Seniors/Aging News

Older Diabetics With Depression Face Higher Death Rate

HealthDay - Fri Oct 10, 11:48 PM ET

FRIDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In a group of Medicare beneficiaries who have diabetes, being depressed was associated with a higher death rate, according to a new study.

  • Germ linked to dairy kills three in outbreak: CDC Reuters - Thu Oct 9, 10:36 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An outbreak of Listeria food poisoning from a Massachusetts dairy killed three elderly men, caused the stillbirth of a baby and the premature birth of a second baby, U.S. health officials reported on Thursday.

  • A woman in a specialist medical facility holds a bearded dragon, in 2005, in New York. Exotic pets such lizards and more common animals like hamsters and hedgehogs pose a health risk to children and the elderly, a new study found Monday.(AFP/File/Stan Honda)
    Exotic animals, domestic pets pose risk for children: study AFP - Mon Oct 6, 2:34 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - Exotic pets such lizards and more common animals like hamsters and hedgehogs pose a health risk to children and the elderly, a new study found Monday.

  • In this photo released by Wildlife Conservation Society, a female soft-shell turtle rests near a pool inside a zoo in Suzhou, China, May 9, 2008. Breathless scientists watched as they successfully mated. But the attempt to breed an endangered turtle's last known female with China's last known male has failed because the eggs didn't hatch, disappointed conservationists say. (AP Photo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Gerald Kuchling)
    Elderly turtle pair fails to produce offspring AP - Sat Oct 4, 3:12 PM ET

    SUZHOU, China - She's around 80 years old. He's 100. Breathless scientists watched as the world's most endangered turtles successfully mated.

  • New Class of Drugs Might Cause Congenital Heart Defects HealthDay - Thu Oct 2, 11:46 PM ET

    THURSDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- An animal study raises a warning sign that a new class of drugs that shows promise against a variety of ailments ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's disease might cause congenital heart defects, researchers report.

  • Workouts for elders work in real world Reuters - Wed Oct 1, 1:41 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Physical activity programs for aging baby boomers and seniors, developed and tested in research settings, can be successfully implemented on a large scale through community organizations, according to results from the "Active for Life" program.

  • Steps could get more seniors into clinical trials Reuters - Wed Oct 1, 11:56 AM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Various strategies could encourage elderly people to participate and stay in clinical trials -- a pressing issue as the population ages -- researchers suggest.

  • Radiosurgery for brain cancer OK for elderly Reuters - Tue Sep 30, 12:42 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People 75 years of age and older with cancer that has spread to the brain respond about as well as younger patients to stereotactic radiosurgery, according to a recent report.

  • Seniors in Poor Areas More Likely to Die After Surgery HealthDay - Mon Sep 29, 11:46 PM ET

    MONDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly Americans who live in low-income ZIP codes are more likely to die after surgery than those who live in higher-income ZIP codes, according to new research.

  • The Valero St. Charles oil refinery is seen during a tour of the refinery in Norco, Louisiana August 15, 2008. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
    Ozone pollution more dangerous to some Reuters - Mon Sep 29, 12:04 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It's not just the elderly who vulnerable to the ill effects of air pollution, new research suggests.

  • South African double amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius waits for the start of the men's 400 metres race event at the Athletics International Meeting 'Notturna di Milano' in Milan July 2, 2008. (Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)
    The brains behind a blade runner Reuters - Sun Sep 28, 9:07 PM ET

    REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - If it sounds far-fetched for a man without lower legs to become one of the fastest runners on the planet, how about typing by just thinking the words or staying sporty well into old age?

  • Most Medicare Drug Premiums Same or Lower in 2009 HealthDay - Fri Sep 26, 11:46 PM ET

    THURSDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- In 2009, 97 percent of Medicare beneficiaries will have access to a drug plan with premiums that are the same as this year's or even lower, Medicare officials announced Thursday.

  • Vitamin C Protects Some Elderly Men From Bone Loss HealthDay - Fri Sep 26, 11:46 PM ET

    FRIDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Eating fruits and vegetables can help elderly men guard against the bone loss that can lead to hip fractures, Tufts University researchers report.

  • Active Social Life May Reduce Men's Alzheimer's Risk HealthDay - Fri Sep 26, 11:46 PM ET

    FRIDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Cognitive and social activity in midlife may significantly reduce men's risk of dementia, says a U.S. study that followed 147 male twin pairs for 28 years.

  • Biotech drug costs up 8.7 percent: survey Reuters - Fri Sep 26, 8:31 AM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - The cost of specialty biotech drugs increased 8.7 percent last year in the United States, three times the rate of inflation, according to AARP, a Washington-based group representing the elderly.

  • Voice Problems in Seniors Undertreated HealthDay - Thu Sep 25, 11:47 PM ET

    THURSDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Voice and swallowing problems aren't a normal part of aging, but many seniors with these conditions don't receive treatment, even though they may suffer serious quality-of-life issues such as anxiety, depression and social withdrawal, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.

  • Medicare officials advise seniors to shop around AP - Thu Sep 25, 3:21 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Federal health officials encouraged Medicare participants on Thursday to shop around for their prescription drug coverage next year because it could include significant price increases or changes regarding which drugs the plans will cover.

  • Indian laboratory researchers conduct tests at the Ranbaxy Laboratories in 2003. The US Food and Drug Administration Tuesday said it would block the import of more than 30 generic drugs made by Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy, saying the company had failed to meet manufacturing standards.(AFP/File/Sebastian D'souza)
    Study: Seniors not quite embracing generic drugs AP - Thu Sep 25, 5:24 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Seniors who switch between low-cost generic drugs and the original products based on who's footing the bill are likely driving up the cost of the government's Medicare drug plan, according to a new study.

  • Boomers Should Add Muscle Before It's Too Late HealthDay - Wed Sep 24, 11:47 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Strength training can help people build muscle mass to assist in the fight against the debilitating effects of old age until they reach 80, a new study says.

  • Prostate cancer hormone therapy may raise mortality Reuters - Tue Sep 23, 6:00 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In elderly men with early-stage prostate cancer, receiving hormone therapy is associated with an increase in all-cause mortality, according to a study reported Tuesday at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting underway in Boston.

  • Caregivers Face Multiple Strains Tending Older Parents HealthDay - Mon Sep 22, 11:46 PM ET

    MONDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Middle-aged adults who regularly help their elderly parents get by experience a drop in health and well-being in their own lives, a new study shows.

  • Charles Todd Lee is seen in his room at the Community Care Center in Plant City, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. He's among the Medicaid recipients across Florida challenging the nightmare of the old and disabled: to be forced from comfort and familiarity into a nursing home. They say the state is illegally forcing them to live in nursing homes when they should be able to live where they choose.(AP Photo/John Raoux)
    Institutionalized Medicaid recipients sue Florida AP - Sun Sep 21, 7:20 AM ET

    PLANT CITY, Fla. - Charles Todd Lee spent a lifetime going backstage at concerts, following politicians on the campaign trail and capturing iconic shots of everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Mick Jagger to Mickey Mantle. Today, he enjoys such freedom only in his dreams.

  • Medicare's Monthly Premium Won't Rise in 2009 HealthDay - Fri Sep 19, 11:46 PM ET

    FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Good news for millions of American seniors: Medicare's standard Part B monthly premium in 2009 will remain the same as in 2008, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Friday.

  • Simple Blood Test Could Spot Alzheimer's Risk HealthDay - Fri Sep 19, 11:46 PM ET

    FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A simple blood test to identify people at risk for Alzheimer's disease may be close at hand, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

  • Aggression among nursing home patients widespread Reuters - Fri Sep 19, 3:43 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Aggression among nursing home residents is extremely common, and often triggered by territorial issues, according to one of only a handful of studies to look at this issue.

  • Pain is common in Parkinson's disease Reuters - Fri Sep 19, 3:39 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly 70 percent of patients with Parkinson's disease report pain, which is significantly higher than the frequency of pain in healthy controls, according to a brief report in the Archives of Neurology.

  • Medicare Advantage Plans Get Lion's Share of Insurers' Ad Dollars HealthDay - Wed Sep 17, 11:46 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Insurers last year placed three times more ads and spent twice as much money to promote more comprehensive Medicare Advantage plans than they did for stand-alone Medicare drug plans, according to a new study.

  • Statin use too low among elderly heart patients Reuters - Tue Sep 16, 3:54 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs by elderly patients with clogged arteries or "atherosclerosis" remains suboptimal despite improvements in the last 10 years, according to a study conducted in Canada.

  • Changes in Seniors' Sleep Patterns Need Attention HealthDay - Sat Sep 13, 11:46 PM ET

    SATURDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- While it's normal for older people to have occasional sleep problems, seniors who experience sleep pattern changes that last for longer than two weeks should see a doctor, says Dr. Charles Cefalu, a member of the American Geriatrics Society.

  • Mediterranean Diet Cuts Death From Chronic Diseases HealthDay - Fri Sep 12, 11:46 PM ET

    FRIDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a strict Mediterranean diet are at less risk of developing heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, Italian researchers report.

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