Gerontology News and Research

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Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

Concordia study finds younger adults react faster to sudden changes

Does experience give seniors an edge in reacting to sudden change or are younger people quicker to respond? A new study from Concordia University shows that when a routine task is interrupted by an unexpected event, younger adults are faster at responding.

19 Jan 2011

Behavioral therapies help improve bladder control in men following prostate cancer surgery

Behavioral therapies such as pelvic-floor-muscle training and bladder-control strategies can reduce incontinence episodes by more than 50 percent in men following prostate-cancer surgery, according to new research from the Center for Aging at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham/Atlanta Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center.

12 Jan 2011

Embryome Sciences announces $4M equity financing, changes name to ReCyte Therapeutics

BioTime, Inc. today announced a $4 million equity financing by its subsidiary, Embryome Sciences, Inc. Concurrent with the financing, Embryome Sciences will be renamed ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. and will develop therapeutic products for cardiovascular and blood diseases. The new equity financing is being led by a $2.5 million investment by private investors and a $1.5 million investment from BioTime that valued ReCyte Therapeutics at a post money valuation of $60 million on a fully diluted basis.

4 Jan 2011

We live longer, but not healthier

Increased life expectancy in the United States has not been accompanied by more years of perfect health, reveals new research published in the December issue of the Journal of Gerontology.

14 Dec 2010

Research programs embody the promise of anti-aging medicine.

Sometimes the value of research lies as much in exposing false remedies as in discovering true breakthroughs. Scientists at the country's first school of gerontology and in laboratories around the University of Southern California do both, mindful of their responsibility to a society focused on healthful aging.

13 Dec 2010

New clues on surviving to be 100 years old

University of Georgia research has provided new clues on surviving to be 100 years old, finding that how we feel about ourselves and our ability to adapt to an accumulation of challenging life experiences may be as or more important than health factors.

2 Dec 2010

Parental divorce during childhood linked to stroke in adulthood

Children who experience a parental divorce are over twice as likely to suffer a stroke at some point in their lives, according to new research presented in New Orleans at The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting.

22 Nov 2010

Eight students to receive Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work

Eight outstanding students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work. The program is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of America, and directed by James Lubben, DSW, MPH.

12 Nov 2010

Feds crack down on fraud by issuing new Medicaid rules, helping medical students catch fraud

The Hill Healthwatch: "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Friday proposed new rules for the use of private contractors that work for states to audit Medicaid payments. The Recovery Audit Contractors will function similarly to the way they do in the Medicare program, where they audit payments that may have been underpaid or overpaid, and recover overpayments or correct underpayments. … Under the new law, states must establish Medicaid RAC programs by submitting state plan amendments to CMS by December 31" (Pecquet, 11/5).

9 Nov 2010

Miami Miller School receives grant to study impact of GenerationOne's mobile solution on heart failure patients

The James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program has awarded the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Geriatrics Institute a $100,000 grant for a year-long study on the impact of GenerationOne's Mobile Heath Solution on heart failure patients.

29 Oct 2010

Survey finds significant increase in cost of care in nursing homes and assisted living

Nursing home and assisted living rates rose significantly from 2009 to 2010, according to the Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs. Private room nursing home rates rose 4.6% to $229 per day or $83,585 per year, while assisted living rose 5.2% on average to $3,293 per month, or $39,516 per year. These increases come on top of increases from 2008 to 2009 when both nursing home and assisted living costs were up 3.3%.

27 Oct 2010

GSA Annual Scientific Meeting to focus on up-to-date news on aging

America's premier authorities on aging will share the most up-to-date news on Social Security, health care reform, the impact of disasters on older people, evolution instruction in classrooms, and other current topics at The Gerontological Society of America's upcoming 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting.

25 Oct 2010

LifeGen Technologies awarded Phase I Small Business Innovative Research grant

LifeGen Technologies, LLC has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research grant from the United States National Institute on Aging. The project is focused on identifying a robust panel of genes in adipose tissue (fat) that are regulated by a calorie restricted diet. According to Dr. Jamie Barger, Director of Operations at LifeGen, the technology developed under the NIH grant will allow LifeGen to screen for compounds that have beneficial effects on adipose tissue in a manner similar to that of a calorie restricted diet.

22 Oct 2010

New book on Alzheimer's epidemic

Providing meaningful roles in society, involving children, and embracing a love-based approach are how America can successfully cope with the soaring numbers of people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other memory-impairing diseases. That's the view of Alzheimer's futurists Loren Shook and Steve Winner, who say the nation must elevate care for those with the disease alongside the ongoing efforts to develop prevention and cure measures.

20 Oct 2010

GSA and NAM select journalists for new MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New America Media (NAM) have selected 15 journalists for the new MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program. They represent a wide range of traditional, new, and ethnic media, such as USA Today, Sing Tao Daily, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and TheAtlantic.com.

14 Oct 2010

MetLife study finds Adult Day Services centers are increasing in the U.S.

There has been significant growth in the number of Adult Day Services centers in the U.S. over the past eight years, according to a new study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. As reported in "The MetLife National Study of Adult Day Services: Providing Support to Individuals and Their Family Caregivers," there are more than 4,600 Adult Day Services (ADS) centers nationwide, a 35% increase since 2002.

13 Oct 2010

Commercial genetic profiling services should provide detailed information about test results: Report

Direct-to-consumer personal genetic profiling services that claim to predict people's health risks by analysing their DNA are often inconclusive and companies that sell them should provide better information about the evidence on which the results are based, says the UK Nuffield Council on Bioethics, in a new report on the ethics of so-called personalised healthcare services.

13 Oct 2010

Stressed men tend to withdraw socially while women seek emotional support: Study

A new study by USC researchers reveals that stressed men looking at angry faces had diminished activity in the brain regions responsible for understanding others' feelings.

29 Sep 2010

Concerted effort yields significant progress in reducing depression, HIV/AIDS, and osteoporosis in women

A concerted effort to boost research on women's health over the last two decades has lessened the burden of disease and reduced deaths among women due to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and cervical cancer, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The effort has yielded less but still significant progress in reducing the effects of depression, HIV/AIDS, and osteoporosis on women, added the committee that wrote the report.

24 Sep 2010

UCLA conference to provide information about latest developments to help enhance quality of life of seniors

While aging impacts everyday living in many ways, the latest technologies in the medical, consumer and lifestyle fields have the potential to help older adults live better for longer.

18 Sep 2010