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☆ Taking Multiple Medications? You May Need to Scale Back.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Knvul Sheikh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Around one in five adults between the ages of 40 to 79 is taking five or more prescription drugs, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the older patients are, the more likely it is they’re taking even more medications. But taking many medicines simultaneously, known among medical experts as polypharmacy, increases people’s risk of experiencing severe side effects and drug interactions, said Dr. Nina Blachman, an assistant professor of medicine and geriatrics at the N.Y.U. Studies show that taking multiple medications is associated with a faster decline in memory in some patients with mild cognitive impairment, and with a greater risk of falls among people with balance problems or weakened muscles. Many are never taken off the drugs they’ve been prescribed for years, even if they no longer need them or if there are newer formulations available that can treat different symptoms simultaneously..

Persons: Nina Blachman, Blachman, they’ve Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Grossman, of Medicine . Studies

☆ Healthy living may battle cognitive decline even with signs of dementia in the brain, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Living a healthy lifestyle with a focus on a nutritious diet, regular exercise, minimum alcohol consumption and other healthy habits can help keep your brain sharp into old age, doctors say. But what if your brain already has signs of beta amyloid or tau — two of the hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s and other brain pathologies? Will a healthy lifestyle still protect you from cognitive decline? Not everyone who has signs of Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia goes on to develop cognitive issues, but many do. In fact, “a higher healthy lifestyle score was associated with better cognition even after accounting for the combined burden of brain pathologies,” according to Yaffe and Leng.

Persons: ”, Dr, Klodian, Richard Isaacson, “, Isaacson, wasn’t, —, Kobus, Lewy, Yue Leng, Kristine Yaffe, Yaffe, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences . Leng, Leng, it’s Organizations: CNN, Rush Institute, Healthy Aging, Rush University, “, University of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences . Locations: Chicago, Florida, San

☆ Mental Acuity Questions Catch Up With Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Susan Milligan | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

"Some people at Biden's and Trump's age are in a nursing home. Still, questions about the mental capacities of both Biden and Trump have been an issue in the campaign. How could they go after Trump's mental state without drawing attention to Biden's age – a factor polls show is one of his greatest vulnerabilities? Her youth and GOP membership make her a good person to challenge Trump on his mental acuity, but it's "too little, too late," he says. "The reason Trump's age has generally not been an issue is [because of] the energy around his supporters and the energy directed at him from his supporters.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, It's, Steven Austad, Biden's, …, Joe, missteps, He's, Viktor Orban, Orban, Barack Obama, Obama, you'd, John Gartner, Trump's, Gartner, Trump –, Goldwater, Barry Goldwater, Donald Jurivich, Jurivich, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Haley, I’ve, ” Haley, let’s, Donald, Basil Smikle, Smikle, Melody Crowder, Meyer, " Crowder Organizations: United Nations, Capitol, ABC, Washington Post, Biden, University of Alabama, Conservative, Fox News, New York Post, New Hampshire, Johns Hopkins University, Gartner, American Psychiatric Association, Donald Trump View, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, GOP, Democratic, Columbia University, Davidson College, Trump Locations: Biden's, Hungarian, Turkey, Baltimore, United States, South Carolina

☆ Who will care for older adults? We’ve plenty of know-how but too few specialists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Research suggests each geriatrician should care for no more than 700 patients; the current ratio of providers to older patients is 1 to 10,000. In some respects, geriatrics has been remarkably successful in disseminating principles and practices meant to improve the care of older adults. Under this model, older adults with acute but non-life-threatening illnesses get care at home, managed closely by nurses and doctors. In July 2019, the American College of Surgeons created a program with 32 standards designed to improve the care of older adults. The bright lights, noise, and harried atmosphere in hospital emergency rooms can disorient older adults.

Persons: Jerry Gurwitz, “, ” Gurwitz, What’s, “ There’s, ”, geriatrician Gregg Warshaw, geriatrics, Michael Harper, Thomas Robinson, geriatricians, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Lisa Walke, Harper Organizations: CNN, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, American Geriatrics Society, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of California, Seniors, American College of Surgeons, Initiative, Geriatric, American College of Emergency Physicians, Centers, Medicare, Medicaid Services, UCLA, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, UCSF, Get CNN, CNN Health, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, KFF Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: United States, San Francisco

☆ Blood tests needed for widespread Alzheimer's diagnosis on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Several Alzheimer's blood tests are in the works – and one is already being sold to consumers – but none have been established as accurate, formally approved by regulators or reimbursed by insurers. Researchers have been working for years on blood tests for Alzheimer's that can replicate these diagnostic tools. The need for blood tests has become more pressing since the FDA approved Leqembi in July. Accurate blood tests are expected to help identify which dementia patients actually have Alzheimer’s, the most common but not the only cause of dementia. "When there are widely available, scalable, sensitive and specific blood tests it will be an absolute game changer for Alzheimer's patients."

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Eli Lilly, Dr, Sarah Kremen, Eliezer Masliah, Eisai, Michael Irizarry, Roche, Bruce Jordan, Russ Paulsen, Deena Beasley, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Memory Centre, of Readaptation, University Hospital, REUTERS, FDA, Sinai Medical Center, Wednesday, Quest Diagnostics, National Institute, Aging, U.S . National Institutes of Health, C2N Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Alzheimer's Association, RAND, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Leqembi, Eisai, Los Angeles, U.S

☆ Regular internet use may be linked to lower dementia risk in older adults, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggested that older people who regularly used the internet were less likely to develop dementia. Scientists still don’t know what causes dementia, so the new research can’t pinpoint the exact connection between internet usage and brain health. A 2020 study found an association between cognitively stimulating jobs and a lower risk of dementia, for example. Research also suggests that most older adults most frequently use the internet for basic tasks like email, news or online banking. And learning new skills may be protective against dementia, studies suggest.

“And the pulse oximeter is used from any age to geriatrics,” he said. The US Food and Drug Administration is mulling over next steps for the regulation of pulse oximeter devices, which may give less accurate readings for people of color. A panel of its Medical Devices Advisory Committee met in November to review clinical data on the issue. “I think of the pulse oximeter reading in the same way. Of course this can be dangerous.”Ultimately, the pulse oximeter can estimate the amount of oxygen a person has in their blood without the need for a blood sample.

☆ Ultraprocessed food may contribute to dementia, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —We all eat them — ultraprocessed foods such as frozen pizza and ready-to-eat meals make our busy lives much easier. If more than 20% of your daily calorie intake is ultraprocessed foods, however, you may be raising your risk for cognitive decline, a new study found. While short of proof, this is robust enough that we should conclude ultraprocessed foods are probably bad for our brains.”There was an interesting twist, however. “Ultraprocessed foods drag diet quality down, and thus their concentration in the diet is an indicator of poor diet quality in most cases,” Katz said. One easy way to ensure diet quality is to cook and prepare your food from scratch, Suemoto said.

☆ Analysis: Alzheimer's drug trial breakthrough boost for Roche, Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company's offices in San Diego, California, U.S., September 17, 2020. Nearly all Alzheimer's drugs, including those targeting amyloid, have stumbled in trials. Late-stage data on gantenerumab is expected by the fourth quarter, Roche said in a statement, saying it was encouraged by the lecanemab data. Results of a key late-stage trial testing the drug are anticipated by mid-2023. AMYLOID HYPOTHESISSome researchers, including Frederiksen, are cautiously optimistic about the impact the Biogen, Eisai data has on the likelihood of success for the other two drugs in development.

☆ How the mind of an 80-year-old president is biologically different from a 45-year-old president's
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

It was 1988, and he'd approached President Ronald Reagan in the Cabinet room at the White House. People scoffed at the glowing hourlong media conference that President Donald Trump's White House doctor gave about his health. Reagan publicly announced he had Alzheimer's disease five years after he left the White House. Francis Shen, who teaches psychiatry at Harvard Medical School's Center for Bioethics, would like to see information about political leaders' cognitive health made public. Cognitive health should be no different, he said, because it also might affect the way presidents and members of Congress make important decisions.

☆ How to Stay Safe in the Heat
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-20 | by ( Christine Hauser | The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

How to Stay Safe in the Heat Give this articleImage People flocked to Alki Beach in Seattle in June 2021 to escape the heat. Rising temperatures can put many at risk for heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Here’s guidance from experts on how to stay cool during the swelter — even without air-conditioning. There are a few tips to keep in mind to stay hydrated during a heat wave, when people should be especially vigilant about keeping themselves safe and healthy. Trying to stay cool during a heat wave in Houston in June.

Persons: Ruth Fremson, It’s, Kelly Hyndman, Leslie Swanson, Dr, Swanson, ”, Philip Gehrman, Justin Fiala, “ You’re, Fiala, Brandon Bell, Juan Arredondo, Basil Eldadah, Sharon A, Brangman, Eldadah, James Mark, Claire McCarthy, haven’t, “, they’re, Tony Woodward Organizations: New York Times, Northern, Centers for Disease Control, University of Alabama, Getty, University of Michigan, Penn Sleep Center, University of Pennsylvania, New York Times Company, Northwestern Medicine, ., The New York Times, National Institute, Aging, SUNY, Medical University, Cleveland Clinic, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Seattle Children’s Locations: Alki, Seattle, Europe, Birmingham, Houston, United, geriatrics, Syracuse, N.Y, Ohio, Boston

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