Together by Renee, the all-in-one AI health assistant, improves care for aging Americans with the new Together Companion personal chatbot
"The Together Companion is the first-ever AI-powered accurate, personal chatbot based on a patient’s actual health history, medications, current vitals, care plans and provider instructions"
Rural and minority dementia patients face disparities in access to neurologists
"Getting dementia diagnosed can be a long and difficult process for anyone, but some may face additional challenges based on race or ethnicity and where they live, according to a study led by Washington State University researchers."
New research at Case Western Reserve University aims to address racial disparities in cognitive decline
"Connecting with friends is key to limiting social isolation—something researchers believe could also reduce Alzheimer’s, dementia"
Loneliness worse than smoking, alcoholism, obesity; study suggests primary care clinicians can offer solutions
"More than 50 percent of older primary care patients experience loneliness"
In sickness and in health, older couples mostly make Medicare moves together
"Study of people in Medicare Advantage plans suggests need for efforts to support joint decision-making"
Bedrest may affect cholesterol dynamics differently depending on age
"Unraveling physical inactivity’s effects on the body could lead to new ways to mitigate its negative effects"
Genworth releases cost of care survey results for 2023: twenty years of tracking long-term care costs
"Costs continue to increase as a result of nationwide inflation and worker shortages"
Allostatic load is higher in women in long-term couples
"Among couples living together for a long time, women are more prone than men to suffer the effects of allostatic load or the negative accumulation of stress on the body."
New study shows that the drug-drug interactions and lifestyle factors provided by Castle Biosciences’ IDgenetix® Test significantly improve medication recommendations over drug-gene interactions alone for patients 65 and older
"Study data show that one-third of the IDgenetix-guided medication recommendations were due to drug-drug interactions and lifestyle factors, demonstrating the value of this additional information in guiding selection of neuropsychiatric medications for older adults in cohort of patients 65 and older, with majority being on five or more medications at the time of testing"
Study shows a healthy diet is linked with a slower pace of aging, reduced dementia risk
"A healthier diet is associated with a reduced dementia risk and slower pace of aging, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center. The findings show that a diet-dementia association was at least partially facilitated by multi-system processes of aging. While literature had suggested that people who followed a healthy diet experienced a slowdown in the processes of biological aging and were less likely to develop dementia, until now the biological mechanism of this protection was not well understood. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology."
Study shows that aging adults with mild cognitive impairment may have trouble learning new walking patterns
"Those with MCI function independently and shouldn’t have any trouble with motor learning – but researchers are finding they do"
Poor neighborhoods linked to elevated dementia risk and faster brain aging
Active Aging Leading, connecting and defining the active aging industry since 2001. ICAA provides world class information, education, resources and tools to help health and wellness professionals be more successful with their clients age 50 plus
[COLD FINGER] FDA approves first treatment for severe frostbite
"Yes, spring is near, but temperatures are still falling in many areas and many people are still engaging in winter sports like skiing. So, it’s good to know that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved iloprost (Aurlumyn) injection to treat severe frostbite in adults to reduce the risk of finger or toe amputation."
[LOSING IT?] Wellness check for weight-loss drugs: what's ahead?
"The Global Wellness Summit's Future of Wellness report has identified weight-loss drugs as a key trend for 2024. Their writeup reinforces that weight loss is more a matter of biology than willpower, that the new drugs are often effective, and that more drugs are coming. "
[LIFESAVING] Senior housing residents live longer than community dwellers
"Older adults who live in senior housing communities live longer, receive more home health services and benefit from greater rehabilitative and preventive care in the two years following move-in than those who do not, according to research conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. "
[UNTAPPED RESOURCE] Employer disability initiatives boost company results
"Companies whose leadership teams are committed to inclusion for people with disabilities and are guided by complementary values deeply embedded in their organizations experienced improved performance, positive employee perceptions, and a cohesive, unified culture in a recent study."
[REMEMBER THIS!] Kundalini yoga benefits women at risk of Alzheimer's
"A recent study found Kundalini yoga provided several benefits to cognition and memory among older women at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, including restoring neural pathways, preventing brain matter decline and reversing aging- and inflammation-associated biomarkers -- improvements not seen in a group who received standard memory training exercises."
Wrist device that monitors activity could help provide early warning of Alzheimer’s
"Small study finds differences in activity patterns among older adults with brain amyloid buildup and those without"
Too few caregivers and too many patients – a bad combination for elderly in rural areas
"A check of nearly a million emergency admissions found increased mortality in the elderly in the countryside compared to the city"
Two-thirds of high-risk osteoporosis patients in Germany remain untreated
Active Aging Leading, connecting and defining the active aging industry since 2001. ICAA provides world class information, education, resources and tools to help health and wellness professionals be more successful with their clients age 50 plus
Facing dementia: clarifying end-of-life choices, supporting better lives
"Special report reviews options, analyzes care inequities, and makes recommendations"
An aspirin a day? Poll of older adults suggests some who take it may be following outdated advice
"More than half of people age 50 to 80 taking aspirin don’t have cardiovascular disease, for some this means low preventive benefit and bleeding risks"
Early retirement impacts mental health of blue-collar women more than white-collar peers
"Retirement is a major transition that can have a significant impact on a person’s life."
The ingredients of unequal aging: Housing, income, and health
"How a lifetime of poverty and discrimination leads to unequal aging, and what will help us take care of the most vulnerable"
Study detects cognitive changes in older drivers using in-vehicle sensors
"Project Provides First Step Toward Widespread Use of Low-cost, Early Warning System"
Risk of hospital readmission after surgery is high for older Americans
"Risk of hospital readmission after surgery is high for older Americans"
Research and customized care make aging with Multiple Sclerosis better
"New findings inform care in “Aging with MS Clinic as researchers learn more from patient experiences"
Does trying to look younger reduce how much ageism older adults face?
"Study reveals complex answers in people over age 50, but point to intertwined nature of looks, experiences, and physical and mental health"
Consistent evidence links ultra-processed food to over 30 damaging health outcomes
"Findings underscore need for urgent research to understand how ultra-processed foods affect health and measures to target and reduce exposure"
[AMASS MUSCLE] Moderate-vigorous exercise may curb sarcopenia
"Researchers recently explored the association of total and intensity-specific levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior with sarcopenia and its components – i.e., muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance -- in older adults. They did a literature search for peer-reviewed articles that included adults 60 and older, and selected 124 studies including more than 230,000 participants (53%, women)."
[STOKED] More neighborhood fitness spaces may inspire post-stroke exercise
"Stroke survivors were more likely to remain physically active or even exercise more after their stroke if they lived in neighborhoods with easy access to recreational centers and gyms, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2024. "
[AFFORDABLE HEALTH?] Assisted living costs on the rise
"An analysis from Seniorly, an online senior-living finder headquartered in San Francisco, found that the steady increase in senior housing occupancy over the past year means that demand is now outpacing supply, and that rent and other costs are also on the rise. The analysis is based on move-in data across the company’s network of 60,000 senior communities from 2023."
[B AWARE] High levels of niacin linked to heart disease
"Cleveland Clinic researchers have identified a new pathway that contributes to cardiovascular disease associated with high levels of niacin, a common B vitamin previously recommended to lower cholesterol."
[PROCESS THIS!] Ultra-processed foods hazardous to health, lifespan
"Hundreds of novel ingredients never encountered by human physiology are now found in nearly 60% of the average adult's diet and nearly 70% of children's diets in the United States, according to a recent study. From fizzy drinks to cereals and packaged snacks to processed meat, ultra-processed foods are packed with additives. Oil, fat, sugar, starch and sodium, as well as emulsifiers such as carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides, carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate and soy lecithin continue to strip food of healthy nutrients while introducing other ingredients that could be detrimental to human health."
