Last update:

Geriatric palliative care news

Novel in-hospital screening method detects cognitive issues

More than 40% of older people admitted to U.S. hospitals have dementia, yet only half of them have been diagnosed with memory and cognitive difficulty. Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have developed ...

An app that improves decision-making: Study shows myKIDNEY helps patients make better informed choices

For an elderly patient facing end-stage kidney disease, the default answer has long been dialysis. But a new study by Duke-NUS Medical School and its collaborators at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the National University ...

Choosing safer diabetes medications for older adults

Older adults with type 2 diabetes face a difficult trade-off: they are among the most vulnerable to medication-related harms yet are often underrepresented in the clinical trials that guide treatment decisions. A new study ...

Voting is linked to living longer

A new study co-authored by Femida Handy of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania finds that, among older adults, voting predicts a lower risk of mortality for up to 15 years.

Greater optimism tied to 15% lower dementia risk over 14 years

The more optimistic a person is, the lower their risk of developing dementia, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The research, published April 8 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics ...

Hospital delirium a 'red flag' for severe health decline

A single episode of delirium—a state of confusion and agitation—in hospitalized older adults is a significant risk factor for other serious health complications including fractures, stroke and sepsis, a University of Queensland ...

Should people over 75 continue colonoscopies?

The American Cancer Society recommends screening for colorectal cancer in adults beginning at age 45 and continuing through age 75. However, adults over the age of 75 with a history of precancerous polyps—also known as adenomas—are ...

The dark side of music as 'therapy'

A violinist plays in a cancer ward. A playlist loops in the waiting room. A surgeon hums along to the radio mid-operation. We assume, almost without thinking, that music helps. But what if it doesn't—or worse, what if it ...

Do genes dictate how lifestyle choices impact aging?

Lifestyle-behavioral factors and socioeconomic status play an important role in shaping healthy aging, but their effects may differ depending on the individual's DNA, according to a new international study led by Adelaide ...

How life stories shape the path to assisted death

The debate surrounding the provision of assistance to those wishing to die has long centered on abstract notions such as individual choice and personal autonomy. What is often missing from the discussion, says sociologist ...

Caregiving without a net: Poll shows who needs help most

Nearly a third of Americans over age 50 provide regular care to an adult relative or friend with a health issue or disability, a new poll finds. But many of them don't know about, or use, local resources that could help them ...

New video series boosts safe psychotropic use in aged care

Researchers at Monash University and Flinders University have launched a series of microlearning education videos designed to support safer, more appropriate use of psychotropic medications for people living with dementia ...