All articles tagged: Gerontology & Geriatrics

Health centers across Japan conduct simple physical performance tests for older adults, including the single-leg balance and sit-to-stand tests. Based on a follow-up study of approximately 1,000 individuals, researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed an evaluation scale that uses the combined scores of three simple physical performance tests to predict high risk of requiring long-term car

As populations age, the prevalence of sarcopenia—a progressive loss of muscle mass and function—has become an increasingly urgent public health concern. Sarcopenia increases the risk of falls and frailty, reduces the quality of life for older adults, and heightens the likelihood of requiring long-term care. Preventing sarcopenia is, therefore, crucial for alleviating this health care burden.

Could you imagine having a driving lesson in your 50s or 60s, even though you've been driving since your late teens?

The aging and failure of cells that occurs when the liver is damaged can spread to other organs, suggests a new study in mice and humans from researchers at UCL, the University of Edinburgh and the CRUK Scotland Institute.

Ross Graham loves loud bands like Nine Inch Nails, and in his younger days he used to frequent ear-numbing concerts and crank up the volume on his headphones. He thinks it was a 2013 concert by the Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band in Indianapolis that probably wrecked his hearing.

What makes a good retirement? I've been researching the lives of "silver backpackers": Japanese seniors who embark on a later-life journey of self-discovery.

The Association for Palliative Care Medicine (APM) continues to misinform on palliative medicine doctors' stance on assisted dying, warn a group of palliative medicine consultants in the BMJ today.

Discoveries that impact lifespan and healthspan in fruit flies are usually tested in mice before being considered potentially relevant in humans, a process that is expensive and time-intensive. A pioneering approach taken at the Buck Institute leapfrogs over that standard methodology.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that global warming, combined with an aging population, could lead to a significant increase in people with severe electrolyte imbalances in the blood. The results are published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

How long a person can stand—on one leg—is a more telltale measure of aging than changes in strength or gait, according to new Mayo Clinic research. The study appears today in the journal PLOS ONE.

Baby Boom seniors are divorcing at rates triple that of a few decades ago, a new study has found.

Cars are ubiquitous in the U.S. and mass transit service has declined. With the exception of a few cities like New York and Chicago, visiting cultural attractions, attending social events, transporting grandchildren, shopping for groceries or a long list of other activities and tasks often require traveling in a car. Driving is critical to independence and mobility of older adults, making the deci

Having a multiplex helper is essential for enhancing the well-being of older adults. Recent findings show that 76% of older adults with at least one confidant and one caregiver have at least one multiplex helper—a person filling both roles—which has the potential to improve their overall health and happiness. Married or partnered seniors more often rely on their partner as a multiplex helper, whil

Scientists have identified previously unreported genes which appear to play a key role in the muscle aging process. It is hoped that the findings from a Nottingham Trent University study could be used to help delay the impact of the aging process.

A multi-state study, published in The Lancet, is one of the first real world data analyses of the effectiveness of the RSV—short for respiratory syncytial virus—vaccine. VISION Network researchers report that across the board these vaccines were highly effective in older adults, even those with immunocompromising conditions, during the 2023–24 respiratory disease season, the first season after RSV

Biologists at Brown University have discovered how a neuropeptide hormone made in the gut of flies can control their lifespan.

While the vast majority of people over 50 look for health information on the internet, a new poll shows 74% would have very little or no trust in such information if it were generated by artificial intelligence.

Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a clinical model that can accurately predict the risk of hip fractures in the elderly. The model is based on analyses of data from the entire Swedish population and can identify patients at high risk, without the need to measure skeletal strength. This can speed up the process for doctors and allow patients to receive preventive treatment. This is s

Brain endurance training (BET), a combined cognitive and exercise training method developed for athletes, boosts cognitive and physical abilities in older adults.

We don't all age at the same rate. But while some supercentenarians may age exceptionally slowly due to winning the genetics jackpot, a plethora of behavioral and lifestyle factors are known to speed up aging, including stress, poor sleep, poor nutrition, smoking, and alcohol. Since such environmental effects get imprinted on our genome in the form of epigenetic marks, it is possible to quantify m

So-called high-dose flu vaccines are available for older people. The reason: their immune system does not always respond sufficiently well to the standard flu vaccines. Why this is the case and the molecular processes behind it are not yet understood.

About 900,000 people in the United States live in assisted living, and roughly 15% could transfer to nursing homes annually—but little is known about the risk factors associated with having to make that move.

Loneliness has become a very important social problem in recent decades. The unwanted emotions it can cause have a direct impact on people's psychological well-being and are related to an increased risk of isolation, a decline in quality of life, poorer health, and even increased mortality. This situation is aggravated among older people, since they are a social group that is particularly vulnerab

Researchers at Virginia Tech are using wrist-worn voice recorders to capture real-world data to better understand what happens when people lose their balance. The study, led by Michael Madigan in the College of Engineering, builds on years of his own foundational work and prior research conducted by the University of Michigan Medical School.

Most Americans agree their community is in need of more affordable housing, health care and social support, and services to help residents remain living independently as they age, according to a new survey from West Health and Gallup. Sixty-five percent of Americans perceive a need for more affordable housing, and 60% say there is a need for more affordable health care and social support and servi

Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that each year, an estimated 56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in the last year of life, need palliative care.

Research from City St George's, University of London (My Home Life England initiative) reveals the breadth of experiences of older people living in care homes across the UK.

Targeting vaccination programs for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to older adults with underlying health conditions is a cost-effective way to reduce disease, according to a new modeling study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

A team of doctors and medical researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that vaccinating people 60 years and older against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) substantially reduces their chances of being hospitalized if they are infected.

A new research paper titled "Proteomic and secretomic comparison of young and aged dermal fibroblasts highlights cytoskeleton as a key component during aging" has been published in Aging.

The health of U.S. caregivers is worse than that seen in adults without the responsibility of caring for someone with a health problem or disability, according to research published in the Aug. 29 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures, also known as spinal compression fractures, are the most common types of fragility fractures in older adults. Typically, initial treatments for such fractures involve conservative therapy such as bed rest and rehabilitation with braces without surgery.

Aging is a biological process that no one can avoid. Ideally, growing old should be a time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Aging also has a darker side, however, often linked to disease.

High-dose and adjuvanted influenza (flu) vaccines boosted protection against flu symptoms and hospitalization for people 65 years and older during the 2022–2023 flu season compared to the standard flu vaccine.

A new editorial was published in Aging, titled "The benefits of exercise on aging: focus on muscle biomarkers."

A new editorial titled "Physical fitness and lifestyles associated with biological aging" has been published in Aging.

As detailed in the opening of this editorial, DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks are used as biomarkers of biological age in human health. Multiple epigenetic clocks have rapidly emerged in the past decade by modeling DNA methylation changes with age in large cohorts, primarily using peripheral blood samples.

Do older adults who live alone feel less satisfied with their lives? A new analysis of about 12,000 respondents aged 65 and older reveals that what matters for Canadian older adults' life satisfaction is not living alone per se. Rather, personality-based social dispositions play a key role in how older adults feel about living alone. In addition, the role these dispositions play tend to differ bet

Falls are a major concern for older adults and for those that love and care for them. They are a leading cause of injury for adults older than 65, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than a third of those who fell reported needing medical treatment or being benched from activity for at least a day.

Care homes can improve their end-of-life care services, and relieve stress on staff, by adopting a new approach to palliative care, according to newly published research.

When COVID-19 booster vaccines are in short supply, prioritizing the elderly over other age groups for booster vaccination results in the lowest loss of life, reports Robin Thompson at the University of Oxford and colleagues, in a study published August 8 in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology.

Most residential care community residents in 2022 were female, non-Hispanic white, and aged 85 years or older, according to an August data brief published by the National Center for Health Statistics.

A shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is reported to be associated with age-related diseases, including osteoporosis. Many studies have tried identifying the association between LTL and osteoporosis, although it remains controversial.

More than 1 in 4 people age 50 and older helps take care of at least one family member or friend who has a health problem or disability, a new poll finds.

Scientists using cutting-edge AI to analyze medical data have been able to predict a person's risk of developing conditions such as Alzheimer's and heart disease up to 10 years before a diagnosis. For the study, published in Nature Aging, researchers used machine learning to study blood samples from more than 45,000 people.

In the next 40 years in Australia, it's predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple.

ActiveHip+ is a multidisciplinary intervention delivered through a mobile application. Designed as part of a European project led by UGR lecturer Patrocinio Ariza Vega, its purpose is to facilitate the recovery of elderly people who have suffered a hip fracture. It is also intended for use by informal caregivers, such as family members.

Few people want to go into a nursing home, but doing so can be the right choice if you or a loved one is physically or cognitively disabled or recovering from surgery.

For individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, self-fit over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids offer comparable long-term benefits to audiologist-fit hearing aids, according to a study published online July 11 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

An aging population will bring colossal health, social, and economic challenges over the coming decades. As people live longer, staving off the physical decline and frailty that come with age has become a holy grail, with effective interventions projected to unlock significant societal and economic benefits. Estimates suggest that a slowdown in aging that increases life expectancy by one year alon

Palliative care, specialized medical care focusing on providing relief from the symptoms—including pain—and the stress of serious illness, is underutilized in nursing homes, despite the large number of nursing home residents living with a serious illness such as cancer, dementia, Parkinson's disease, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

As the population continues to age, improving the quality and efficiency of health care services for older adults has become increasingly important. However, the older adult population is diverse, often suffering from multiple diseases and various combinations of diseases.

As we age, our immune systems start to flag, leaving us more susceptible to cancer and infections—and less responsive to vaccines and cancer immunotherapies.

In-hospital delirium among older adults hospitalized for COVID-19 is associated with increased functional disability and cognitive impairment postdischarge, according to a study published online July 2 in JAMA Network Open.

Inflation rates may have cooled off recently, but a new poll shows many older adults are experiencing financial stress—especially those who say they're in fair or poor physical health or mental health.

About a third of Canadians feel lonely, and a study from the University of Waterloo shows it has a greater negative impact on memory than even social isolation, though both present a significant risk to the aging population.

Our aging population brings a growing crisis: people over 65 are at greater risk of dual sensory impairment (also known as "deafblindness" or combined vision and hearing loss).

Drugs that selectively kill senescent cells may benefit otherwise healthy older women but are not a "one-size-fits-all" remedy, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Specifically, these drugs may only benefit people with a high number of senescent cells, according to findings published July 2 in Nature Medicine.

A study from Michigan Medicine's Kresge Hearing Research Institute was able to produce supranormal hearing in mice, while also supporting a hypothesis on the cause of hidden hearing loss in humans.

In new vaccination guidance issued Wednesday, U.S. health officials now recommend that all Americans aged 75 and older get an RSV vaccine before fall arrives.

A new research paper titled "Associations of childhood, adolescence, and midlife cognitive function with DNA methylation age acceleration in midlife" has been published in Aging.

Falls are the most common cause of injury among adults 65 and older in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, more than 14 million older adults (one in four) report a fall. About 90% of head injuries among older individuals is due to ground-level falls.

A new review in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that community-dwelling older adults are more likely to continue using wearable monitoring devices (WMDs), like trackers, pedometers, and smartwatches, if they receive support from health care professionals or peers.

Twelve months of heavy resistance training—exercise that makes muscles work against force—around the time of retirement preserves vital leg strength years later, show the follow-up results of a clinical trial, published online in the open access journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.

In 2022, 4.0 percent of adults aged 65 years and older reported ever having received a dementia diagnosis, with similar percentages seen for men and women, according to a study published online June 13 in the National Health Statistics Reports, a publication from the National Center for Health Statistics.

With internet-connected sleep monitors, robotic arms and calorie-counting cafeteria plates, China's elder care industry is hoping automation will provide the solution to an aging population and a shrinking workforce.

A study from the University of Gothenburg examined a scarcely studied group in the context of hearing: People over 90. When it comes to age and hearing problems, we often talk about younger elderly (65–79 years) and older elderly (80 and above). The focus is rarely only those aged 90 and over; an age group that is growing rapidly.

A study of pre-COVID-19 health data has found that Australians over 70 are living longer, but their impact on the health care industry is increasing, according to research by the University of Adelaide.

A new editorial paper titled "CCR4-NOT complex in stress resistance and longevity in C. elegans" has been published in Aging.

A new research paper titled "Relationships of depression and antidepressant use with epigenetic age acceleration and all-cause mortality among postmenopausal women" has been published in Aging.

Cells are signaled to have nutrients in excess, and this leads to malfunction and inflammation in organs such as the pancreas, the liver and the kidneys. The finding, by CNIO researchers and published in Nature Aging, suggests that an intervention on the inflammation alone can relieve symptoms and increase survival.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends exercise interventions for preventing falls in community-dwelling older adults at risk for falls and state that recommendations for multifactorial interventions should be individualized. These recommendations form the basis of a final recommendation statement published online June 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The boom in aging around the world, including China where traditional family-based care is common, is underpinning a tech revolution in elder care, say Flinders University health and aged care experts.

Older women with low bone density are more likely to experience their first hip fracture in their 60s compared to older ages, according to research being presented Sunday at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Mass.

Seven tough weeks passed with her husband in the hospital before Nancy Gag Braun found long-term care for him.

Sally White helps her husband of 46 years get dressed, fed and on the bus for the short ride from their home to Third Age Adult Day Center four mornings a week.

Birmingham researchers have shown that PEPITEM, a naturally-occurring peptide (small protein), holds promise as a new therapeutic for osteoporosis and other disorders that feature bone loss, with distinct advantages over existing drugs.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic changed how nearly everyone mediated their social interactions through technology. Some moved happy hours into video chats. Others delved deeper into social media, or took a step back from it. Millions of people worked or learned through computers.

Measuring the total mass of fat in the arms could potentially predict which women and men over 50 are at risk of spinal fracture, according to research presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology, held 11–14 May, in Stockholm. The findings may help identify high-risk individuals with a more simple and inexpensive method and influence the design of their exercise plans.

New research by Western Sydney University has identified the need to translate psychosocial assessment tools, which measure social ability and well-being, used in aged care environments into multiple languages. This translation is crucial for the effective evaluation of social engagement and quality of life in older adults receiving aged care services.

Patients' risk of falling in the next 12 months could be predicted from their NHS data using a newly developed calculator.

A new research paper titled "Associations among NMR-measured inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers and accelerated aging in cardiac catheterization patients" has been published in Aging.

On behalf of the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, researchers Lena Dahlberg and Mariam Kirvalidze have done a scoping review of informal caregiving and loneliness.

One in six residents of assisted living facilities is subject to verbal, physical or other aggression by fellow residents in a typical month, and those suffering from dementia are most at risk, new research finds in the first large-scale study of the phenomenon.

Two complementary research articles, published simultaneously in the journals Science and Cell Stem Cell by a team of scientists from the UPF and IRB Barcelona, reveal that central and peripheral circadian clocks coordinate to regulate the daily activity of skin and muscles.

A new research paper was published in Aging titled, "A novel deep proteomic approach in human skeletal muscle unveils distinct molecular signatures affected by aging and resistance training."

Aging, a phenomenon that affects every individual, is a natural part of the human condition but one that often induces anxiety. These feelings are paired with health conditions and illnesses that accompany the aging process, all of which decrease lifespan, the amount of healthy and active years, and individuals' quality of life.

Modified sports with shorter game times and more focus on fun than winning could prove key to encouraging older Australians to play sport and keep fit.

Sarcopenia is a common disorder in older people, characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and function, a condition that can significantly affect quality of life and increase the risk of falls, injury and dependency. Research into this physiological process is essential to develop effective strategies to enable the population to age in a healthy way.

In a world with rapidly aging societies, there's a need for a detailed understanding of the cause and progression of diseases associated with aging. Skeletal muscle is the key motor system in the human body and plays a pivotal role in body metabolic regulation. With increased age, particularly in individuals over 80 years old, skeletal muscles suffer from sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle m

Polypharmacy, or the concurrent use of five or more medications, is common in older adults and increases the risk of adverse drug interactions. While deprescribing unnecessary drugs can combat this risk, the decision-making process can be complex and time-consuming. Increasingly, there is a need for effective polypharmacy management tools that can support short-staffed primary care practitioners.

New research from the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) at SAHMRI, has revealed senior people receiving home care packages spend more than twice the amount of days in hospital, compared to those living in residential aged care.

In old age, a tighter interlinkage between different domains of functional capacity may indicate a loss of system resilience. This was observed in a study conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

A new research paper titled "Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction using methylene blue or mitoquinone to improve skeletal aging" has been published in Aging.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed SUKUBARA, a home training system that includes a complex exercise program. This program can be easily and quickly performed by watching instructional videos and using a remote monitoring system. The effectiveness of the proposed system was evaluated with elderly participants, demonstrating its potential to increase muscle mass and leg strength.

Researchers from Leibniz Institute on Aging—Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena and BTU (Cottbus) have identified the cause of changes in the behavior of muscle stem cells. The insights are the basis for more effective treatment of injuries and muscle diseases in the future, especially in the elderly.

In a new study published in Engineering, academician Yingze Zhang's research team introduces the Proximal Femur Bionic Nail (PFBN) as a potential panacea for unstable intertrochanteric femur fractures in the elderly.

Orthopedic implants are used to fixate the bone fragments of fractures. Novel smart implants are now being developed that can continuously monitor and actively promote bone healing—by, for example, micro-massaging the fracture site. This innovative medical technology is currently under development at Saarland University by an interdisciplinary team of medical specialists, engineers, and computer s

A research consortium led by Nestlé Research in Switzerland and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) made a recent discovery that the natural molecule trigonelline present in coffee, fenugreek, and also in the human body, can help to improve muscle health and function.

Research from the Healthy Lifespan Institute has identified subgroups of people with different health behaviors and their association with multimorbidity in older adults in England. The findings of this new study, published in PLOS One, question previous studies that suggest a linear relationship between the number of risky behaviors that people engage in and health outcomes

A new study from Mayo Clinic finds that socially isolated people are more likely to show signs of being biologically older than their age and more likely to die from a variety of causes. The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Advances, suggests that social connection plays an important role in overall physical health and longevity, and it should be addressed

In my mind, the spring season will always be associated with COVID-19.

Specialized nursing facility clinicians, or SNFists, may decrease the likelihood of nursing home residents experiencing stressful hospitalizations and improve the quality of life in their last days, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine.

Proactive care, a whole-system approach and a "team-of-teams" are important elements in achieving effective virtual wards for people with frailty, according to the first rapid realist review of the evidence. The findings of the review, published in Age and Ageing and involving University of Bristol researchers, also apply to multidisciplinary virtual wards for other complex conditions.

Climate change poses profound public health threats to people of all ages. But as the climate changes, the world is facing another public health challenge: aging.

Ribosomes, the "translation factories" of the cell, are cellular organelles that play a central role in protein synthesis, a vital process for all living organisms. These tiny structures themselves consist of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and proteins and are essential for the survival and normal functioning of the cell, as the proteins they produce are required for nearly all cellular processes, includi

Adults 65 and older who were hospitalized for a variety of medical conditions had highly satisfying conversations about whether they wanted CPR, regardless of whether doctors used the terms "allow a natural death" or "do not resuscitate" for indicating no CPR, according to a pilot study by Rutgers Health researchers.

A recent study titled "A meta-analysis of previous falls and subsequent fracture risk in cohort studies" found links between self-reported falls and increased fracture risk and also that prior falls increased the risk for fracture slightly more in men than women.

University of Pittsburgh researchers have uncovered blood-based markers linked with healthy and rapid aging, allowing them to predict a person's biological age—how fast a person's cells and organs age regardless of their birthdate.

Women make up more than 60% of the older adult population in the Asia-Pacific, where the challenges associated with one of the fastest-aging population clusters in the world are emerging in social, political, health care and economic significance.

Imagine your grandmother's life story distilled into a performance, applause washing over her as strangers dissect her past. Sounds heart-warming, doesn't it? Not so fast, warns a new study from the University of Surrey.

You may have heard of a birth doula—someone who provides non-medical support and advocacy throughout pregnancy, birth and after the baby has been born. More recently, so-called death doulas—people who assist at the other end of the lifespan—have been growing in popularity.

Participants in the Framingham Heart Study who achieved higher levels of education tended to age more slowly and went on to live longer lives as compared to those who did not achieve upward educational mobility, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center. Upward educational mobility was significantly associated wit

Older drivers experience greater difficulties behind the wheel if they have worse spatial orientation ability, according to new research from the University of Exeter.

The loneliness often experienced by older people in our society has a negative effect on their physical health, according to researchers from Amsterdam UMC and the University of Glasgow. Emiel Hoogendijk, epidemiologist at Amsterdam Public Health, analyzed research results from more than 130 studies and found that loneliness led to an increase in physical frailty, which in turn increases the risk

A new research paper titled "Mapping the core senescence phenotype of primary human colon fibroblasts" has been published in Aging.

More than 831,000 fragility fractures occur annually in Germany, the equivalent of 95 broken bones per hour. The cause is osteoporosis, a disease in which the skeleton becomes weak and fragile, increasing the risk of fragility fractures that result in disability, loss of independence, and premature death for some sufferers.

Older people with frailty syndrome should be prioritized in primary health care because they are more likely to suffer from falls, hospitalizations, incapacitation, and early death. The syndrome is characterized by the presence of three or more of the following factors: involuntary weight loss, fatigue, muscle weakness, slow gait, and a low level of physical activity.

A team of researchers has developed a new probe to detect senescent cells in urine, which could help to monitor and better understand the processes related to aging and establish new strategies to reverse the degenerative processes associated with it.

A new research paper titled "The anti-aging effect of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor in Drosophila midgut" has been published in Aging.

Many older adults receiving home care do not receive any palliative home care before death, suggesting we need better methods to identify people who need this support, according to new research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Hormone therapy (HT) is already recognized as the most effective treatment option for physiologic menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, but a new study is one of the first to suggest that it might also help manage depressive symptoms. It further documented a high rate of depression during menopause. Results of the study are published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society.

Home health care use in the last three years of a patient's life is associated with a higher likelihood of hospice care at the end of life, according to a Rutgers Health study.

A recent study led by researchers at University Hospitals (UH) published a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the efficacy of manual therapy for sacroiliac joint pain syndrome (SIJPS). The study, titled "Efficacy of manual therapy for sacroiliac joint pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials," was recently published in the Journal of Manual &

Cycles of a diet that mimics fasting can reduce signs of immune system aging, as well as insulin resistance and liver fat in humans, resulting in a lower biological age, according to a new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology-led study.

Retired Army Col. Farrell Patrick taught computer science at West Point during the 1970s and then at two private universities through the 1990s, so he isn't surprised by the progress technology has made over the decades.

Self-monitoring of physical activity with an accelerometer and feedback is an effective tool to improve physical activity in elderly people requiring long-term support. The Kobe University study is the first to show that with simple and safe means, the physical activity of this demographic can be improved, which is expected to help prevent serious illness and reduce costs for long-term care.

What causes us to age? New "clocks" developed by researchers may help point to the answers. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, unveil a new form of epigenetic clock—a machine learning model designed to predict biological age from DNA structure.

While tai chi is understood to be beneficial for functional mobility and balance in older adults, such benefits are not well understood due to a large variance in research study protocols and observations.

In a context in which physical exercise is considered a key factor in healthy aging, a group of researchers led by the physiotherapist at the Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili health complex Luis Soto, working with experts in digital health at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), examined mobile applications for exercise available in the leading app stores. Their objective was to establish their us

The use of a digital remote monitoring technology in care homes has been found to reduce hospital A&E attendances by 11% and emergency admissions by 25% in a new study from the Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) Better Care program, published today in Age and Ageing.

A new research paper titled "Epigenetic drift underlies epigenetic clock signals, but displays distinct responses to lifespan interventions, development, and cellular dedifferentiation" has been published in Aging.

Physical activity is associated with better late-life cognition, but the association is weak, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Network Open.

Expected life span for human beings has been extended significantly over the last century, thanks to medical advancements that have resulted in vaccines to prevent common infectious diseases, improved sanitation practices and better nutrition. However, this longevity revolution comes with a steep price. The exponential rise in rates of Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, dementia and

A Rutgers Health analysis of millions of Medicare records has laid the groundwork for improving end-of-life care by demonstrating that nearly all older Americans follow one of nine trajectories in their last three years of life.

Exercising as you age can be challenging. Sometimes it can feel like your body is breaking down. One possible reason for this could be senescent cells, which build up in your body as you get older and contribute to age-related disorders.

The journey of aging brings with it an unavoidable reality for many: an increased accumulation of body fat. Though much of society seems mostly focused on the aesthetics of being overweight, doctors look past any cosmetic concerns to focus on the health implications of fat byproducts in the body.

A cross-sectional study of more than 6,500 adults aged 65 years and older found that, on average, older adults spent three weeks each year getting health care outside the home. In this nationally representative group, 11% of older adults spent 50 or more days each year receiving health care services. These days spent obtaining health care outside the home, or health care contact days, are a new pa

Young people—under the age of 15—currently make up 29% of South Africa's population. But this will soon change: the aged portion of the population is forecast to rise from 2030, bringing many challenges. Lauren Johnston, an economics and political economy expert, recently published a paper on the subject. We asked her to put the developments into perspective.

Traveling by plane isn't always easy on the body. And neither is space travel. Astronauts often experience atrophy, the loss of bone and muscle, during their months living in space's zero gravity. People on Earth also tend to see their bones and muscles weaken as they age, increasing risk of injuries from falls.

As the public inquiry into the UK's response to COVID-19 continues, new research led by Northumbria University academics shines a light on the impact of moving patients from hospitals to care homes in England during the pandemic.

New research from the University of Aberdeen forecasts an upsurge in hip fracture patients within the next decade with an annual NHS shortfall of more than £25 million to meet this demand.

The natural aging process often results in a notable reduction of muscle mass, particularly in the lower limbs. This decline, in turn, leads to a gradual decrease in physical activity among older adults, as the weakening of lower-limb muscles heightens the risk of falls. Fortunately, a strategic blend of aerobic and balancing exercises has the potential to not only enhance physical function but al

A study by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) found that older adults who exercise with their spouse achieve lower physical activity levels than older adults without their spouse.

A large randomized control trial conducted by a team of Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW researchers found that at-home 'gamified' step exercises were effective at preventing falls in people over the age of 65, reducing the number of falls by 26% when compared to a control group.

A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging titled, "Effects of resveratrol on in vitro circadian clock gene expression in young and older human adipose-derived progenitor cells."

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, found that the bone mineral density at the femoral neck decreased, but the structural properties were maintained or even slightly improved during a year-long multicomponent exercise training intervention in 70- to 85-year-old men and women who had previously been physically inactive.

Only a small percentage of older Americans have jumped on the rising trend of getting health care services and prescriptions directly from an online-only company, rather than seeing their usual health care providers in person or via telehealth, a new poll finds.

Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York's Motion Analysis Research Laboratory have developed an app to help study and prevent falls in older adults. Their research is published in the journal Sensors.

The loss of muscle mass, or muscle atrophy, is a relatively common condition in today's aging and increasingly sedentary societies. While the disuse of muscles is the most frequent catalyst for muscle atrophy, there are several other possible causes, including chronic diseases, injury, and exposure to low-gravity environments, such as spaceships. Despite being a prevalent condition, its underlying

As individuals age, maintaining muscular health becomes increasingly crucial, where the loss of muscle mass and strength is linked to a higher risk of falls and reduced physical activity. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a practical and accessible muscular health monitoring system based on phase angle measurements currently used to monitor body composition. This method can play a pivotal

A cross-disciplinary research team from the University of Alberta is using health-related, lifestyle, socio-economic and other data to develop machine learning programs to predict the future mental and physical health of aging Canadians.

Many people promise to exercise more in the new year, but jump-starting your workout routine can be challenging if you've been sitting on the couch for a while. It can seem like a daunting task.

Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) with age is an important cause of osteoporosis (deterioration of bone tissue), which has been reported as one of the leading causes of falls among older adults in Japan. This leads to fractures that require long-term nursing. Prevention of osteoporosis in the aging population can thus help decrease the burden of disease and health care costs substantially.

As we age and gain excess weight, our body's cells undergo stress. This stress is marked by an overproduction of a chemical compound known as ROS (reactive oxygen species), adversely affecting the cells.

Hearing loss affects approximately 40 million American adults, yet only one in 10 people who need hearing aids use them, research shows.

For nearly 20 years, Stephen Ball has been a man on a mission: helping older Missourians stay healthy and get stronger through physical activity.

Hormone changes are a natural part of aging, but the experience is different for men and women. Unlike the more dramatic plunge that occurs in women during menopause, sex hormone changes in men occur gradually. This is sometimes called male menopause.

Many nursing home residents and adults have not been vaccinated for influenza, COVID-19, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for the 2023 to 2024 season, according to research published in the Dec. 22 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Myosteatosis, or aging-related fat accumulation in skeletal muscles, is a leading cause of declines in muscle strength and quality of life in elderly adults.

Approximately one in five older adults in the U.S. is transferred to a nursing home following a hospital stay. For many of these patients, an accessible medical record does not accompany them, often negatively affecting the care they receive at the nursing home. This poor information sharing is a significant problem contributing to the adverse events within 45 days of hospital discharge experience

A single dose of mRNA-1345 vaccine is safe and results in lower incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated disease in older patients, according to a study published in the Dec. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

A new editorial paper was published in Aging, entitled, "Artificial intelligence for aging research in cancer drug development."

A shorter reproductive life span, which is determined by a woman's age at menarche and menopause, has been associated with a number of adverse health effects, including cardiovascular disease and mortality. A new study suggests that it can also lead to a decline in muscle mass and strength as defined by handgrip strength. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause.

People aging with an intellectual disability are in better health, living in their communities, with more opportunities, and having greater control in how they live their lives but women's health, oral health and dementia findings concerning

Thyrotoxicosis—excess thyroid hormone levels in the body—has been linked to an increased risk of cognitive disorders among older adults, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins Medicine. Exogenous thyrotoxicosis (caused by ingesting thyroid medication) and endogenous thyrotoxicosis (caused by thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease) were both associated with a higher like

Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries in the United States for adults ages 65 and older. With 1 in 4 older adults falling annually, 27,000 deaths, 8 million emergency department (ED) visits, and 800,000 hospitalizations have occurred.

Wearable devices can be used to measure a variety of signs and signals related to our health. A new study by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital suggests that such devices may also be able to help predict older adults at risk of health complications related to frailty.

A new research paper titled "Alcohol consumption and epigenetic age acceleration across human adulthood" has been published in Aging.

Three out of every four older adults say they have experienced a fraud attempt by phone, text, email, mail or online in the last two years, a new poll shows. Three in ten say they've been victims of at least one scam.

The population of Africa is the youngest in the world—but that is expected to change rapidly in the coming decades.

Each year, many older Australians experience abuse, neglect or financial exploitation, usually at the hands of their adult children or other close relatives.

Health care workers at America's nursing homes are woefully under-vaccinated for both flu and COVID-19, threatening their own health and that of the frail elderly patients under their care, a new report finds.

In an analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that included older US women, caregiving was associated with a lower risk of death over an average follow-up of 17.5 years.

A new study, "Timing of Orthostatic Hypotension and its Relationship with Falls in Older Adults," has brought critical insights into the assessment of orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure commonly found among older adults when transitioning from a sitting or lying position to a standing position that can lead to dizziness and falls.

Despite what ads for wrinkle cream would have us believe, there's no magic reversal for aging. As the years pass, a certain amount of change is inevitable but not, it turns out, inexorable.

Many people will have heard about "intergenerational practice" via the TV.

A new study by the University of Warwick working with the Society for Acute Medicine has found that younger patients with simpler problems are waiting less time for assessments than frail patients with complex care needs.

Since 2011, roughly 10,000 people in the U.S. have turned 65 every day. The Baby Boomer generation and those born before 1946 make up the country's fastest growing age group, which is on track to outnumber children by 2035.

A new thesis from Karolinska Institutet advocates end-of-life care that prioritizes the highest possible quality of life, avoids unnecessary or preventable risks and respects patient wishes.

Older adults who survive a critical illness, such as sepsis or respiratory failure, often have symptoms that restrict activities, but little is known about how these symptoms change over time or compare with those prior to illness, and whether these changes differ among vulnerable subgroups.

Eduardo Galvan works out six days a week for at least an hour. He eats a healthy diet. And he's considering someday moving from his two-story condo in Ann Arbor, Michigan, into a one-floor living space, because while he has good health today at 59, one thing he doesn't have is someone to care for him should he lose it.

A variety of risks can make it more likely that someone develops Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.

Older Black Americans are more likely to receive low-value acute diagnostic tests than older white Americans, while older white Americans were more likely to receive low-value screening tests and treatments, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

A national team led by a University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health epidemiologist present a new way to consider frailty: As a continuum.

A new research paper titled "Metabolic switch in the aging astrocyte supported via integrative approach comprising network and transcriptome analyses" has been published in Aging.

Across the globe, it is generally accepted that individuals with larger families have more resources and support to draw on as they age. Less discussed is that having many children can produce economic, social, emotional and biological burdens that impact health—even at older ages.

Drawing on data on motor vehicle crashes in Japan between 2016 and 2020, researchers at the University of Tsukuba examined the risk of at-fault motor vehicle crashes among older adult drivers. They found that the risk of causing crashes increased with the advancing age of drivers after middle age, but the risk among older drivers was nevertheless lower than that among young drivers.

Pickleball has become wildly popular, but that may be fueling a rise in pickleball-related injuries.

Raise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking up a flight of stairs. What about carrying heavy bags of groceries? How about picking up your child or grandchild? Most of us would raise our hands to doing at least one of those weekly, or even daily.

Most respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalizations among seniors aged ≥60 years occur in those aged ≥75 years, and although RSV is less common among seniors, it is associated with more severe disease than COVID-19 or influenza, according to research published in the Oct. 6 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

A study analyzing the practice of spinal motion restriction (SMR) between 2009 and 2019 has been published in the July issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM). The study, titled Patterns of Change in Prehospital Spinal Motion Restriction: A Retrospective Database Review, sheds light on the trends and evolution of SMR practices within one urban, North American EMS agency.

A new research paper titled "Biomedical generative pre-trained based transformer language model for age-related disease target discovery" has been published in Aging.

Roughly 40% of older Black adults live with a disability, compared to only one-third of older adults overall.

An educational and social support intervention for caregivers reduced elder mistreatment of older adults with chronic illness, including dementia. That's the result of a double-blind, randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

A review of current performance measures that are applied to evaluate quality of osteoporosis care found that of the six osteoporosis performance measures relevant to internal medicine physicians, only one was found to be valid.

Numerous studies have shown that leading a fulfilling and satisfying life may improve cognitive function by encouraging health-protective behaviors such as physical activity and reduced stress. Many of these studies assess this relationship from a population level, rather than among individuals.

"COVID is not pretty in a nursing home," said Deb Wityk, a 70-year-old retired massage therapist who lives in one called Spurgeon Manor, in rural Iowa. She twice contracted the disease and is eager to get the newly approved vaccine because she has chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which weakens her immune system.

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard for assessing bone mass and evaluating fracture risk. But new technologies shed light on knowledge gaps not filled by DXA alone and sometimes suggest the need for additional procedures to accurately assess bone health. A presentation at the 2023 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Philadelphia September 27–30 focuses on the evoluti

A new report 'Solutions for Fracture Prevention in Saudi Arabia' has been authored by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Capture the Fracture program in collaboration with leading Saudi Arabian experts.

Planning for the future is difficult for people living with a life-limiting illness. Clinicians, based on their experience, can offer broad estimates of survival—in days to weeks, weeks to months, or months to years. However, patients and their care partners often want greater precision when arranging or making decisions about their care.

Aging has been identified as a significant risk factor for herpes zoster, a skin disease caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. With the aging of the population, the prevalence of herpes zoster infection is increasing in Japan. It has been estimated that one in three people will be affected by this virus by the age of 80 years.

A new research paper titled "Development of a DNA damage-induced senescence model in osteoarthritic chondrocytes" has been published in Aging.

A Scotland-wide audit of hospital admissions recorded before, during and after the COVID lockdowns has uncovered major differences in geriatric services' performance between all Scottish health boards.

More and more frequent vaccine doses than in other countries reduce mortality in COVID-19 in nursing homes. This is shown by a Swedish study, led by Anders Johansson and Mattias Forsell, Umeå University, which was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Physical health and cognitive function declines as we age. Aging impacts people's ability to perform routine tasks, which affects their well-being and sense of independence. One such routine activity that is frequently affected is driving. For older adults, the inability to drive themselves can mean that they become unable to access basic needs or engage in social activities.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the construction of Fifth Generation Mobile Communication Technology infrastructure (5G), which has been shown in a new study to play a positive role in the self-rated health of older adults in mainland China, indicating the health-promoting effects of technological advances.

For patients presenting with dizziness, receipt of physical therapy (PT) within three months is associated with a reduced risk for subsequent falls, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

"I don't know if you have aging parents, but they often will tell one child one thing and another child another thing—so we all have pieces of the puzzle, but connecting them is really important," says Kristina Lugo.

It's now been possible to buy a hearing aid over-the-counter for nearly a year, but few Americans are doing so.

While life expectancy rates for older Americans are rising, nearly 40% of adults report living with a digestive disease of some kind.