Aging News and Research

RSS

Access to care issues, physician training, other problems contributing to mental health issues for elderly

Poor access to mental health services, inadequately trained primary care physicians and apathy among the senior population are contributing to high rates of mental illness among those older than 65, according to experts who testified Tuesday before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Los Angeles Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

New campaign to educate about peripheral arterial disease

More than 8 million men and women - one in 20 adults - have peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D), a largely unrecognized condition which puts them at risk for heart attack and stroke.

13 Sep 2006

Seniors who feel their 'mind is going' could very well be right

Older people who complain their "mind is going" may in fact actually be losing a part of their brain along with their memory.

12 Sep 2006

Link between weight loss and dementia

A long-term study of the elderly has revealed that their average rate of weight loss doubles in the year before symptoms of Alzheimer's-type dementia first become detectable.

12 Sep 2006

Older adults who complain their "mind is going" may be losing a part of their brain along with their memory

The study, which looked at 120 people over the age of 60, found people who complained of significant memory problems but still had normal performance on memory tests had reduced gray matter density in their brains even though they weren't diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

12 Sep 2006

Weight loss may be a preclinical indicator of Alzheimer's disease

The slow, steady weight loss associated with aging may speed up prior to the onset of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, according to an article in the September issue of Archives of Neurology.

12 Sep 2006

Unprecedented number of CDC staff resigned or retired in last two years

In the last two years, an "unprecedented" number of CDC staff has resigned or retired from the agency, prompting some officials to express concern, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Young, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/10).

11 Sep 2006

NIH launches "Knockout Mouse Project"

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today awarded a set of cooperative agreements, totaling up to $52 million over five years, to launch the Knockout Mouse Project.

7 Sep 2006

The heart can heal itself

World Congress of Cardiology Report - Despite the dramatic advances in the care of patients with cardiovascular diseases that have occurred in the second half of the 20th century, heart failure (HF) is the most common cause of death in developed nations.

5 Sep 2006

Consuming extra virgin olive oil helps to combat degenerative diseases

In the 1960s, Ancer Keys, a US expert on nutrition, studied the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet for the first time. Since then many studies on the benefits of olive oil have been conducted.

5 Sep 2006

Chemical concerns over skincare

Did you know that the average woman uses 12 toiletries every day and applies more than 175 chemical compounds to her body in the process?

5 Sep 2006

Wild vegetables key to life-prolonging Mediterranean diet

Eating wild food plants, native to countries in Southern Europe, helps people living in the Mediterranean to live longer and to have better health according to new research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester today.

4 Sep 2006

U.S. health care system offers good value in terms of life expectancy gains despite rising costs

U.S. residents have benefited from increases in health care costs since 1960 through increased life expectancy, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

1 Sep 2006

Grumpy old men run out of puff earlier

In the normal course of aging, lung power will decline for most people, but now researchers say that anger and hostility can accelerate that process.

31 Aug 2006

Anger and hostility compromise lung function and hasten the natural decline in lung power

Longstanding anger and hostility compromise lung function and hasten the natural decline in lung power that is a normal part of aging, reveals research published ahead of print in Thorax.

30 Aug 2006

Older twins hold the key to ageing well

Around 300 sets of twins who are 65 or older will take part in one of the largest studies of brain ageing ever undertaken in Australia.

30 Aug 2006

Boosting enzyme may reverse Alzheimer's

New research by scientists at Columbia University suggests that boosting the function of a certain enzyme may provide a promising strategy for battling Alzheimer's disease, and possibly reversing its effects.

28 Aug 2006

Federal report calls for changes in procedures for evacuating nursing home residents during disasters

The emergency evacuation plans of nursing homes located in the Gulf States during four hurricanes within the past year met federal and state regulations but had a number of problems, according to a report issued on Friday by HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson, the New York Times reports.

20 Aug 2006

Rate of disabilities higher among U.S. residents with lower incomes

U.S. residents ages 55 and older with annual incomes less than the federal poverty level are more likely to have disabilities that limit routine physical activities than those with higher incomes, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bloomberg/Dallas Morning News reports.

17 Aug 2006

Male sufferers now have access to osteoporosis drug Actonel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given it's approval for the drug Actonel (risedronate sodium) to be used to treat osteoporosis in men.

15 Aug 2006