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Geriatric palliative care news

End-of-life care metric tracks how time grows more valuable for terminal cancer patients

A research team at Lund University in Sweden has studied how patients with advanced cancer seek care during the final stages of their lives. By studying their care patterns, the research team has developed a measurement method ...

Healthy lifespan cut short by sex-dependent depressive symptoms in older adults

Depression is a serious mental health issue that can rob us of joy—and years of healthy living. While we know depressive symptoms can cut the remaining years of disability-free living (or "healthspan") in older adults, it ...

Statin use linked to lower risk of frailty in older veterans

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have demonstrated that older U.S. veterans who initiated statin therapy were significantly less likely to develop frailty over time, suggesting that the cholesterol-lowering medications ...

Life after work: Why social connections matter

Social networks may help protect cognitive functioning in later life, particularly among older adults who are no longer working, according to a new IIASA-led study. Drawing on data from 27 European countries, the researchers ...

How hospital admission affects persons with dementia

Dementia makes most things in life more difficult, including hospital care. Though often essential for patients with severe acute illness, hospital care can be confusing for persons with dementia (PWD). Compared with older ...

The potential problems of living longer: Q&A

Many scientists are trying to determine just how much medical intervention can lengthen the human lifespan. But Daniel Promislow, senior scientist and scientific advisor at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center ...

Aging well in a digital world

As Australia and the world face rapidly aging populations, technology is increasingly promoted as the answer to helping older people live safely, independently and well—but experts warn that innovation alone is not enough.

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 ...

Study finds major gaps in dementia care across Mississippi

Some 80% of Mississippi counties have no adult day service centers, and even counties that do have centers cannot meet the needs of people with dementia and their caregivers, a new University of Mississippi-led study indicates. ...

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 ...