https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research A study published in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology highlights a significant gap in the care of older adults with breast cancer: While many face age-related risks that could complicate treatment, a majority decline supportive services even when those risks are identified. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-gaps-older-breast-cancer-patients.html Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:39:03 EDT news676222741 A new study links changes in frailty, a measure of decreased physiological capacity that leads to fatigue, slow walking, muscle weakness, physical inactivity, and weight loss, to five-year survival rates in older women with breast cancer. These findings suggest that managing frailty during chemotherapy could improve outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-links-frailty-year-mortality-older.html Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:53:03 EDT news663259981 A multistakeholder coalition assembled by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) has issued clinical recommendations for the optimal prevention of secondary fracture among people aged 65 years and older with a hip or vertebral fracture—the most serious complication associated with osteoporosis. Douglas P. Kiel, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is senior author on the report and served as co-leader of the project. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-secondary-fractures-adults-osteoporosis.html Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:30:22 EDT news489249016 Why do some patients recover quickly after surgery, while others don't? That is an important question when treating older frail patients suffering from aortic stenosis. Lead author Dae Hyun Kim, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D., and principle investigator Director Lewis A. Lipsitz in the Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife explore this question in a paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-clinical-treatment-older-patients-aortic.html Mon, 04 Feb 2019 11:00:07 EST news468483220 A study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals the best assessment tools available to establish the severity of diagnosed delirium in hospitalized patients. Delirium is a common, serious, and often preventable complication among older adult patients. This is an important step in the management of delirium in older adults because the ability to quantify severity of the condition beyond merely rating delirium as present or not will help clinicians develop and monitor more effective treatments. The quality of the tools available to measure delirium severity has been recognized as highly important for tracking prognosis, monitoring response to treatment, and estimating burden of care both during and after hospitalization. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-reveals-tools-severity-delirium.html Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:20:02 EST news464270624 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) have discovered that to begin with, proxies are a fairly accurate judge of the length of life left for their loved one with advanced dementia. Secondly, when proxies have judged that their loved one has less than 6 months to live they are more likely to have discussed goals of care with the health care team, and less likely to agree to burdensome interventions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-proxies-interventions-patients-death.html Tue, 29 May 2018 16:12:23 EDT news446829134 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research, and Boston Medical Center have reported that one-third of people 40-59 years have image-based evidence of moderate to severe degenerative disc disease and more than half had moderate to severe spinal osteoarthritis. Beyond that, the prevalence of disc height narrowing and joint osteoarthritis increased 2 to 4 fold in those aged 60-69 and 70-89 respectively. Furthermore, scientists observed that progression of these conditions occurred 40—70% more frequently in women than men. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-people-aged-evidence-degenerative.html Thu, 17 May 2018 16:37:51 EDT news445793863 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Brown University, and Yale School of Nursing have reported that patients who develop delirium (an acute decline of cognitive functioning) during or after a hospital stay report more distress than those who do not. The same goes for family members of patients who have experienced delirium - they also report more distress than family members of patients who have not experienced delirium. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-patients-families-delirium-distress.html Tue, 08 May 2018 15:00:02 EDT news444988777 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research and Brown University have conducted the first study to examine outcomes in nursing home residents with advanced dementia and hip fracture. They discovered that advanced dementia residents have a lower mortality rate after 6 months, if they undergo surgical repair. Those advanced dementia patients managed with surgery also reported less pain and fewer pressure ulcers than those whose proxies chose a palliative care approach in lieu of surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-nursing-home-residents-advanced-dementia.html Mon, 07 May 2018 11:00:05 EDT news444896421 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, That National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study and Boston University have found that poor back muscle quality is not associated with worsening kyphosis (forward curvature or "hunch" of the upper spine) in older adults. The study was published today in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-age-related-decline-mid-back-muscle-mass.html Tue, 24 Apr 2018 09:24:15 EDT news443780648 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), Wageningen University, Tilburg University, University of Reading, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have discovered that higher intake of dairy foods, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, is associated with higher volumetric bone mineral density and vertebral strength at the spine in men. Dairy intake seems to be most beneficial for men over age 50, and continued to have positive associations irrespective of serum vitamin D status. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-dairy-higher-bone-density-greater.html Thu, 05 Apr 2018 15:32:23 EDT news442161135 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research, University of Western Australia, University of Sydney, and Edith Cowan University have discovered that bone density scans, typically used to determine fracture risk, could also be an aid in identifying cardiovascular disease. The study was recently published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-03-bone-density-scans-cardiovascular-disease.html Mon, 12 Mar 2018 13:11:24 EDT news440079072 Researchers from the Harvard affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), in collaboration with scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Brown University, have found increasing evidence that the level of delirium in post-surgical patients is associated with the level of later cognitive decline in those same patients. Findings from this study were published today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-severity-post-operative-delirium-cognitive-decline.html Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:59:43 EST news431085575 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research have developed and validated a new assessment to predict the risk of falls in long-term care patients. The study on the assessment titled "Fracture Risk Assessment in Long-term Care (FRAiL)" was published today in the Journal of Gerontology Medical Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-fracture-patients-long-term.html Thu, 31 Aug 2017 09:50:25 EDT news423391814 A recently published study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that using CT scans to evaluate early signs of hyperkyphosis (extreme forward curvature of the upper spine) in people over age 50 does not help to identify those at risk of subsequent physical function decline. The article's conclusions are based on a study conducted at the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife using information from The Framingham Heart Study - a collection of data from Framingham, MA residents and their offspring dating back to the 1940s. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-thoracic-kyphosis-predictor-physical-decline.html Tue, 22 Aug 2017 11:30:02 EDT news422616724 Scientists from the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) at Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL), along with several other research institutions are making great strides in understanding the genetics behind lean body mass, which is largely made up of muscle mass. A new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, outlines their findings in what is the largest, most comprehensive genetic study of lean mass to date. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-scientists-gain-clearer-picture-genes.html Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:01:28 EDT news420130880 Researchers from Hebrew Senior Life's Institute for Aging Research have discovered that foot pain - particularly severe foot pain - correlates to a higher incidence of recurrent falls. This finding also extends to those diagnosed with planus foot posture (flat feet), indicating that both foot pain and foot posture may play a role in falls among older adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-05-severe-foot-pain-linked-recurrent.html Tue, 09 May 2017 17:06:30 EDT news413568382 Despite hospitals' best efforts, there is little proof that policies to inhibit patient mobility actually prevent falls and may actually increase the risk of serious side effects, according to Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH, Director of the Aging Brain Center at the Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-limiting-patient-mobility-hospitals-good.html Mon, 24 Apr 2017 11:40:38 EDT news412252833 Evidence suggests that experiencing delirium after surgery can lead to long-term cognitive decline in older adults. However, not everyone who experiences delirium will suffer this fate. After a recent study, researchers at Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research and Brigham and Women's Channing Division of Network Medicine (both Harvard Medical School affiliates) have discovered that we can predict cognitive decline after postoperative delirium using pre-surgery information from patients, particularly information on pre-surgery cognitive function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-03-long-term-cognitive-decline-delirium.html Wed, 15 Mar 2017 09:47:05 EDT news408790015 Researchers from Hebrew Senior Life's Institute for Aging Research and University of Massachusetts Lowell have discovered that adults with higher intakes of dietary protein from both animals and vegetables see greater benefits in muscle mass and strength. Results from this study were published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-02-dietary-protein-musculoskeletal-health-food.html Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:00:07 EST news405776698 Researchers from the Harvard Medical School-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), in collaboration with scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brown University, and Northeastern University, have discovered that postoperative delirium negatively impacts recovery in older adults. Results from this study were published in the Annals of Surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-trajectory-functional-recovery-postoperative-delirium.html Wed, 10 Aug 2016 13:27:04 EDT news390054410 Researchers from the Harvard affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) recently published a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, suggesting that hyperkyphosis may be heritable, or passed on from parents to offspring. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-heritability-thoracic-spine-curvature.html Tue, 02 Aug 2016 15:11:00 EDT news389369451 Researchers from the Harvard affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), have published a recent article in Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, suggesting that preventing or slowing progression of hyperkyphosis may reduce pulmonary decline in older adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-severity-kyphosis-decline-lung-function.html Thu, 28 Jul 2016 12:09:44 EDT news388926573 Researchers from the Harvard Medical School - affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) have found increasing evidence that delirium in older surgical patients may be associated with long-term cognitive decline. Findings from the study were published today in the July 2016 issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-delirium-older-patients-surgery-long-term.html Thu, 14 Jul 2016 10:08:30 EDT news387709696 Researchers from the Harvard affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), have published a recent article in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation which gives evidence that sub-sensory vibrations delivered to the foot sole of older adults significantly augmented the physiologic complexity of postural control and led to improvement in a given mobility assessment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-sub-sensory-vibratory-noise-augments-postural.html Thu, 07 Jul 2016 02:46:17 EDT news387078370 Researchers from the Aging Brain Center at the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) at Hebrew SeniorLife confirm that delirium is a significant and independent contributing factor to poor postsurgical outcomes in older adults. Findings published in JAMA Surgery suggest that the combination of major postoperative complications and delirium demonstrate a strong combined effect on adverse outcomes in older adults undergoing major surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-09-postoperative-delirium-results-poor-outcomes.html Wed, 09 Sep 2015 11:00:01 EDT news361007787 An expert panel convened by the Institute of Medicine clarified the cognitive aging process by making a distinction from Alzheimer disease and related dementias, and provided recommendations to enhance cognitive health in older adults. Now a new article published in Annals of Internal Medicine highlights key points of that report and serves as a guide for health care professionals seeking to improve the quality of life of older adults by maintaining brain health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-health-professionals-cognitive-older-adults.html Mon, 22 Jun 2015 17:00:01 EDT news354189203 New research reports that preoperative pain and depressive symptoms in older adults place them at greater risk of delirium following surgery. According to the findings published today in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, both pain and depression are independent and interactive risk factors for delirium, suggesting a cumulative effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-11-pain-depression-older-adults-delirium.html Mon, 03 Nov 2014 12:03:01 EST news334238572 Findings published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation show that imperceptible vibratory stimulation applied to the soles of the feet improved balance by reducing postural sway and gait variability in elderly study participants. The vibratory stimulation is delivered by a urethane foam insole with embedded piezoelectric actuators, which generates the mechanical stimulation. The study was conducted by researchers from the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) at Hebrew SeniorLife, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and Harvard Medical School, all of Boston, Massachusetts; and Merck Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) Consumer Care, Inc., of Memphis, Tennessee. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-10-vibrating-insoles-falls-seniors.html Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:06:32 EDT news333900385 A new method for measuring delirium severity in older adults has been developed by researchers from Harvard, Brown, and UMASS. The new scoring system, CAM-S, is based on the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and standardizes the measurement of delirium severity for both clinical and research uses. Details of this study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-04-boston-area-delirium-severity-older-adults.html Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:00:02 EDT news316710941