http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Older adults represent an important and growing demographic in emergency departments (ED) across the country, with urinary tract infections (UTIs) being one of the leading causes for ED visits. In fact, UTIs, which can progress to serious health concerns, are the fourth most common diagnosis in women over age 65. But a new study at Rhode Island Hospital has found that many such women receive treatment for a UTI, but have no firm evidence of such an infection, resulting in the prescribing of unnecessary antibiotics. The study is published online in advance of print in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-older-women-uti-urine-culture.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:39:23 EST news285849557 A study by Queen's University Belfast has found that the dispensing of psychotropic drugs to older people in Northern Ireland increases on entry to care homes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-psychotropic-drug-entry-homes.html Health Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:20:03 EST news280605304 (Medical Xpress)—A new study focusing on how people with dementia become lost while driving, how missing drivers are found, and the role of public notification systems like Silver Alert in these discoveries suggests techniques that may help recover drivers with dementia and prevent potentially harmful incidents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-techniques-recovery-incidents-drivers-dementia.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:38:38 EST news274718307 (Medical Xpress)—Being mildly vitamin B-12 deficient could be an indication that some older adults are at a greater risk for accelerated cognitive decline, an observational study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mild-vitamin-b12-deficiency-cognitive.html Health Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:16:12 EST news274000562 If you're thinking that little old lady driving 35 miles per hour in the passing lane shouldn't be behind the wheel, you may be right. Studies at Rhode Island Hospital, and elsewhere, have shown that our driving abilities decline with age, and for those with cognitive issues such as dementia, it can be even worse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-ri-hospital-standardized-road-results.html Health Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:23:34 EST news273928991 (Medical Xpress)—A Medicare rule that blocks thousands of nursing home residents from receiving simultaneous reimbursement for hospice and skilled nursing facility (SNF) care at the end of life may result in those residents receiving more aggressive treatment and hospitalization, according a new analysis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-medicare-barrier-hospice-hospitalization.html Health Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:23:15 EST news270919385 A simple six-question quiz, typically used to assess disabilities in the elderly, could help doctors determine which kidney dialysis patients of any age are at the greatest risk of death, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-quiz-elderly-death-kidney-dialysis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 12 Oct 2012 04:49:33 EST news269236161 Can you bite into an apple? If so, you are more likely to maintain mental abilities, according to new research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-ability-linked-dementia.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:25:49 EST news268565126 (Medical Xpress)—A new clinical study spearheaded by the dean of UCLA's School of Nursing has found a direct correlation between pressure ulcers—commonly known as bedsores—and patient mortality and increased hospitalization.   The research is believed to be the first of its kind to use data directly from medical records to assess the impact of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers on Medicare patients at national and state levels.   According to the study, featured as the lead article in the current issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, seniors who developed pressure ulcers were more likely to die during their hospital stay, to have longer stays in the hospital, and to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their discharge. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-hospital-bedsores-patient-mortality.html Health Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:36:44 EST news268382195 Tired? Scientists have discovered another possible benefit of a night of restful and uninterrupted sleep. According to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health fragmented or interrupted sleep could predict future placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility. The study is featured in the July 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and outlines the association between objectively measured sleep and subsequent institutionalization among older women. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-good-night-nursing-home.html Health Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:46:13 EST news261913488 One in five short-stay nursing home patients sustains a fall after their admission, and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing is associated with decreased fall risk, according to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-percent-newly-nursing-home-residents.html Health Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:17:38 EST news259402565 Women in their seventies who exercise and eat healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables have a longer life expectancy, according to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-healthy-diet-fruits-vegetables-life.html Health Wed, 30 May 2012 11:31:33 EST news257596247 (HealthDay) -- Many elderly people with dementia live and die at home rather than in nursing homes, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-older-people-dementia-home.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 11 May 2012 16:10:01 EST news255968543 In a study examining the relationship between physical activity and physical function, researchers from Australia discovered that older adults who experienced any level of psychological distress were more than four times more likely to experience functional limitation than those who did not. This study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-older-adults-psychological-distress.html Health Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:14:08 EST news252818025 A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that brief cognitive screenings combined with offering further evaluation increased new diagnoses of cognitive impairment in older veterans two to three fold. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-cognitive-impairment-older-adults-unrecognized.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:50:01 EST news248325774 Family companions who routinely accompany older adults to physician office visits could be helpful to health care quality improvement efforts, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The authors found that three-quarters of older adults who attend physician visits with a family companion are consistently accompanied over time, nearly always by the same companion. The results are featured in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-physician-older.html Health Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:42:38 EST news246555753 A new national plan of action provides a roadmap for improving the care of patients with delirium, a poorly understood and often unrecognized brain condition that affects approximately seven million hospitalized Americans each year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-brains-tackling-delirium.html Health Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:23:15 EST news240747787 In geriatric medicine, the adage that age is just a number holds true. New research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center uses a simple assessment tool to determine how well older adults diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) can handle treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-bedside-outcomes-older-cancer-patients.html Cancer Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:06:40 EST news238845991 You wouldn't brake your car while stepping on the gas—or wash down a sleeping pill with espresso. Yet many people taking common Alzheimer's disease medications—cholinesterase inhibitors—are given medications with anticholinergic properties, which oppose their effects. Group Health Research Institute scientists investigated how often that happens and reported on the consequences in an "Early View" study e-published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-alzheimer-patients-drugs-opposing-effects.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:44:29 EST news238772644 Opioids -- a class of medicines commonly given for pain -- were associated with a higher risk of pneumonia in a study of 3,061 adults, aged 65 to 94, e-published in advance of publication in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study from researchers at Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington (UW) also found that benzodiazepines, which are drugs generally given for insomnia and anxiety, did not affect pneumonia risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-opioids-linked-higher-pneumonia-older.html Medications Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:30:38 EST news235927705 Researchers whose findings on the detrimental impact of some common medicines on elderly people were widely reported earlier in the summer have found that taking a few of these medicines does not appear to cause further cognitive impairment in those already suffering from dementia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-reassurance-dementia-impact-common-drugs.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:00:01 EST news235570613 Older individuals' complaints about memory lapses such as having trouble remembering recent events may indicate that they are experiencing cognitive problems that are greater than typical age-related changes. These findings, which are published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, indicate that primary care clinicians, who are often the first to see patients who are worried about their memory, should be aware that such complaints might be indicative of something serious and warrant a further cognitive assessment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-memory-complaints-elderly-cognitive-problems.html Health Thu, 15 Sep 2011 03:46:43 EST news235276260 While some past studies have shown that persons carrying a few extra pounds in their 70s live longer than their thinner counterparts, a new study that measured subjects' weight at multiple points over a longer period of time reveals the opposite. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-contrary-earlier-excess-body-fat.html Health Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:16:32 EST news232294568 The most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, is associated with a greater risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This discovery by scientists at Group Health Research Institute and their collaborators was published online in advance of print on August 1 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-common-irregular-heartbeat-dementia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:20:45 EST news232024712 People who live to 95 or older are no more virtuous than the rest of us in terms of their diet, exercise routine or smoking and drinking habits, according to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-lifestyles-healthy-defy.html Health Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:17:20 EST news231560149 Hospice services substantially improved the provision of care and support for nursing home patients dying of dementia and their families, according to an analysis of survey responses from hundreds of bereaved family members. The research comes as hospice funding has received particular scrutiny in the debate over Medicare spending. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-hospice-dementia-patients-families.html Health Fri, 29 Jul 2011 03:50:01 EST news231129394 The rehospitalization of senior patients within 30 days of discharge from a skilled nursing facility (SNF) has risen dramatically in recent years, at an estimated annual cost of more than $17 billion. A new study from Hebrew Rehabilitation Center (HRC), an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, demonstrates improvements in discharge disposition following a three-pronged intervention that combines standardized admission templates, palliative care consultations, and root-cause-analysis conferences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-rehospitalizations-seniors.html Health Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:20:47 EST news227164836 When an independent senior health program implemented new recommended diabetes blood sugar guidelines, episodes of severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) tripled among frail elderly patients, according to a study led by Sei J. Lee, MD, a geriatrician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-diabetes-guidelines-linked-severe-blood.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 23 May 2011 08:28:53 EST news225358111 Despite evidence that feeding tubes do not improve survival rates or quality of life for elderly patients with advanced dementia, their frequency of use varies widely across the states. A new survey of family members finds that discussions surrounding the decision to place feeding tubes surgically are often inadequate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-families-tubes-elderly-dementia-patients.html Other Thu, 05 May 2011 10:39:14 EST news223810731 Contrary to popular belief among physicians, frailty in elderly patients is not associated with an increased risk of adverse reactions to medications, according to a study led by Michael Steinman, MD, a geriatrician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-frailty-factor-adverse-drug-reactions.html Medications Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:48:20 EST news221388479