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Geriatric palliative care news

Native Hawaiian adults face mobility challenges earlier in life

Native Hawaiian adults experience mobility limitations—including challenges with agility, gait, balance and fall risk—at significantly higher rates and at younger ages than other major racial and ethnic groups in Hawaiʻi, ...

Are older people with brain diseases more likely to have a traumatic brain injury?

According to a study published in Neurology, the risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and certain brain diseases may go in both directions. Studies have shown that having a TBI may increase the risk of developing a stroke, ...

At 85 and healthy? Why more medicine may do more harm

When a patient has made it to 85 years old in reasonable health, their instinct—and often their physician's—is to redouble prevention efforts, optimize every number and close every gap. I want to argue the opposite.

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 ...

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 ...