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Geriatric palliative care news

Mobility tests can tell doctors a lot about how you're aging, but there are many other factors

Hand grip strength. Balance tests. Standing up from a seated position on the floor. These physical challenges are often touted as measurements of healthy aging and even predictors of longevity.

Telemedicine intervention fails to reduce nursing home hospitalizations, study finds

Implementing an intersectoral, telemedicine-based intervention in nursing homes did not lead to a statistically significant reduction in patient hospitalizations, according to a prospective, multicenter cluster-randomized ...

App-based support improves dementia caregivers' well-being

As the prevalence of dementia increases, family members continue to be the primary caregivers for loved ones coping with the disease. Some of the most distressing aspects of dementia are behavioral symptoms—such as agitation ...

Chronic pain is missing from America's heat warnings

When a heat wave arrives, the public health advice follows a familiar script: Drink water, watch for heat stroke, check on people with heart or lung conditions. That list saves lives. But it leaves out something that shapes ...

Poor housing conditions can raise fall risk for older adults

Older adults living in homes with electrical or plumbing problems, insufficient space or poor lighting are more likely to experience a fall, according to a new study published Aug. 5, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS ...

One in six hospital beds filled by dementia patients

The study is the most comprehensive review of dementia hospitalizations ever undertaken in the UK. The researchers outline how delayed discharges, lack of communication among NHS staff and hospital environments unsuitable ...

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 ...

Three medical routines that older people may not need

Enough time had passed since the patient's previous colonoscopy that she met the criteria to undergo another, said Dr. Steven Itzkowitz, a gastroenterologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

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 ...

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 ...