Over & Underprescribing Medications

A new study from researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center found that doctors are as likely to overprescribe as they are to underprescribe medications.  More than 40% of older adult patients in the study were taking at least one inappropriate medication and simultaneously not taking one or more medications that could help them.   For more information, visit http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0002-8614.

Popular Anti-Aging Supplement Proven Ineffective

A popular anti-aging supplement, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), was the subject of new research showing that it had no effect on aging markers such as muscle strength, peak endurance, muscle mass, fat mass, and glucose tolerance in older adults.  Researchers gave more than 150 men and women high levels of DHEA for two years, and no beneficial effects on age-related changes were observed.  For more information, visit http://content.nejm.org.

Generic Drugs Underutilized

The American Journal of Managed Care (October 2006)

A recent study suggested that lower income and underinsured older adults were less likely to use generic cardiovascular drugs than their more affluent counterparts. Researchers examined generic cardiovascular drug use in a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries with hypertension, a condition selected by the research team because of its prevalence and availability of generic drugs, and found that older adults are missing opportunities to save money on prescription drugs without sacrificing quality of care.  For more information, visit http://www.ajmc.com/Index.cfm.

Aging In Place

Life Services Network Week’s News (October 2006)

A new survey from Ziegler Senior Living Finance showed that Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are a growing trend among Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs).  HCBS programs target a significant portion of the aging-in-place population and ranged in numbers of older adults served and return on investment.  Some offered services include home health, wellness, respite care centers, tele-health, transportation, emergency response monitoring systems, and automatic medication reminders. For more information, visit http://www.ziegler.com/display/router.aspx?docid=185.

Nontraditional Retirement Trends

Life Services Network Week’s News (October 2006)

"Today's retirees have more nontraditional priorities when it comes to choosing where to live."

Retirement communities of the past were primarily associated with warm weather and leisure, but as the population ages at a higher rate than ever before, these aspects have been surpassed by others.  In order of priority, post-retirement buyers are looking at communities where they can make friends and connections quickly, be close to grandchildren, and have the opportunity to indulge in second careers and new hobbies.  This reprioritization has prompted new, nontraditional retirement settings such as communities in urban areas.  Other developments have popped up that are “live-work-play” communities, hobby farms (farms run mainly for pleasure than livelihood), and co-housing (where residents own their own townhouse but share a central common house).

Prevalence of Arthritis Rising

From 2003 to 2005, 46.4 million adult Americans (21.6% of the U.S. population) had doctor-diagnosed arthritis, while 17.4 million adults (8.3% of the U.S. population) had activity limitations attributed to arthritis. As is characteristic of the condition, older age groups were more likely to report having arthritis when compared with younger people.  Obese, overweight, and physically inactive adults also had higher rates of arthritis.  For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr.

Exercise Benefits Osteoarthritis Sufferers

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is characterized by the wearing away of the protective cartilage in joints.  Two new studies examined how exercise can help the more than 22 million American adults who have osteoarthritis.  The first study found that strength training delays the loss of lower-extremity strength and the progression of joint-space narrowing.  The second study involved patients scheduled for knee or hip replacement surgery; one group of patients participated in an exercise program before the surgery while the other group received educational materials.  For those undergoing hip replacements, the exercise group showed improved lower-extremity strength and was more likely to walk more than 50 feet at the time of hospital discharge. They also reduced their odds of transfer to an inpatient rehabilitation facility by 73%.   For more information, visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/77005015?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0.

Cognitive Function Affected by Weight, IQ

Two new investigations on cognitive decline prevention have found that cognitive function is influenced by weight and fitness.  The first study from France tracked more than 2,000 healthy men and women between the ages of 32 and 62 for five years. The participants’ cognitive test scores decreased with a higher body mass index (BMI).  The second study was a longitudinal assessment of close to 500 men and women tracked since 1932 in Scotland.  Study participants received physical fitness and IQ tests at age 11, and were then retested at age 79.  The researchers found that physical fitness had a greater impact on cognitive function than childhood IQ scores.  For more information, visit http://www.neurology.org.

Brain Health Poll

A new poll from the American Society on Aging and the MetLife Foundation asked people ages 42 and older about their brain health concerns.  The poll found that heart health was rated as more important to be knowledgeable about as compared to brain health.  Nine out of 10 respondents believed it is possible to improve brain fitness, and the majority of respondents believed that brain fitness was as important to assess as physical fitness.  To see the results, visit http://www.asaging.org/asav2/mindalert/brainhealthpoll.cfm.

Soft Drinks Contribute to Bone Density Loss

A study of more than 2,500 men and women found that women who drank soft drinks had lower bone density as measured by three areas on the hip.  Bone density measurements also were taken on the spine, but loss was not identified at this site for either gender.  Dietary questionnaires found that the women drank an average of five carbonated drinks a week.  For more information, visit http://www.ajcn.org.

Meeting Exercise Goals With Fido

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (October 2006)

"Older adults who walk their dogs are more likely to walk 150 minutes a week."

A new study reports that dog owners who regularly walk their pets are more likely to meet the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation for physical activity. Older adults who walked their dogs were more likely to walk 150 minutes per week, and the speeds of their walking were faster than their counterparts who did not own dogs.  For more information, visit http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0002-8614.

Older Age Ups Risk of Obesity Surgery

Archives of Surgery (November 2006)

People 65+ may think twice about having weight loss surgery, according to a new study looking at the relationship between older adults and this type of surgery. In a review of more than 25,000 weight-loss operations, also referred to as bariatric surgery, performed nationwide in 2001 and 2002, researchers found that complications rose as people aged, and among the 1% of patients in the study who were 65 or older, 20% spent a week or longer in the hospital after surgery, indicating that they experienced adverse events. Complications of bariatric surgery also were high among persons on Medicaid who were younger than 65, who were generally disabled, and likely to be low-income. For more information about the study, visit http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/141/11/1115.

Religion Ups Quality of Life

Newswise (October 2006)

"Religious older adults are found to be more generous, less afraid of death, and more civically engaged."

Religious older adults have a significantly enhanced quality of life as compared with nonreligious older Americans, and are more generous, less afraid of death, and more civically engaged. Sociologist Michele Dillon, co-investigator of the study, remarked, “For many in the study, their faith provided a strong source of meaning and consolation during illness and other times of adversity. Religious individuals also were more satisfied with life and had a stronger sense of having control over their lives.”  For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/524571.

Updated State-by-State Caregiving Resource

Family Caregiving Alliance (October 2006)

The Family Caregiving Alliance has recently updated its Caregiving Across the States: A State-by-State Resource, which presents profiles of each state with new data on coordination of care, assisted living costs, hourly rates for home health workers, and Medicare prescription drug plans.  To view the resource, visit http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1274.