Elders Keep Falling A Secret for Fear of Losing Independence

Kate Rauch | Caring.com

Last week, my kids' babysitter rushed outside yelling at me to follow. Had a child fallen off a scooter or out of the tree? Not this time. There on the sidewalk was my neighbor, an elderly woman >>More

When feminism meets elder care, the results are tense

Jane Glenn Haas | Orange County Register

Daughters are still turned to most often to help aging parents. When they also are employees, something has to give. >>More

Rice U researchers developing cancer-fighting beer

Sharon Gaudin | Computerworld

A team of researchers at Rice University in Houston is working to create a beer that could fight cancer and heart disease. Taylor Stevenson, a member of the six-student research team and a junior at Rice, said the team is using genetic engineering to create a beer that includes resveratrol, the disease-fighting chemical that's been found in red wine. >>More

Common Medications Could Cause Physical Impairment in the Elderly

Drugs for acid reflux, urinary incontinence 'slow down' seniors, studies say >>More

CAST (Center for Aging Technologies) releases report on how high tech can help old people >>Download

Shoe that warns when you are going to fall

Pat Hagen | Daily Mail - UK

A shoe that predicts if someone is likely to fall could slash the number of hip fractures suffered by the elderly.

Called the iShoe, it is actually a high-tech insole packed with computerized sensors that can monitor balance through the soles of the feet. >>More

Silver Alert Helps Track Wandering Seniors

MSNBC

Lawmakers have come up with ways to help police find senior citizens who have gone missing. One of the more prominent ideas, usually called Silver Alerts, piggybacks on the success of the Amber Alert program, which broadcasts media bulletins and posts lookout information on highway signs when a child is reported missing.>>More

News on Matures Around the Globe

Sound of Ocean and Calming Voice Help Lower Blood Pressure in Elderly

An audio relaxation program lowered blood pressure more than a Mozart sonata in a group of elderly people with high blood pressure, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s 62nd Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

In a study of elderly participants at three retirement facilities researchers held sessions where they played recorded ocean sounds and a soothing voice. They also played Mozart and recorded systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate before and after each session. >>More

Lack of Energy in Old Age May Foretell Illness

US News & World Report

When elderly patients complain they have a lack of energy, doctors shouldn't dismiss it as a normal part of aging, say researchers who found that lack of energy (anergia) is associated with several health problems and higher rates of hospitalization and death.

The study of more than 2,100 New York City residents, ages 65 to 104, found that almost one in five reported so little energy, they spent most of the day sitting on the sofa.

"When elderly people complain they're tired, most doctors say, 'Yeah, well, you're old.' They tell their patients that feeling listless is an expected part of aging, but there are reasons people are tired, and they need to be investigated. For clinicians, the message from our study is that a lack of energy is widespread in the elderly, but it's not normal," senior author Dr. Mathew Maurer, associate professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, said. >>More

Lack of Energy Not A Normal Sign of Aging

Sarah Henry, Caring.com

Mom routinely nods off in the rocking chair while she knits. Dad snores loudly on the sofa all afternoon while the TV blares. Just typical snapshots of healthy aging among the silver-haired set, right?

Wrong. Despite the popular misconception, feeling old and tired don't have to go hand-in-hand. And, according to a recent study in the Journal of Gerontology, when a senior lacks energy, it could well be a sign that trouble is brewing. >>More

Hoarseness in seniors may not be normal

The breathy, hoarse voice of senior citizens is often thought to be a normal sign of ageing. But doctors at the Duke Voice Care Centre say that's a false perception that needs to change. And they've discovered that it may partially explain why seniors who want treatment for the condition aren't seeking it.

That's a problem, added Seth Cohen, M.D., a Duke otolaryngologist and the study's lead author, because voice and swallowing concerns can lead to serious quality of life issues including anxiety, depression and social withdrawal.

Nearly 20 percent of the 248 octogenarians studied by the Duke researchers had dysphonia, the medical term for hoarseness, weakness or loss of voice. >>More