation from the Institute of Medical Quality.

6 Oct 2009

BUSM's geriatrics clerkship meets all the ambulatory core geriatric competencies

As the population ages, it is imperative that medical students are prepared to treat older adults, regardless of their specialty. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) report that an interdisciplinary multisite fourth-year geriatrics clerkship, has successfully met all the ambulatory core geriatric competencies as outlined by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) working group.

3 Oct 2009

University of Florida to study whether exercise can prevent disability in older people

The University of Florida will receive $29.5 million in federal stimulus funds over the next two years from the National Institute on Aging to begin a six-year study on whether a program of structured physical activity can prevent or delay major movement disability in older adults.

3 Oct 2009

Students live with elder residents as part of the Learning by Living project

A geriatric training method pioneered by Marilyn R. Gugliucci, PhD, president of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (the educational branch of The Gerontological Society of America) has proved successful enough that she plans to implement it on a national level.

25 Sep 2009

Older adults with vitamin D deficiency at a greater risk of heart disease and death

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age. The research, just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the death rates of those 65 and older. The study found that older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease at greater rates that those with adequate levels of the vitamin.

22 Sep 2009

Youngsters with continuous pain to look as old as those two decades older

17 Sep 2009

The relationship between pain and age related disability

Younger people with pain look similar in terms of their disability to people who are two to three decades older without pain, according to a study published in this month's issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The results of the study uncovered that people with pain develop the functional limitations classically associated with aging at much earlier ages.

16 Sep 2009

High cognitive performance linked to high intake of fruits and vegetables

Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I of the Heinrich-Heine University, D-sseldorf, Germany, investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, plasma antioxidant micronutrient status and cognitive performance in healthy subjects aged 45 to 102 years.

10 Sep 2009

Daily intake of fruits and vegetables indicates higher cognitive performance in individuals

Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I of the Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, plasma antioxidant micronutrient status and cognitive performance in healthy subjects aged 45 to 102 years. Their results, published in the August issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, indicated higher cognitive performance in individuals with high daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

9 Sep 2009

Alzheimer’s disease researcher joins UBC's European Scientific Advisory Board

United BioSource Corporation (UBC) announced this summer at ICAD 2009 that Bengt Winblad, MD, PhD has joined its European Scientific Advisory Board for CNS Clinical Trials. Professor Winblad is one of the world’s leading Alzheimer’s disease researchers and currently serves as Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Chief Physician at the Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

5 Sep 2009

Fatty liver associated with metabolic problems

New findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest that it's not whether body fat is stored in the belly that affects metabolic risk factors for diabetes, high blood triglycerides and cardiovascular disease, but whether it collects in the liver.

25 Aug 2009

Medical students experience life inside nursing home

A novel program in New York gives medical students the chance to experience life as nursing home patients and learn about geriatrics, a field in desperate need of more professionals.

24 Aug 2009

New website launched to determine sleep disorder

Nearly 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a serious health condition that has been linked to increased risks for obesity and weight gain, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, asthma and depression. Sleep apnea has also been cited by experts as the number one cause of car accidents. Ninety-five percent of sleep apnea cases go undiagnosed, putting the health of millions of Americans at risk.

21 Aug 2009

Doctors overiding end of life counseling see benefit in current controversy

The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.

14 Aug 2009

Association of Specialty Professors announces the 2009 T. Franklin Williams scholars

The Association of Specialty Professors (ASP) is pleased to announce the eighth class of T. Franklin Williams Scholars. These scholars are recipients of two- to four-year career development awards funded by a generous grant from the Atlantic Philanthropies (USA) Inc. and the John A. Hartford Foundation, and co-sponsored by 12 internal medicine specialty societies.

10 Aug 2009