In Part 1 of this blog, we told you about research that suggested that protective brain chemicals are generated by regular exercise. To read that blog, click here: Possible Alzheimer’s Prevention, Part 1. Today’s blog is about a study originally published in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment which suggests another possible route to Alzheimer’s […]
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Two studies recently reported in ScienceDaily provide information for people who hope to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The good news: You don’t need a prescription to take advantage of the two preventive “treatments.” According to ScienceDaily, an article in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity reports that regular exercise could help
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This is a frightening bit of research: According to a study published in the June 2011 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, in a comparison of the care provided to patients who had emergency surgery, centers that provided high quality care for young patients did not necessarily provide good care for
Some Hospitals Give Poor Care to Elderly Read More »
Receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease leaves the patient and families feeling helpless and hopeless in the face of a disorder that takes away memories. To many, it feels as though the disease slowly takes away lives. Depression and cognitive decline seem inevitable. Now, new research by experts at the University of Missouri shows that
Storytelling May Help People with Alzheimer's Disease Read More »
Although many studies have linked antidepressant use among the elderly and falls, new study published in the Journal of Gerontology looked at the specifics of why this happens. According to ScienceDaily, researchers from the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife (an affiliate of Harvard Medical School) found that nursing home residents have a five-fold increased
Nursing Home Residents, Medications, and Risk of Falling Read More »
Here in North Carolina, as in many other southern states, we have a higher-than-average risk of cardiovascular disease, leading medical experts to call the band of high-risk states “the Stroke Belt.” Why? Well, no one really knows for sure. There are a few theories: That people in the south share some genetic susceptibility… that southerners
Memory Loss More Likely in the South Read More »
The New York Times published an eye-opening article about how some antipsychotic drugs given to the elderly are dangerous, and even potentially lethal. Nearly one in seven elderly nursing home residents, nearly all of them with dementia, are given powerful atypical antipsychotic drugs even though the medicines increase the risks of death and are not approved
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It seems counterintuitive, but research shows that volunteering can provide health benefits…even for older adults who have physical limitations that make daily activities difficult. “As functional limitations increase, the risk of dying increases, but not among those who volunteered,” said Morris Okun, an Arizona State University professor of psychology [and lead author of the study].
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Palliative care is treatment intended not to heal, but to relieve symptoms so that the patient feels better. Despite the fact that it is an important part of treatment, especially for people with incurable disorders, palliative care is not well understood by most people, including those who need it. For people with a terminal illness,
Role for Palliative Care in Dementia Read More »
The ravages of old age are well known: Bones become fragile, eyesight becomes cloudy, and hearing becomes muffled. Except…what if it didn’t have to be? It has long been known that calcium, vitamin D, and exercise can help keep bones strong. And now, new research suggests that at least some age-related hearing lost (ARHL) could
Could Eating Right Prevent Age-Related Hearing Loss? Read More »