Category: Seniors
Millions of older people don’t get enough nutrients – how to spot it and what to do about it
Weight loss in older adults is a key sign of malnutrition that needs to be addressed – but it can be easily missed, especially when many older adults associate the idea of thinness with good health. But clothing that’s too loose or a watchstrap that floats on the wrist are all warning signs of undernourishment.
More than a third of people with dementia don’t know they have it – what to do if you suspect your partner has the condition
Dementia can present very differently in each person, so it’s about knowing what’s normal for your loved one. A person who has always been conscientious and organised starting to unravel is very different from a scatterbrained person just being slightly more scatterbrained.
Older adults want to ‘age in place,’ but their options are limited in most states
As America gets grayer, advocates are pushing for new types of housing. By Robbie Sequiera, Staff ReporterStateline As older adults begin to outnumber young people in the United States in the coming decade, advocacy groups are challenging states to shift…
Early indicators of dementia: 5 behaviour changes to look for after age 50
Five signs to look for: Apathy, affective dysregulation, lack of impulse control, social inappropriateness, and abnormal perceptions or thought.
COVID-19 vaccine boosters are the best defence: Older adults shouldn’t rely on previous infection for immunity
We found that those who had battled the BA.1-2 variant of Omicron in early 2022 had a 30-fold higher risk of contracting the BA.5 variant later in the year. That was exactly the opposite of what we, or anyone, would have predicted. What the findings do tell us is that older adults who have had a previous COVID-19 infection shouldn’t rely on that to protect them against reinfection this fall. To protect against severe illness, keeping booster shots up to date is recommended.
Biden Administration Proposes New Standards to Boost Nursing Home Staffing
The nation’s most thinly staffed nursing homes would be required to hire more workers under new rules proposed on Friday by the Biden administration, the greatest change to federal nursing home regulations.
There’s no age limit for politicians − as people live longer, should that change?
Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell and Diane Feinstein are all over 80 years old, joining a number of politicians who are staying in office well past their 70s.
Am I too old to build muscle?
What science says about sarcopenia and building strength later in life
The number of elderly dying of malnutrition in the US has more than doubled since 2018
In California the rate of elderly dying of malnutrition has accelerated, Phillip Reese reports.
Being ‘Socially Frail’ Comes With Health Risks for Older Adults
Social frailty is a corollary to physical frailty, a set of vulnerabilities (including weakness, exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, slowness, and low physical activity) shown to increase the risk of falls, disability, hospitalization, poor surgical outcomes, admission to a nursing home, and earlier death in older adults.Essentially, people who are physically frail have less physiological strength and a reduced biological ability to bounce back from illness or injury.
Supreme Court Case Could Curtail Rights of Medicaid Patients
Twenty-two Republican-leaning states have urged the Supreme Court to block beneficiaries of federal safety net programs from suing. If the court agrees participants in many federal entitlement programs could lose the right to go to court when they believe a state, city or county has violated their rights in the administration of those programs.
Many types of leisure time activity may lower risk of death for older adults, NIH study finds
Older adults who participate weekly in many different types of leisure time activity, such as walking for exercise, jogging, swimming laps, or playing tennis, may have a lower risk of death from any cause.
Poll: Many older adults look beyond conventional medicine for help, but few talk to their doctors about it
Nearly 40% of older adults currently use at least one integrative medicine strategy to try to ease symptoms of a physical or mental health issue, or to help them relax, a new poll finds. But only 18% of older adults who currently use, formerly used or are interested in using integrative health strategies have actually talked about it with a health care provider.
FEELING THE HEAT? MAYBE IT’S YOUR MEDICATION.
Medications can make it harder to stay hydrated and regulate body temperature, including those for allergies and colds, thyroid, depression, heart/blood pressure, and weight loss. Check with your doctor to see if your health conditions or medications make you more sensitive to heat.