elderly

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Americans Get More Liberal With Age
Americans Get More Liberal With Age
Mar 10, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Americans Get More Liberal With Age

Long-term study shows elders trending left

(Newser) - The older a person gets, the more conservative he or she is likely to be, right? Wrong, say scientists who studied more than 46,000 people who responded to a US government survey from 1972 to 2004. In fact, a lead researcher tells LiveScience, "More people are changing in...

Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly
Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly
Mar 1, 2008 8:02 AM CST

Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly

Study says robo-mutt relieved loneliness as effectively as a real dog

(Newser) - Robot dogs are almost as effective as the real thing in cheering up elderly nursing home residents, a new study at St. Louis University has found. Once the patients had some time to get used to him, researchers say robot mutt AIBO lowered loneliness levels about as well as a...

'Miracle' HGH's Awful Truth: It May Not Work

Testimonials aside, study shows hormone benefits few patients

(Newser) - Here’s the list of people human growth hormone is proven to help: the elderly, AIDS and tuberculosis patients, and people with hormone deficiencies. Baseball players aren’t on that list, Newsweek reports, and neither are thousands of ordinary people who believe HGH slows the aging process. “There’s...

Rock on! EU May Extend Song Copyrights

Ditties from Beatles, Who, Stones at play

(Newser) - Early hits from the Beatles and the Stones are only a few years away from falling out of copyright and into the public domain, but the European Commission wants to change that and keep royalties flowing to rock stars in their golden years, reports the Times of London. Plans to...

Century Mark Within Reach for Many
Century Mark Within Reach
for Many
Feb 12, 2008 9:50 AM CST

Century Mark Within Reach for Many

Healthy habits boost chances of living to 100, even with illness

(Newser) - Even people with heart disease or diabetes can hit the century mark if they take care of themselves, two new studies say. The trick for living to 100 is managing illness well enough to stay independent. "It's kind of a threesome: get more years, better years, and better function,...

Green Veggies May Fight Alzheimer's

Study links low folate levels, elevated dementia risk

(Newser) - Folic acid, already known to help prevent birth defects, may play a role in the development of dementia, the BBC reports. Elderly subjects with low levels of folate in their blood were three times more likely than people with normal levels to develop dementia, a South Korean study found . But...

Lead Exposure May Speed Mental Decline

Build-up of pollutants seen contributing to memory loss in elderly

(Newser) - Mental decline is widely considered an unavoidable aspect of aging, but a slew of recent studies link reduced functioning in the elderly to past lead exposure, the AP reports. Common pollutants aren't singlehandedly responsible for memory loss or tremors. But breathing or ingesting lead, pesticides, or mercury early in life...

Vomiting Bug Still Has UK on Its Knees

Nasty norovirus has now hit 3M; cases could spike again

(Newser) - A vicious bug that causes days of vomiting and diarrhea continues to wreak havoc in the UK, striking down 3 million Brits so far this winter, the Telegraph reports. Experts warn that with many returning to school and work after the holidays this week, the norovirus, which is potentially deadly...

'Fuzzy Logic' Could Help Create Better Elder Care

Researchers add computational mathematics to monitoring systems

(Newser) - Researchers in the UK and US are collaborating to develop “fuzzy logic” technology to improve care for the elderly. The 6-month project aims to create more discerning medical and accident monitors that can distinguish between, for example, a slamming door and a person falling, CNET reports. So-called fuzzy logic...

Nursing Homes Fight Drug Addiction
Nursing Homes Fight Drug Addiction
Dec 20, 2007 1:30 PM CST

Nursing Homes Fight Drug Addiction

Use of anti-psychotics for dementia soars; alternatives sought

(Newser) - Despite known dangers—including an increased risk of death—the use of anti-psychotic drugs to control elderly dementia patients has surged, to an estimated 30% of all nursing home residents. Under pressure to cut back, some homes are experimenting with alternatives, like letting distraught patients do what they want to...

Robots Could Care for Elderly
Robots Could Care for Elderly
Dec 6, 2007 6:29 PM CST

Robots Could Care for Elderly

Toyota unveils new technology aimed at targeting Japan's aging population

(Newser) - Toyota’s new robot can play the violin, and the car-maker hopes it could be used in the future to care for the elderly, AFP reports. The 5-foot-tall robot has 17 hand and arm joints, giving it enough dexterity to play an error-free “Pomp and Circumstance” today. Toyota wants...

Nursing Homes Misuse Meds to Control Patients

'Off label' antipsychotic use drives up costs, sparks concern

(Newser) - Understaffed US nursing homes are increasingly turning to antipsychotic drugs to control elderly residents, even though most display symptoms of dementia rather than the psychotic disorders the drugs are intended to treat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Such “off-label” usage defies FDA warnings that elderly patients using the drugs...

Alzheimer's Less Prevalent Than Suspected

Study finds 10% of Americans over 71 afflicted

(Newser) - A new study estimates that 2.4 million people, or 9.7% of Americans over age 71, have Alzheimer's disease, fewer than originally suspected. Unlike prior studies, which have focused on a small region or select cities, researchers assessed seniors in 42 states to arrive at the "best" estimates...

Education Staves Off Alzheimer's
Education Staves Off Alzheimer's
Oct 23, 2007 4:17 AM CDT

Education Staves Off Alzheimer's

But seems to speed progress of disease once it sets in

(Newser) - Higher levels of education help delay the onset of Alzheimer's, but once the disease takes hold, mental decline is faster among those with more schooling, researchers have found. Each year of  education is linked to a 2.5 month delay in accelerated memory loss, according to the study in Neurology....

Social Security's 2.3% Hike Most Stingy Since '04

Increases don't keep up with rising medical costs, critics say

(Newser) - Social Security benefits will rise 2.3% in 2008—or an average of $24 monthly—netting the 54 million recipients their smallest increase in four years. The cost of living adjustment, now $1,079 per month for the average retiree, is based on the third-quarter change in consumer prices, the...

'Privatized' Medicare Dupes Elderly: Audits

Providers accused of cutting coverage, ignoring complaints

(Newser) - Dems are likely loading political ammo after audits show that Medicare providers have cut thousands from coverage and snubbed those who complain. What's more, HIV/AIDS patients have been booted, standards flouted and phones left ringing. Dems have long opposed efforts to "privatize Medicare," but feds say the changes...

Aging Brain, Not Racism, Explains Elderly Gaffes

Older people unable to inhibit stereotypical thoughts

(Newser) - Grandma’s verbal faux pas might signal not that she’s more prejudiced than younger relatives, but rather that she’s unable to disguise or overcome stereotypes, a study shows. Anecdotal evidence suggests, and earlier studies confirmed, that older Americans are more racist, but new research shows age-related brain shrinkage...

Flu Shots May Not Save Lives Among Elderly

Study finds almost no impact on death rates for those over 70

(Newser) - The effectiveness of flu shots in the elderly has been highly exaggerated and the vaccination appears to have little impact on death rates among people over 70, according to a study published in the Lancet. The shots do help people under age 65, researchers concluded. The vaccinations are less effective...

Nursing Homes Raise Profits, Cut Care

Private equity firms buying up, stripping down facilities

(Newser) - Caring for grandma has become big business for private firms that are buying nursing homes and making them profit generators. But to do it, they’ve severely cut staff—sometimes below legal levels, the New York Times found. “Chains have made a lot of money by cutting nurses,”...

Boomers Get TheirSpace
Boomers Get TheirSpace
Sep 12, 2007 6:45 PM CDT

Boomers Get TheirSpace

New social networking sites are aimed at 'sticky' baby boomers

(Newser) - Entrepreneurs are rolling out social networking websites aimed at those old enough to have spawned the devotees of Facebook and  MySpace, the NY Times reports. Investors say it's good business—older surfers are more likely to stick with a site they like, and there are a lot of tech-savvy boomers....

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