https://medicalxpress.com/gerontology-geriatrics-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Geriatric Palliative Care While artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense promise for transforming health care for older adults, a new study published in JMIR Aging reveals significant friction between those who use AI health tools and those who create and fund them. Conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Iowa, and Washington University in St. Louis, the study highlights how key stakeholders—older adults, care partners, clinicians, health system leaders, developers and investors—hold fundamentally different definitions of value, usability and cost, creating systemic barriers to technology adoption. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-reveals-deep-ai-health-priorities.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:20:05 EDT news704626362 A new study involving Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), based on administrative data from South Korea, projects that as higher education and lifelong singlehood become more common, the composition of older-age suicide deaths may shift toward never-married men with tertiary education. This does not mean that tertiary-educated individuals face higher suicide risks: Their suicide rates remain lower than those of less educated groups. Rather, the projected shift is driven by population composition. As tertiary education becomes the norm among younger generations, the growing size of this group could lead to a higher absolute number of suicide deaths among tertiary-educated, never-married men. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-suicide-deaths-south-korea-shift.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:40:01 EDT news704550589 Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps aging cells drive the chronic inflammation linked to many age-related diseases. The findings reveal how dysfunctional mitochondria—the cell's energy-producing structures—work with the cell's epigenetic machinery to switch on inflammatory genes, opening the door to a new therapeutic approach for promoting healthier aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-blocking-mitochondrial-curb-inflammation-zombie.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news704555882 Preferences about health care—including risk aversion, openness to experimental treatments, and whether to leave treatment decisions to a doctor—vary substantially by age and sex among adults 50 and older. That's the conclusion of a new study published July 29, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Nicholas Steel of the University of East Anglia, UK, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-health-vary-age-sex-adults.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:00:03 EDT news704463409 A combination of CBD and THC rapidly and significantly reduces agitation in hospice-eligible people with dementia, suggest top-line results from the phase 2 LiBBY (Life's End Benefits of cannaBidiol and tetrahYdrocannabinol) clinical trial. The findings were reported for the first time at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2026 in London and online. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-results-trial-thccbd-combination-significantly.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news704458321 Portable air filters made no difference to rates of respiratory and other infections in older people's long-term care facilities, a University of Bristol–led trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found. The study's authors advise long-term care facilities to continue with standard infection-control measures, including vaccines. A related paper is published in PLOS One. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-portable-air-filters-dont-infection.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news704451531 Older Australians living in areas with more tree canopy had fewer depressive symptoms over time, a new study of more than 1,000 people ages 70–90 has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-tree-canopy-linked-depression-older.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:01 EDT news704440621 Maintaining balance is essential for preserving functional independence during aging. A study led by researchers from Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and ISABIAL suggests that trunk stability may play a particularly relevant role in this process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-trunk-stability-emerges-stronger-marker.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 04:00:01 EDT news703934341 My first science experiment was in sixth grade for our county's science fair. Over three months, I tested how my grandfather's blood sugar responded to green leafy vegetables versus brown rice at dinnertime. My mom would prepare traditional South Indian meals, including those foods, and my dad would supervise as I measured and administered insulin and recorded my grandfather's blood sugar levels. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-millions-family-caregivers-complex-diets.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:40:04 EDT news704364962 Older Australians account for almost half of all hospitalizations and more than half of total patient days, yet there is no consistent way to measure whether this care improves their quality of life beyond clinical outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-recovery-health-tool-older-australians.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:20:01 EDT news704358962 Being frail appears to accelerate the onset of dementia, particularly in people who show little or no signs of the disease, a University of Queensland-led study has found. Dr. David Ward from UQ's Frazer Institute said the findings suggest frailty could be an important independent clinical marker to help diagnose and potentially treat dementia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-frailty-key-early-dementia-diagnosis.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:20:03 EDT news703918561 When a patient is admitted to a hospital emergency room with a life-threatening medical condition, the first order of business is to get that patient to a stable state. After that happens, it is standard medical practice for doctors to initiate what's known as a serious illness conversation, which gives both the physician and patient an opportunity to discuss goals of care, treatment and end-of-life wishes before a medical crisis makes those conversations impossible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-doctors-difficult-conversations-critically.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:00:01 EDT news703920661 People around the world are living longer than ever before but spending more of those additional years in poor health, according to a new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published in The Lancet Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-people-longer-years-poor-health.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:30:03 EDT news703841701 Today, most older people with disabilities receive help at home, and there are limited places in nursing homes. At the same time, politicians claim that living at home provides independence and control over everyday life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-elderly-people-home.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:40:08 EDT news703859315 Frailty threatens older individuals because it increases their vulnerability to detrimental health outcomes, such as falls, longer hospitalizations or even shortened life expectancy. Biogerontologists are actively exploring a potential health trade-off important to mothers: Whether the production of offspring comes at a maternal cost as a consequence of a diversion of physiological resources that could lead to accelerated aging and increased late-life frailty. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-motherhood-late-life-frailty-companion.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:03 EDT news703780626 A landmark study that started in 2021 to learn about wartime trauma among Vietnamese Americans has received an additional $13.3 in funding to delve deeper into how trauma affects aging and brain health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-resilience-healthy-aging-trauma.html Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:30:04 EDT news703255442 Two papers by researchers and policy practitioners provide evidence-based suggestions to help Japan's health system continue to flourish, even as its population rapidly ages. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-japan-redesign-health-diplomacy.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:40:04 EDT news703420246 Researchers from Skoltech and co-authors from AIRI have, for the first time, quantitatively assessed how somatic mutations—random DNA changes that accumulate in cells with age—limit the maximum human lifespan. The work was published in the journal npj Aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-upper-limit-human-lifespan-somatic.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:00:09 EDT news703407439 Older adults who undergo high-risk emergency general surgery spend significantly fewer days living independently at home after surgery than those undergoing lower-risk procedures, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-high-emergency-surgery-older-adults.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:00:03 EDT news703312802 One in 10 Americans say they are a caregiver for a parent 65 or older, according to 2025 Pew research. And many people in the sandwich generation—those who have both children and aging parents—start their caregiving journeys by having to step up during a medical crisis and become a family caregiver essentially overnight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-aging-parents-caregiving-club.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:40:04 EDT news703233155 Ask people what they want at the end of their lives, and overwhelmingly the answers will revolve around comfort, dignity and time at home with loved ones. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-americans-die-home-health.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:40:04 EDT news703250222 Researchers found that 58% of total dementia-related costs are linked to unpaid care provided by family members, friends and other informal caregivers, highlighting the substantial burden of dementia beyond health care systems alone. Notably, unpaid informal care (€128 billion annually) exceeded direct health care costs (€93 billion), underscoring the often-hidden contribution made by families and caregivers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-unpaid-caregivers-shoulder-dementia-health.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:20:02 EDT news703229770 In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, U.S. researchers found that people with agitation and dementia in late life who took a special medical formulation of two active ingredients found in marijuana—THC and CBD—had significantly less agitation than people who received a placebo. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cannabis-derived-treatment-eases-agitation.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:02 EDT news703143805 An estimated 70% of Americans will need long-term care at some point in their lives, but "they haven't planned for it or saved for it," said Cathleen MacCaul, advocacy director for AARP Washington State, which supported the legislation that created WA Cares. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-option-term.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:00:03 EDT news703143835 Experts are calling for a major overhaul of health and aged care systems to accommodate rising numbers of older people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-expert-urges-redesign-aged.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:40:09 EDT news703153921 Although opioids remain indispensable for pain relief in patients with advanced cancer, their use frequently results in OIC, which can substantially reduce quality of life and, in some cases, compromise the continuation of optimal pain management. Naldemedine, a peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonist, is used to treat OIC by preserving physiological bowel motility without interfering with central analgesia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-economic-prophylactic-naldemedine-opioid-constipation.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:00:01 EDT news702823701 New research demonstrates that the Victorian model for oral self-administration of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) medication is safe and effective, providing the largest global experience of patient outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-safety-voluntary-dying.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:20:02 EDT news702883862 In an era where digital health applications are booming, older adults, particularly those facing the physical and psychological toll of post-acute rehabilitation, are frequently left out of the equation because of assumptions about low-tech literacy. However, a prospective pilot study published in JMIR Aging shows that with age-appropriate design, even clinically burdened geriatric patients can independently use mobile apps to manage their nutrition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-geriatric-patients-independently-appropriately-digital.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 21:20:02 EDT news702835271 Several tools are currently used to assess the health of older people and their risk of future health problems, but it is unclear which perform best. A new study published in BMC Medicine compares seven widely used geriatric assessment tools. The results show that a relatively simple tool developed by researchers at Karolinska Institutet can be just as reliable as more advanced and comprehensive approaches. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-simple-tools-accurate-older-adults.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:40:05 EDT news702809170 One in four Canadians is a caregiver—often taking on the role overnight, with little time to prepare for what comes next. Sharon Tonner-Clarkson, a patient family partner (PFP) at Unity Health Toronto, knows that reality all too well. Her mother was diagnosed with osteoporosis after sustaining a fracture in her back. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-explores-emotional-burden-family-caregiver.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:20:04 EDT news702820502