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Geriatric palliative care news

Pet visits bring 'a small moment of home' to long-term care, study finds

Residents in an Edmonton long-term care home are getting regular visits from therapy dogs this summer, thanks to a pilot project designed by University of Alberta nursing researcher Brittany DeGraves. The project builds on ...

Dementia care: Re‑envisioning the role of music

As a certified music therapist, I have observed firsthand the many ways music can bring meaning and beauty into people's lives, even under very difficult circumstances. Much of my clinical work and research has occurred in ...

At 85 and healthy? Why more medicine may do more harm

When a patient has made it to 85 years old in reasonable health, their instinct—and often their physician's—is to redouble prevention efforts, optimize every number and close every gap. I want to argue the opposite.

Statin use linked to lower risk of frailty in older veterans

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have demonstrated that older U.S. veterans who initiated statin therapy were significantly less likely to develop frailty over time, suggesting that the cholesterol-lowering medications ...

Life after work: Why social connections matter

Social networks may help protect cognitive functioning in later life, particularly among older adults who are no longer working, according to a new IIASA-led study. Drawing on data from 27 European countries, the researchers ...

How hospital admission affects persons with dementia

Dementia makes most things in life more difficult, including hospital care. Though often essential for patients with severe acute illness, hospital care can be confusing for persons with dementia (PWD). Compared with older ...

End-of-life care missing a key player: The psychologist

Psychologists could play a vital role in helping Australians navigate voluntary assisted dying (VAD), but new Edith Cowan University (ECU) research shows there are significant barriers preventing them from doing so.

Exposing inconsistencies in Australian aged care quality

A national study led by the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) Research Center based at SAHMRI and the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University, has revealed significant gaps in the quality of aged care services ...

Geroscience: Rethinking how medicine can approach aging

A review published in the journal JAMA highlights innovative strategies to slow the biological aging process, an emerging approach with significant potential to prevent or delay multiple chronic diseases at once, one of the ...

Helping others shown to slow cognitive decline

In the latest evidence that meaningful social connections bolster health, a team from The University of Texas at Austin and University of Massachusetts Boston has found that regular time spent helping outside the home significantly ...

Curbing the CNA workforce shortage

As the American population ages, the nation faces a crisis in its long-term care system—a shortage of certified nursing assistants.