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Geriatric palliative care news

UK heat risk leaves vulnerable people dangerously exposed

Older people, care home residents and those living in poor-quality housing are facing growing danger from extreme heat, as new research warns that the UK is failing to protect those most at risk. The work is published in ...

Structured lifestyle programs may help slow aging in older adults, study finds

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found evidence of slowed aging from lifestyle behaviors like healthy eating and exercise as part of a major clinical trial.

How advance directives may affect end-of-life care

Advance directives document patient preferences for future care, including end-of-life. An analysis in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that older patients with an advance directive that had been uploaded ...

Routine coastal flooding could become deadly for older adults

Routine high-tide flooding in coastal communities could lead to thousands of deaths among older adults by the end of the century, according to a new study co-authored by Florida State University researcher Mathew Hauer. Published ...

Heavy caring responsibilities may hasten cognitive decline

Onerous caring responsibilities reduce brain function for people aged 50 and over, whereas light caring duties can actually be beneficial to middle-aged and older people's mental abilities, finds a new study led by University ...

Simple home test predicts mobility decline in older adults

Predicting whether a healthy 45-year-old will struggle to climb stairs or walk a decade later has long been a challenge for geriatric medicine. Now, a study published in JMIR Aging, reveals that early mobility decline can ...

Annual frailty screening recommended for the over 65s

A new framework to prevent and manage frailty in older Australians has been developed in a national project led by University of Queensland researchers. The Australian Consensus Statements are recommendations designed in ...

In older adults, adding whey protein doesn't make more muscle

Packing in the protein is all the rage. From cereal to pasta to nacho chips and more, food manufacturers are trying to get as much of the stuff into their products as possible, and one of the benefits they tout is that protein ...

Why supplements aren't a shortcut to healthy aging

The use of dietary supplements has increased sharply in recent years. Vitamins, minerals and other nutritional products are often marketed as simple ways to boost energy, support immunity, protect brain health or even promote ...

Research reshapes the complexity of aging

A study highlighting key advances in the complexity of aging has been published in Science Advances. The work is titled "The longevity effects of reduced IGF-1 signaling depend on the stability of the mitochondrial genome."

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.

Cancer patients want to participate in difficult decisions

"Patients do not want to be shielded from difficult treatment decisions," says Associate Professor Jannicke Rabben at Norway's University of Agder (UiA). "Even patients who say that the doctor knows best often want to be ...

Study finds 45% of adults 65 and older improved over 12 years

Aging in later life is often portrayed as a steady slide toward physical and cognitive decline. But a new study by scientists at Yale University suggests an alternate narrative—that older individuals can and do improve over ...

Research reveals medication information risks in aged care

A new report from Griffith University has found that fragmented medication systems in Australian aged care are driving high rates of medication discrepancies and avoidable hospital admissions—costing the health system an ...

Experts urge age-tailored sleep apnea strategies for seniors

Researchers from Marshall University, the University of Washington, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano and the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, University and Polytechnic La Fe Hospital in Spain have published a comprehensive ...

Centenarians' blood sheds light on the mechanisms of longevity

In Switzerland, 0.02% of the population lives beyond the age of 100. Could there be biological characteristics associated with this exceptional longevity? As part of the "SWISS100" study, the first large-scale Swiss research ...

Robotic pets help dementia patients recover and return home

For a person living with dementia, a hospital stay can be a terrifying whirlwind of strange faces, loud noises and confusing tests. This disorientation often leads to a condition called delirium, which can slow down recovery ...

Heart attack study reveals 'survival paradox'

Research from the University of Leicester and NIHR challenges the "one-size-fits-all" approach to heart attack care, adding critical nuance to the debate on sex disparities. A new study involving more than 900,000 patients ...