According to JAMA, applying the updated 2014 blood pressure (BP) guideline to the U.S. population suggests that nearly 6 million adults are no longer classified as needing hypertension medication, and that an estimated 13.5 million adults would now be considered as having achieved goal blood pressure, primarily older adults. Ann...
Author Archives: anthony
Chronic Sleep Loss May Cause Brain Damage
A new Penn Medicine study suggests that chronic sleep loss may cause brain damage. Chronic sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought and may even lead to irreversible physical damage to and loss of brain cells.åÊThe research is published today in The Journal of Neuroscience. Sigrid Veasey, MD...
When an Advance Directive is in Place, Dying is More Dignified and Peaceful
A Belgian study suggests that when a nursing home patient has advanced directives in place, dying is more peaceful. Advance care planning is considered a central component of good quality palliative care and especially relevant for people who lose the capacity to make decisions at the end of life. Investigators...
COPD Associated With Increased Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment
A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in older adults was associated with increased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), especially MCI of skills other than memory, and the greatest risk was among patients who had COPD for more than five years according to a study in JAMA. Balwinder...
Supplements Have No Benefit in Reducing Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Elderly with Macular Degeneration
According to a new study in JAMA, supplements have no benefit in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease in the elderly with macular degeneration. Daily dietary supplements of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (also found in fish) or lutein and zeaxanthin (nutrients found in green leafy vegetables) were not associated with reduced...
New Blood Test Can Predict Alzheimer’s Before Symptoms. Do You Want to Know?
A recent study in Nature Magazine announced a blood test that couldåÊpredict Alzheimer’s before its characteristic symptoms emerge. The paper identified levels of 10 fats seen in the blood of people who went on to develop Alzheimer’s 2-3 years later.åÊ The test was accurate about 90% of the time in...
Hearing Impairment Associated With Depression in Adults, Especially Women
Hearing Impairment (HI) is associated with depression in adults, especially women and individuals younger than 70 years, according to JAMA authors Chuan-Ming Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., and colleagues. Depression and HI are associated with personal,...
HELP US TO MAKE THE VOICES OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA HEARD IN WASHINGTON DC!
CCAL-Advancing Person-Centered Living is working with the University of Buffalo-Institute for Person-Centered Care on a research project funded by the Retirement Research Foundation and approved by the Internal Review Board at the University of Buffalo. This is the second round of a survey which aims to develop agreement on priorities...
Alzheimer’s Deaths Vastly Under-reported
According to a study in the journal Neurology, there were an estimated 503,400 deaths in Americans aged 75 years and older attributable to Alzheimer’s Disease in 2010 compared with less than 84,000 reported on death certificates for that year. Experts say Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are under-reported on death...
Rare Caregivers Site Addresses the Needs of Family Caregivers of Loved Ones with Rare Diseases
The Caregiver Action Network (CAN) has announced the launch of www.RareCaregivers.org, a comprehensive online guide that addresses the needs of family caregivers of loved ones with rare diseases. ÛÏAs a caregiver of a loved one with a rare disease, you can feel overwhelmed and hardly know where to start.åÊ ThatÛªs...