http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The best doctors strive to relieve their patients' burdens. A physician in Houston asked Rice University students to help him do so in the most literal way. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-rice-students-weighty-problem-doctors.html Medical research Wed, 09 May 2012 11:35:28 EST news255782106 The notion that senior drivers have higher rates of crashes because they are poorer drivers is largely a misconception, according to a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-defense-older-drivers.html Health Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:08 EST news252584705 Introducing graduated drivers' licenses for seniors in Canada might help improve road safety, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-drivers-seniors.html Health Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:01 EST news252584951 Despite the 2010 passage of the Elder Justice Act, policy experts have found that combating widespread abuse of seniors is still not a top priority for care providers and governments alike. As many as one in 10 people age 60 and over are affected by this problem, according to the newest Public Policy & Aging Report (PPAR) from the National Academy on an Aging Society, the policy institute of The Gerontological Society of America. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Peter King (R-NY), who have been heavily involved in legislation to address elder abuse, contributed introductory statements for the issue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-elder-abuse-hidden-problem-baby.html Health Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:21:31 EST news252076886 (HealthDay) -- Caring for people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia will cost the United States about $200 billion this year, a total that includes $140 billion paid by Medicare and Medicaid, new statistics released Thursday show. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-alzheimer-dementia-billion-year.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:40:01 EST news250442206 In response to a study published online Feb. 23 in Radiology which showed that virtual colonoscopies are comparably affective to standard colonoscopy at detecting colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps in adults ages 65 and older, the Colon Cancer Alliance and the American College of Radiology released a joint statement demanding Medicare cover seniors for screening virtual colonoscopies — also known as CT colonography. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-colon-cancer-alliance-american-college.html Cancer Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:47:45 EST news249194858 Our organizations, representing nearly 400,000 physicians and medical student members, are deeply disappointed by the agreement in Congress to enact another short-term "patch" that neither solves, nor moves us closer to solving, the Medicare physician payment crisis. We are especially frustrated because Congress has had a short-lived window of opportunity to eliminate the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, once and for all, using unspent monies for overseas military operations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-agreement-short-term-sgr-patch-access.html Health Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:22:23 EST news248620936 (Medical Xpress) -- It’s a scenario played out all too frequently: Adult children, worried about the safety of their aging parents, foist devices on them to monitor their safety. And their parents, resentful of having their privacy invaded and losing their independence, resist fiercely. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-fall-device-standoffs-seniors-safer.html Health Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:35:10 EST news247476879 In Europe, the number of seniors aged 70 and over will increase by 40% in the next 20 years, while those aged 80 and over will more than double. Health authorities and the medical community expect a corresponding increase in the number of people suffering costly and debilitating age-related chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, heart and lung diseases and dementia. The significant increase in the numbers of people suffering age-related chronic diseases is expected to have serious social and health-economic repercussions across Europe – unless effective prevention strategies are put in place. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-simple-cost-effective-strategies-healthy-aging.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:21:37 EST news247465246 New research from Uppsala University shows that reduced insulin sensitivity is linked to smaller brain size and deteriorated language skills in seniors. The findings are now published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-insulin-resistance-linked-brain-health.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:31:32 EST news247314682 Because healthy enrollees cost them less, Medicare Advantage plans would profit from selecting seniors based on their health, but Medicare strictly forbids practices such as denying coverage based on existing conditions. Another way to build a more profitable membership is to design insurance benefits that attract the healthiest patients. In a study published in the Jan. 12, 2012, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, Brown University researchers report that plans have managed to do just that by offering fitness club memberships as a covered benefit. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-gym-benefits-medicare-healthy-seniors.html Health Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:00:07 EST news245509761 (AP) -- More teens are turning to pot and see it as less of a risk at the same time alcohol use among the same age group has dipped to historic lows, according to an annual national survey of drug use released Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-survey-teen-pot-alcohol-declines.html Health Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:08:00 EST news243079669 Seniors will be able to continue living an independent lifestyle in the comfort of their own home thanks to new in-home monitoring technology being trialled on selected Illawarra residents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-technology-seniors-independence.html Health Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:37:44 EST news240838642 The odds of having heart failure appear to be higher in seniors with a low income — even among those with a college or higher education — according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-low-income-older-adults-heart-failure.html Cardiology Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:46:01 EST news240507952 Ordinary flu vaccine has always worked out for Carolyn Hendrickson, so the 77-year-old was perplexed on a recent Monday when her clinic gave her a high-dose version without asking first. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-stronger-flu-shots-side-effects.html Medications Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:42:39 EST news240244892 Road deaths among young adults and seniors are down nearly 60 percent since 1968, but they still have the highest road fatality rates among all age groups, say University of Michigan researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-road-fatalities-young-high.html Health Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:54:20 EST news238830853 The death of a spouse is always a tragedy, but for seniors, that tragedy can spur some significant life changes. And one University of Alberta researcher says the choices they make are something policymakers need to pay attention to. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-spousal-death-key-link-loss.html Health Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:30:58 EST news238671045 Medical practitioners need to implement new strategies for decreasing adverse drugs reactions among seniors, conclude the authors of a scientific literature review led by Michael Steinman, MD, a physician and geriatrics researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-seniors-adverse-drug-reactions-strategies.html Medications Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:02:07 EST news233838112 Pain care management needs to be improved, with health care professionals committing to improve care as well as a retooling of the health care system to help people who are suffering, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-chronic-pain.html Health Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:20:02 EST news232633178 Multidisciplinary integrated care of seniors in residential care facilities resulted in better quality of care, found a Dutch study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-multidisciplinary-seniors-quality.html Health Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:39:00 EST news228397125 Positive ageing is explored in a series of papers emanating from five different countries in the latest issue of the e-journal of Applied Psychology, released today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-positive-aging.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:50:37 EST news227533822 Small, healthy lifestyle changes and involvement in meaningful activities—going beyond just diet and exercise—are critical to healthy aging, according to a new USC study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-social-spiritual-physical-life-health.html Health Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:46:29 EST news226745178 UC Irvine psychologist Karen Rook can trace her interest in how loneliness affects the elderly to her childhood, when she saw a much-loved, once-robust grandmother decline markedly after losing her husband. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-lonely-people.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:57:08 EST news226155417 Battling an illness, lack of sleep and strange surroundings can make any hospital patient feel out of sorts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-temporary-memory-loss-hospitalized-seniors.html Health Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:29:16 EST news222006545