Aging News

Latest Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today.

Total news: 25
Last news: August 31, 2007 07:00:00

Citing a California nursing home death linked to an untreated oral infection, the statewide organization representing dental hygienists today called for greater focus on the oral health of seniors residing in nursing and convalescent homes. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Opko Health Inc. (Amex: OPK) announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 3 COBALT (Combining Bevasiranib And Lucentis Therapy) clinical trial of bevasiranib for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). [click link for full article] - [Read more]

The New York Times on Tuesday examined the "dizzying array" of low-dose hormone replacement therapy options to treat menopausal symptoms that have been released since the NIH-sponsored Womens Health Initiative in 2002 [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Although some people may spend part of the Labor Day weekend complaining about their bosses or about job burnout, most Americans are satisfied with their jobs, a new University of Chicago study shows.The survey found that job satisfaction increases with age, with workers over 65 among the most satisfied. The study shows that 86 percent of the people interviewed between 1972 and 2006 said they were satisfied at their jobs, with 48 percent saying they were very satisfied. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

A team of scientists, including three researchers at George Mason University, found that the mineral zinc could play a role in the development of macular degeneration. In studying eye tissue samples, the researches found that deposits, that are hallmarks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), contain large amounts of zinc. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Accera, Inc. announced that recent data from a Phase II study of its lead compound Ketasyn(TM) (AC- 1202) in age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) showed that Ketasyn has a positive and clinically meaningful effect on memory in older adults. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Americas Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) has launched a new national television ad campaign reminding Congress about the devastating impact on seniors of cuts to Medicare Advantage.Titled "Last Time," the ad follows passage of legislation by the House of Representatives that would cut the Medicare Advantage program by $157 billion over ten years. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

A newly released, in-depth 2006 survey of seniors strongly suggests that Medicare Part D is working to expand coverage to those previously without drug coverage - especially seniors with chronic conditions taking multiple medications, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) said. BIO believes strongly these data underscore the need for policymakers to proceed with caution when contemplating sweeping, wholesale program changes to Medicare Part D. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Director Carolyn Clancy announced that eight communities will participate in an HHS pilot initiative to improve the health and quality of life of Hispanic elders. The metropolitan areas of Chicago, Ill., Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif., McAllen, Texas; Miami, Fla.; New York, NY; San Antonio, Texas; and San Diego, Calif. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

People who live to 100 or more are known to have just as many-and sometimes even more-harmful gene variants compared with younger people. Now, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered the secret behind this paradox: favorable "longevity" genes that protect very old people from the bad genes harmful effects. The novel method used by the researchers could lead to new drugs to protect against age-related diseases. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Reacting to recent research highlighting the increasing debt problems experienced by older people, Help the Aged in Northern Irelands SeniorLine Manager, Sinead Campbell, has urged any older person currently worried about debt to contact the free SeniorLine advice service (0808 808 7575). With one in five retired homeowners still paying a mortgage (1) and one in five pensioners living in poverty, the future looks pretty bleak for many of todays pensioners. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

The first comprehensive, nationally representative survey on the prevalence of sexual activity among older Americans provides a portrait of the intimate lives of people ages 57 to 85.A majority of older Americans are sexually active and view intimacy as an important part of life, despite a high rate of "bothersome" sexual problems, according to a new report in The New England Journal of Medicine. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Seven years after the implementation of the UK Human Rights Act, little more than lip service is being paid to human rights of elderly people in the UK and worldwide. The issues are discussed in an Editorial in this weeks edition of The Lancet.It discusses the UK parliamentary report released last week - The human rights of older people in health care - which focussed on the UK Human Rights Act 1998, which came into effect in 2000. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

People over the age of 50 who either take calcium supplementation alone, or along with vitamin D supplementation have a 12% lower risk of fracture or bone loss, compared to people who dont take them, says an article in The Lancet, this weeks issue. Dr. Benjamin Tang, University of Western Sydney, Australia, and team carried out an analysis of 17 previous studies involving 52,625 people over the age of 50. They each received treatment for an average of 3.5 years. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

The Medicare prescription drug benefit has significantly increased the share of seniors with drug coverage, but one in five beneficiaries reported delaying or not filling prescriptions because of cost, according to the results of a survey published online Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, the [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Many older people complain about their memory as they age. With almost 35 million adults age 65 or older living in the United States, it is a problem that needs to be addressed."On average, memory does decline as we get older, but that doesnt mean we cant improve our memory abilities with a little focused effort," says Dr. John Dunlosky, Kent State professor of psychology and associate editor of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Brain and memory training programs are popular, but they dont work well for everyone, says a Universitiy of Michigan psychologist.New research by Cindy Lustig, a U-M assistant professor of psychology, and colleague David Bissig, a U-M graduate now at Wayne State University---U-Ms University Research Corridor alliance partner---reveals what can help make a training program successful, especially for those older adults who could use the most help. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Most older Americans are sexually active despite experiencing sexual problems. A new study said to be representative of all older Americans gives a comprehensive and detailed account of their intimate lives.The study is published in the August 23rd issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and is the work of Drs Stacy Tessler Lindau and Linda Waite and colleagues from the University of Chicago. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

The first comprehensive national survey of sexual attitudes, behaviors and problems among older adults in the United States has found that most people ages 57 to 85 think of sexuality as an important part of life and that the frequency of sexual activity, for those who are active, declines only slightly from the 50s to the early 70s. [click link for full article] - [Read more]

Prices for unsubsidized health insurance plans in Massachusetts can be twice as expensive for older residents as compared to plans available for younger adults, and the state has made no "special accommodations" for older people to help them comply with the health insurance law, the Boston Globe reports. [click link for full article] - [Read more]