Geriatrics News

• Fractures Tied to Increased Risk of Death for up to 10 Years
  Reuters Health Information, August 2018
• Exercise and Dieting Tied to Reduced Disability in Obese Older Adults Obese older adults who increase their exercise may have less fatigue and disability, but they may see an even bigger improvement if they also cut back on calories, a U.S. study suggests.
  Reuters Health Information, August 2018
• Hip Surgery Delays Increase Mortality Risk in Older Patients The findings point to a 'critical point' for timing of surgery, one study author says.
  Medscape Medical News, August 2018
• AAIC 2018Antihypertensive Therapy Reduces Alzheimer's, Dementia Risk A large meta-analysis supports a role for antihypertensive treatment in reducing dementia risk in older adults.
  Medscape Medical News, August 2018
• Missed Visits, Uncontrolled Pain, and Fraud: Report Says Hospice Lacks Oversight A new government watchdog report outlines vulnerabilities in Medicare’s $17 billion hospice program, pointing to inadequate services, inappropriate billing and outright fraud.
  Kaiser Health News, August 2018
• Leftover Opioids? Most Older Adults Hang On to Them Older adults support opioid prescribing limits and the need for better counseling and disposal options for leftover pills, yet most prefer to keep them, just in case.
  Medscape Medical News, August 2018
• AAIC 2018Arterial Stiffness in Older Adults Predicts Future Dementia Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for dementia onset in older adults, new research suggests.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• AAIC 2018Aggressive Blood Pressure Lowering Cuts MCI Risk A first-ever randomized controlled trial found that targeting systolic blood pressure to 120 mmHg significantly reduces the risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• 1 in 9 US Adults Above Age 45 Report Cognitive Decline Around 11% of people in the U.S. age 45 or above self-report experiencing cognitive decline, according to survey data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• AAIC 2018First Prevalence Data on Dementia in Sexual Minority Seniors The prevalence of dementia among lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons is about the same as for heterosexuals.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• A Daily Orange May Reduce AMD Risk, Study Finds People who regularly consumed oranges had a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration compared with those who did not eat oranges in a 15-year study.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Zoster Vaccine Reduces Pain From "Breakthrough" Shingles
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Shift to Intensive Caregiving Tied to Health Declines Becoming a caregiver for a spouse can be emotionally and physically depleting, and may lead to health declines in the caregiver, according to study from China.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Older Patients Advise How to Say: It's Time to Stop Cancer Screening When it's time to suggest to older patients that cancer screening is no longer appropriate, they'd rather not hear that they might not live long enough to benefit, a survey shows. Instead, they'd rather be told what guidelines say and be advised to focus on other health issues.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Drug Combination Boosts Older Adults' Immunity in Early Trial A phase 2a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that a combination of drugs decreases the incidence of infections, including influenza and pneumonia, in older adults.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Daily Intellectual Activity May Prevent, Delay Dementia Simple daily intellectual activities such as reading and playing board games may preserve cognition in older adults, new research shows.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Aging Japan: Akita Prefecture May Be Glimpse of Country's Graying Future On a recent weekday morning, a group of men in their 70s and 80s gathered for baseball practice just down the road from a junior high school where students were arriving to start the day.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Experts Revisit Mandatory Age-Based Cognitive Testing for Physicians A new review wades into the controversial, ongoing debate on whether age-based testing of physician competence is needed, and if so, how best to go about it.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• FDA Repays Industry by Rushing Risky Drugs to Market As pharma companies underwrite three-fourths of the FDA’s budget for scientific reviews, the agency is increasingly fast-tracking expensive drugs with significant side effects and unproven health benefits.
  ProPublica, July 2018
• First Female Dean 'a Sea of Change' at USC's Scandal-Plagued Medical School Laura Mosqueda, a geriatrician, wants to train new doctors to better care for elderly people as the country’s population ages. She will face a big challenge as USC reels from drug and sexual misconduct scandals that have enraged students and landed the university in legal hot water.
  Kaiser Health News, June 2018