Obese older adults are more likely to use walkers, canes, and other mobility devices at a younger age, and may run the risk of using them incorrectly, according to new research from Purdue University. äóìBaby Boomers are coming of age and obesity is an epidemic for this population as well,äó...
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Senior Exercise Vital No Matter When You Start
Keeping seniors moving is vital, and some exercise is better than none at all. According to a recent HealthDay News item, getting seniors to work out can be challenging. Experts in elderly exercise note that seniors will give reasons as varied as feeling self-conscious to serious fears of falling when...
Medicare Beneficiaries’ Flu Shots Free This Year
Individuals covered under Medicare will be eligible to receive this year’s flu shot without co-pays or deductibles, according to health officials. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates that those with Medicare and private health plans receive flu vaccine coverage, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. This...
Home Care Aides’ Salaries Near Poverty
More and more personal and home care aides (PHCA) are being paid wages that put them at risk of falling below the poverty line, according to a recent salary analysis. Between 1999 and 2009, wages for PHCA rose from a national median of $7.50 an hour to $9.26 an hour,...
Wrist Fractures in Women as Dangerous as Arthritis, Diabetes and Falls
New research indicates that older women who experience a wrist fracture tend to develop more disabilities. Wrist fracture is the most common upper-extremity injury sustained by elderly individuals, according to a report from researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. Of the 6,107 older women followed sampled for the report, 268...
Physician and Patient Email Communication Improves Quality
Kaiser Permanente studied 35,423 peoplewith diabetes, hypertension, or both, who used secure patient-physiciane-mail within a two-month period. That communication was associated with a statisticallysignificant improvement in effectiveness of care as measuredby the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS).In addition, the use of e-mail was associated with an improvementof 2.0äóñ6.5...
Dance Therapy Improves Seniors’ Balance
Two recent studies conducted by University of Missouri researchers found that participation in dance-based therapy can improve balance and gait in older adults. Improved functionality among seniors can decrease their risk of falling and reduce costly injuries. The researchers used a dance-therapy program called The Lebed Method (TLM), which includes...
Smoking Cessation Programs Covered by Medicare
People with Medicare who are diagnosed with a smoking-related disease, including heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), multiple cancers, lung disease, weak bones, blood clots, and cataracts can get coverage for smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling. These diseases account for the bulk of Medicare spending today. People with Medicare who...
Beyond Dementia – Reasons for Nursing Home Admissions and What You Can Do For Your Elders
The Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged examines predictors of nursing home admissions among seniors without a dementia diagnosis. It is one of the first analyses that don’t consider dementia. 1,024 elderly adults over 75 without dementia were interviewed six times on average every 1.4 years, according to the report....
Hospital Delirium – Protecting Your Elders
About a third of patients over age 70 experience hospital delirium, and the consequences can be serious, delaying a patientäó»s recovery and even leading to placement in a nursing home. Elderly patients who experience delirium are also more likely to develop dementia later on, and more likely to die sooner...