FDA Alert on Osteoporosis Treatments

The FDA issued an alert about osteoporosis drugs such as Fosamax and Reclast, among other bisphosphonate treatments. This alert combines with an earlier report showing this type of treatment being linked to atrial fibrillation in women, and suggests that bisphosphonate treatments cause severe bone, joint, and muscle pain. For more information, see the alert at http://www.fda.gov.

Decreasing Arthritis Pain

University of North Carolina researchers evaluated the impact of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program on the experience of pain, fatigue, and arthritis management. They found that program participants experienced and maintained improvements in all three areas six months after the program. For more information, see the report at http://content.nejm.org.

The Prevalence of Arthritis

The Centers for Disease Control and the National Arthritis Data Workgroup released new epidemiological data and estimate that the prevalence of osteoarthritis has grown from 21 million people in 1990 to 27 million people today. Similar increases were found for gout and arthritic conditions in children, but rheumatoid arthritis declined from 2.1 million adults to 1.3 million. The authors suggest that the increase in common arthritic conditions will have a negative impact on aging Baby Boomers. For more information, see the report at http://www3.interscience.wiley.co.

Quality of Life for Octogenarians

Followed since the age of 11, octogenarians’ quality of life was tracked during the latest stage of the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1921 Study. Researchers found that there had been a significant drop in quality of life scores from the ages of 79 to 82, especially for men. This study also suggests that quality of life for older adults is more dependent upon current life conditions than past biographical traits. For more information, see the abstract at http://www.springerlink.com.

Low Cholesterol & Muscle Gain

Texas A&M researchers discovered that older adults (ages 60 to 69) on cholesterol-lowering drugs were less likely to experience strength gain from a standardized exercise program. Surprisingly, participants with higher cholesterol levels experienced the greatest strength gains from the exercise program. For more information, see the abstract at http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org.

Integrated Walking Paths & Successful Aging

After a brief discussion about the wellness benefits of walking-friendly communities, this article outlines the process and importance of creating “pedestrian circulation systems” at Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). For more information, contact the journal editor at sking@matherlifeways.com.

New Food Pyramid

Even though older adults need fewer calories a day than when they were younger, their bodies require at least as many nutrients in order to maintain their health. Designed to meet the specific needs of older adults, Tufts University researchers updated a food pyramid that emphasizes nutrient-rich foods, a proper fluid balance, and physical fitness. For more information, see the press release at http://nutrition.tufts.edu.

Older Adults & Mental Health Screenings

New research suggests that doctors might be devoting too little time to treating older adults for depression and other common mental health conditions. This study demonstrated that despite 50% of respondents reporting depressive symptoms, mental health issues were addressed in only a minority of doctor visits (22%). This research implies that the mental health treatment needs of older adults often go unmet, even at the clinical level. For more information, see the abstract at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com.

Neck Exercises & Chronic Pain

In a randomized controlled trial, researchers in Denmark demonstrated that targeted neck exercises decrease chronic neck pain more effectively than more general exercise. Participants who performed only general exercise programs experienced a modest improvement; however, this was true only immediately after the exercise. Only those performing targeted neck exercises experienced significant and long-term reductions in neck pain. For more information, see the report at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com.

Hospitals Delivering Defibrillation Shock

Mid America Heart Institute researchers found that only 70% of patients who had gone into cardiac arrest received defibrillation shock within the recommended timeframe (i.e., less than two minutes). Mortality rates increase astronomically after this period. Response times were even slower for African-American males, during heart attacks occurring at nights or on weekends, and in hospitals with fewer than 250 beds. For more information, see the abstract at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/358/1/9.

The Prevalence of Dementia in the U.S.

This paper reports on a groundbreaking epidemiological and first nationally representative population-based study of dementia. The authors provide prevalence estimates of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia by gender and for different age groups. They estimate that 3.4 million people over the age of 71 (13.9%) suffer from some form of dementia. The prevalence increases to 37.4% when focusing on the oldest age category of 90 years of age and older. For more information, see the abstract at http://content.karger.com.

The Use of Imagination & Memory

Harvard University researchers compared the use of memory by older and younger adults and found, expectedly, that older adults are less likely to develop narratives that utilize past events about themselves. They also discovered that the ability to recall these past events determined their ability to imagine a future scenario. This study points toward the difficulty that older adults with memory loss will face when attempting to maintain feelings of quality of life. For more information, see the abstract at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com.

Fish Oil May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s

University of California, Los Angeles, medical researchers concluded that diets containing DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, helps to slow the build up of Alzheimer’s-related plaques. Their study demonstrated that when DHA is added to a diet there is an increased presence of a brain protein that is know to clean neural cells from Alzheimer’s-related plaques. This study implies that a diet rich in DHA can help prevent or slow the development of Alzheimer’s. For more information, see the abstract at http://www.jneurosci.org.

The Caregiving Networks of Older Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Adults

A survey of 199 adults over the age of 40 (three-fourths over the age of 60) in New York and Los Angeles demonstrated that caregiving among older gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) adults is very common and often extends beyond the immediate partner and biological family. More than two-thirds of respondents report providing care for other lesbian GLB adults, including both partners and friends. These findings suggest that the tight-knit social friendships of GLB adults provide meaningful and ongoing caregiving to ailing loved ones. For more information, see the abstract at http://www.haworthpress.com.

Volunteerism Among Older Americans

A new study reports the results of a longitudinal survey that exams the “entries into and exits from” volunteering opportunities by older adults (ages 55 to 65 in 1996). This study tracked older adults for eight years and found that nearly seven of eight adults who volunteered in 1996 did so again by 2004. Furthermore, nearly 40% of respondents volunteered consistently throughout the study. The authors suggest that it’s important to engage older adults in volunteering opportunities prior to retirement so they develop a desire to contribute more. For more information, see the report at http://www.urban.org.