Memory Loss More Likely in the South
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…
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Hazardous Antipsychotic Drugs
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…
Read MoreOlder Adults With Limitations Benefit from Volunteering
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…
Read MoreRole for Palliative Care in Dementia
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…
Read MoreCould Eating Right Prevent Age-Related Hearing Loss?
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…
Read MoreMinnesota Nursing Homes Seek to End the Stupor
How’s this for unconventional: The Ecumen chain of 15 Minnesota nursing homes has launched Project Awakenings, which calls for treating residents’ behavioral problems without resorting to antipsychotic drugs. The problems…
Read MoreIndependence Among U.S. Nursing Home Residents
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services compile data about nursing homes, and about nursing home residents. Yesterday, NPR News Investigations published an interactive graphic of the level of independence…
Read MoreDementia in Nursing Homes Requires Special Care…and Compassion
Aging isn’t always dignified. That’s especially true for people with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease dismantles a person’s life piece by piece: short-term memory is the first to go, followed by long-term…
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