Brain imaging studies have repeatedly found that people with depression have smaller hippocampal volumes than healthy individuals. The hippocampus is a brain region involved in learning and memory, spatial navigation, and the evaluation of complex life situations or “contexts”. However, because in prior studies hippocampal volume was only measured in people once they became depressed, […]
Tag Archives | Elderly
Progressive Strength Training Counteracts Muscle Atrophy In Middle To Late Adulthood
People lose 30% of their muscle strength between the ages of 50 and 70 years. However, maintaining muscle strength in old age is enormously important in order to maintain mobility and to be able to lead an independent life and manage everyday tasks independently. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Frank Mayer and […]
Active Social, Spiritual And Physical Life Helps To Prevent Health Decline In Seniors
Small, healthy lifestyle changes and involvement in meaningful activities — going beyond just diet and exercise — are critical to healthy aging, according to a new USC study. Guided by lifestyle advisors, seniors participating in the study made small, sustainable changes in their routines (such as visiting a museum with a friend once a week) […]
Medicare Spending Linked To Longer Life And Better Health In Elderly People
In 2009, Medicare spending grew about 8 percent to over $502 billion and projections indicate growth at an average rate of nearly 6 percent per year through 2019. Powerful debates are under way in Washington on how to reduce Medicare spending. However, findings of a new study suggest that cutting Medicare spending across the board […]
Dementia And Mild Cognitive Impairment Common In ‘Oldest Old’ Women
Mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and their subtypes are common in the “oldest old” women, which includes those 85 years of age and older, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The oldest old is “the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population and is expected […]
Inappropriate Psychotropics Are More Often Used By Elderly With Low Income
Elderly persons often have several diseases and use many drugs; they are also more sensitive to drugs compared to younger persons. Use of more drugs than necessary tends to occur among the elderly, however, underuse of drugs and use of inappropriate types of drugs also occur. Psychotropic drugs, such as hypnotics, anxiolytics, and antidepressant drugs, […]
Moderate Exercise Improves Brain Blood Flow In Elderly Women
Research conducted at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital’s Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas suggests that it is never too late for women to reap the benefits of moderate aerobic exercise. In a 3-month study of 16 women age 60 and older, brisk walking for 30 to 50 minutes three or four times per […]
Seniors Who Are Obese Benefit Most From A Diet-Exercise Combination
For obese seniors, dieting and exercise together are more effective at improving physical performance and reducing frailty than either alone. The research, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is reported March 31 in The New England Journal of Medicine. Older adults who are obese face severe health risks, including […]
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