elderly

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Pill Could Offer Seniors Years More to Live

But some experts call for more testing

(Newser) - A new one-a-day pill could offer 11 more years of life to 28% of people over 50, researchers say. The "polypill"—a combination of blood pressure-lowering and cholesterol-fighting drugs—could lower heart attack risk by 72% and stroke risk by 64%. On top of all that, it could...

The Truth Behind Assisted Living
 The Truth Behind 
 Assisted Living 
'sadness beyond words'
Jul 14, 2012 4:15 PM CDT

The Truth Behind Assisted Living

Martin Bayne describes the loneliness of watching friends die

(Newser) - Life in assisted living facilities is more sad, existential, and draconian than most of us care to realize, writes Martin Bayne in the Washington Post . An eight-year veteran of assisted living, 62-year-old Bayne is wheelchair-bound with young-onset Parkinson’s disease. But the former journalist can write achingly about his experiences:...

Want to Be 100? Sleep and Eat Right
Want to Be 100?
Sleep and Eat Right
Jun 24, 2012 1:56 PM CDT

Want to Be 100? Sleep and Eat Right

Spirituality and socializing also help

(Newser) - What can you do to live for more than a century? Researchers from UnitedHealthCare surveyed a group of centenarians and collected advice on achieving longevity. Here are their tips, courtesy of SmartMoney :

Old People Smell Better Than Young People
Old People Smell Better
Than Young People
in case you missed it
Jun 3, 2012 7:00 PM CDT

Old People Smell Better Than Young People

Seniors have a distinctive odor, and it's not so bad: Study

(Newser) - Old people do indeed have a distinctive odor, say scientists, but it's a lot better than reputation and bad jokes would suggest. A study involving the unenviable task of sniffing underarm pads found that those aged 75 to 95 gave off a scent more pleasant and less intense than...

Reefer Roadshow Sells Oldsters on Medical Pot

'Silver Tour' hits Florida retirement communities

(Newser) - After serving nearly 30 years in federal prison for his role in a marijuana-smuggling ring, Robert Platshorn is still pushing pot—but this time it's political. The 69-year-old has founded a group called the Silver Tour that aims to convince seniors of the benefits of medical marijuana, the Wall ...

Why I Want My Mother to Die


 Why I Want My Mother to Die 
in case you missed it
May 26, 2012 7:50 AM CDT

Why I Want My Mother to Die

Michael Wolff on the horrors of the 'no-exit state'

(Newser) - Brace yourself: In a remarkable cover piece for New York , Newser founder Michael Wolff invites us into his "unimaginable life"—a reality that's as ubiquitous as it is heart-wrenching. Wolff, in his 50s, has had a front-row seat to his 86-year-old mother's "horror show" for...

Inside the Murky World of Elderly Assisted Suicide

Case of Calif. husband who watched wife die raises unanswered questions

(Newser) - The headline of a heart-wrenching story from the Los Angeles Times neatly poses a long-debated question: "Assisted suicide or a show of love?" In this instance, the Times dives into the case of Alan Purdy, an 88-year-old who was booked on suspicion of assisting in a suicide (the district...

Hospitals Open Special ERs for Elderly

Special emergency rooms move slower, account for complexities

(Newser) - America is getting older, and the elderly account for 15% to 20% of emergency room visits, so hospitals have come up with a new way to cater to them: the geriatric ER. Dozens of these facilities are opening across the country, the New York Times reports, looking more like soothing...

George McGovern Hospitalized
 George McGovern Hospitalized
Apr 5, 2012 2:12 AM CDT

George McGovern Hospitalized

He's having tests to find fainting cause: daughter

(Newser) - George McGovern has been hospitalized in Florida for tests, his daughter said yesterday. The former South Dakota senator and one-time presidential candidate was admitted to a St. Augustine hospital so doctors can determine why he occasionally passes out and loses his ability to speak, reports the Sioux Falls Argus Leader...

TSA May Let Older Fliers Keep Their Shoes On

Test begins at four airports

(Newser) - The TSA is starting to lighten up a little in terms of airport security. A test program at four big airports—O'Hare, Orlando, Denver, and Portland—will let passengers 75 and older keep their shoes and light jackets on, reports USA Today . Assuming all goes well, the rules will...

Despite Recession, More Older Americans Employed

In part because they have to be

(Newser) - The good news is that at least one segment of the population has seen its employment statistics actually rise in this economic downturn. The bad news? That segment is older Americans, many of whom are only working because they're afraid they don't have enough savings to retire, the...

'Silent Strokes' May Damage Memory

About 25% of seniors have had them

(Newser) - "Silent strokes" may be taking a toll on seniors' memory. A new study shows that seniors who have suffered such strokes—they don't have obvious symptoms but leave behind dead brain cells—do worse on memory tests, reports USA Today . It's no small thing: An estimated 1...

Plastic Surgery Booms for Older Americans

Some doctors warn that more study is needed

(Newser) - With people living longer than ever and baby boomers entering old age, look for plastic surgery among those 65 and older to continue its remarkable growth—84,685 procedures last year alone, reports the New York Times . “In my day, no one ever thought about breast enhancement or anything,...

Elderly Woman Dies From Heat After A/C Theft

79-year-old reported it missing two days before death

(Newser) - Somebody took a lot more than just an air conditioner from an elderly Texas woman. Two days after the 79-year-old reported her $2,500 unit stolen from the back of her home, she died of heat exhaustion, reports the Christian Post . It was the fourth time she had had her...

AARP: Families Provide $450B in Unpaid Care

One in four adults caring for a family member at home

(Newser) - About one in four US adults provided unpaid care for a sick or disabled family member at home in 2009, and AARP estimates the dollar value to be $450 billion, the AP reports. These 42.1 million people provided an average of 18.4 hours of care per week, up...

Nursing Homes Overmedicating Seniors With Dementia: Health Department Report
Nursing Homes, Big Pharma Overmedicating Seniors
federal report
May 10, 2011 4:38 PM CDT

Nursing Homes, Big Pharma Overmedicating Seniors

Residents with dementia get antipsychotics, boosting death risk: US report

(Newser) - Nursing homes are treating dementia sufferers with powerful antipsychotics despite FDA advice to the contrary, according to a Health and Human Services report spotted by Pro Publica . The FDA began requiring antipsychotics to carry warning labels in 2005 stating the increased death risk they pose for dementia patients. But 88%...

Elderly Americans Getting Too Many Colonoscopies

Study says unnecessary colon screening are health risk, drain on Medicare

(Newser) - Americans are getting repeat colon cancer tests they don't need and Medicare is paying for it, a new study reveals. The screening is only necessary once every 10 years, but almost half of the Medicare patients in the study had a colonoscopy less than seven years after getting normal...

STDs Soar Among Seniors
 STDs Soar 
 Among Seniors 
Apr 19, 2011 2:11 PM CDT

STDs Soar Among Seniors

Chlamydia and syphilis rise faster than national average

(Newser) - Maybe it’s longer lives; maybe it’s Viagra. Either way, STDs are soaring among seniors—and climbing faster among older adults than within the population as a whole. Reportings of syphilis and chlamydia among those 55 and older jumped 43% between 2005 and 2009, the Orlando Sentinel finds in...

How to Live to 100: Learn to Bounce Back

Those who adapt to stress live longer, writes geriatrics expert

(Newser) - Dr. Mark Lachs is an expert on geriatrics, and his oldest patient is 109. Not only is she 109, but she still lives at home—"with all her marbles," he writes—and enjoys chocolate truffles and Budweiser. What's her secret? "Adaptive competence," which Lachs defines as...

What Age Are We Happiest?
 What Age Are We Happiest? 
Apr 3, 2011 2:00 PM CDT

What Age Are We Happiest?

In our 80s, research shows

(Newser) - Wait a second before you buy that "over the hill" cake for your buddy's 40th birthday: Research shows that satisfaction and optimism actually increase after we reach middle age, and peak as late as our 80s. Why? Responsibilities ease, maturity increases, and we are often able to focus on...

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