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Geriatric palliative care news

Pet visits bring 'a small moment of home' to long-term care, study finds

Residents in an Edmonton long-term care home are getting regular visits from therapy dogs this summer, thanks to a pilot project designed by University of Alberta nursing researcher Brittany DeGraves. The project builds on ...

Dementia care: Re‑envisioning the role of music

As a certified music therapist, I have observed firsthand the many ways music can bring meaning and beauty into people's lives, even under very difficult circumstances. Much of my clinical work and research has occurred in ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...