Senior Citizen Politics
Senior
Citizens Leading the Charge for Medical Marijuana in Florida
Vote comes in November for
recreational and medical purposes; most say
senior citizens will decide the outcome, which
could make this the 23rd state to
approve it for medical use
July 22, 2014 - The
campaign to legalize marijuana use – especially
for medical purposes – is riding the winds of
victory that are blowing from the west coast to
Florida, where a vote in November seems poised
to make its use legal there. What is becoming
obvious in the Sunshine State is that senior
citizens may be the key to victory, making
Florida the twenty-third state, plus the
District of Columbia, allowing some form of
marijuana use for medical purposes.
More...
Features for Senior Citizens
Pew
Finds Christians, Jews Rated Higher by Senior Citizens Than by Younger
People
New Pew survey looks at how U.S. citizens feel
about religious groups, atheists
July 21, 2014 – Senior citizens – citizens age 65
or older – are more likely than younger Americans to view Christian
groups and Jews favorably, according to a new survey by Pew Research
Center. The survey also found Jews, Catholics and evangelical Christians
are viewed warmly by the American public - atheists and Muslims, not so
hot.
More...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Fish Oil May Help Protect Alcohol Abusers from Dementia
Up to 90% less inflammation,
death in brain cells of drinkers after exposure
to omega-3 DHA
July
21, 2014 – Anything that reduces the risk of
dementia is of high interest to most senior
citizens. New research says one way – at least
for those who drink alcohol regularly - is to
take omega-3 fish oil. The researchers
discovered it will protect against inflammation
and neuronal cell death that damages the brain
in alcohol abusers and can lead to dementia.
More...
Social Security News
Social Security Benefit Verification Available Online but Also in Local
Offices
‘We
recognize that some members of the public may
require in-person assistance and we will have a
presence in local communities’
July
17, 2014 – Despite a hard push to encourage
seniors and others who need benefit verification
letters from the Social Security Administration
to obtain them online, the agency today issued a
news release confirming that local Social
Security offices will continue to provide
benefit verification letters.
More...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Study
of Seniors Shows Niacin Too Dangerous for Routine Cholesterol Therapy
|
New Research
> Niacin
does not reduce heart attacks or strokes
> Niacin
linked to increase in death risk, excess
bleeding and diabetes
> Statins
remain best choice to reduce heart
attack and stroke risk |
Mainstay drug for many
seniors now linked to death risk, dangerous side
effects and no benefits in large study of older
adults
July 17, 2014 - After 50
years of being a mainstay cholesterol therapy
for many seniors, niacin should no longer be
prescribed for most patients due to potential
increased risk of death, dangerous side effects
and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and
strokes, writes Northwestern Medicine preventive
cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., in a
New England Journal of Medicine editorial.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health - Opinion
Alzheimer's
Conference Offers Signs of Hope in Battle Against Mind-Crushing Disease
Below are some of the
highlights from the Alzheimer's Association
International Conference that are important to
every senior citizen
By Tucker Sutherland, editor,
SeniorJournal.com
July 16, 2014 – For the
first time in the almost-20-years that I have
closely followed the battle against Alzheimer’s
disease, I am encouraged about our odds. As the
Alzheimer’s Association International Conference
for this year wraps up in Copenhagen, the
researchers and other experts who made
presentations convinced me we are finally
getting our arms around this cruel killer, and
have a chance to - someday - bring it under
control. Below are the highlights and every
senior citizen, the primary victims of the
disease, needs to read them.
More...
Health
and Medicine for Seniors
Diabetics with Heart Disease Can
Live Longer by Taking Statins Says Researcher
Patients taking statins at beginning of study had a 50% increase of
being alive as compared to those who didn’t
July 16, 2014 – Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death
and disability among people with Type 2 diabetes. In fact, at least 65
percent of people with diabetes die from some form of heart disease or
stroke, according to the American Heart Association. The good news is
that it appears they may add years to their lives by taking statins.
More...
Health
and Medicine for Seniors
One Injection Stops Diabetes in Its Tracks Report Salk Scientists
FGF1 treatment reverses
symptoms of type 2 diabetes in mice without side
effects
July
16, 2014 - In mice with diet-induced diabetes -
the equivalent of type 2 diabetes in humans - a
single injection of the protein FGF1 is enough
to restore blood sugar levels to a healthy range
for more than two days. The discovery by Salk
scientists, published today in the journal
Nature,
could lead to a new generation of safer, more
effective diabetes drugs.
More...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Scams Targeting Grandparents Get Attention from Senate Committee on
Aging
Goal today is
to identify solutions to help authorities better
detect and prosecute such crimes, and encourage
retailers, phone companies to help protect
consumers
July 16,
2014 – The U.S. Senate Special Committee on
Aging will hold a hearing today at 1:30 p.m. to
seek solutions to the increase in scams
targeting grandparents. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
and Susan Collins (R-ME), the committee’s
chairman and ranking member, called for the
hearing after receiving complaints from victims
through the committee’s fraud hotline.
More...
Caregiver & Elder Care News
Ten Questions About End-of-Life Care to Ask Your Aging Parents
May seem downright frightening, but it is important to
know your parents' preferences at the end of life; may also be questions
for discussion with a spouse
By Amy Tucci, President, CEO,
Hospice Foundation of America
July
15, 2014 - If you have aging parents, now is the
time to discuss what's important to them as they
near the end of their lives. Too many adult
children wait to have end-of-life conversations
when their parents are dying or in the midst of
a crisis.
More...
Medicare & Medicaid News
HHS Funds to Enhance Ability of States to Improve Medicaid Reform
HHS also
announces $11 Million to integrate HIV services
in Community Health Centers
July
15, 2014 - A new collaboration with states to
improve care for Medicaid beneficiaries by
accelerating efforts in reforming their health
care systems to improve health and care, while
also reducing costs, was announced yesterday by
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M.
Burwell, who called the program “innovative.”
More...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Exciting Glimmer of Hope in Fight Against
Alzheimer’s in U.S. but World Epidemic Grows
New data on fewer new cases in U.S. and other
developed nations suggests possibility of prevention and risk reduction;
reports from Alzheimer’s Association International Conference
July 15, 2014 – Older Americans have become
accustomed to assuming that Alzheimer’s disease in becoming more common
among senior citizens and is destined to increase rapidly due to the
increased incidence rate and the explosion in longevity. New reports
today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2014
suggest the possibility of reducing risk and maybe even preventing the
disease most feared by most seniors. Some of the best news was found in
studies from the United States.
Caregiver & Elder Care News
Patients Moving from Hospital to
Hospice Often Prescribed Questionable Antibiotics
About 27% of
hospice patients still taking antibiotics for infection in the final
week of their life
July 14,
2014 - New research suggests that use of antibiotics is still prevalent
among terminal patients who have chosen hospice care as an end-of-life
option, despite little evidence that the medications improve symptoms or
quality of life, and sometimes may cause unwanted side effects.
More...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Seniors Almost Twice as Likely to Have Memories Affected By
Environmental Distraction
‘Almost any type of memory
test administered reveals a decline in memory
from the age of 25 on’
July
14, 2014 - Seniors are nearly twice as likely as
younger people to have their memory and
cognitive processes impaired by environmental
distractions (such as irrelevant speech or
written words presented along with target
stimuli), according to a new study from
psychologists at Rice University and Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine.
More...
Health
and Medicine for Seniors
Stroke Risk in Seniors, Middle-Age Adults Jumps with Stress, Hostility,
Depression
Psychological
characteristics equally important to
cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking other
traditional risk factors
July 11,
2014 - Higher levels of stress, hostility and
depressive symptoms are associated with
significantly increased risk of
stroke or transient
ischemic attack (TIA)
in middle-age adults and seniors, according to
new research in the American Heart Association
journal Stroke. Interestingly,
anger was not seen to cause a significant
increase in stroke risk.
More...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Alcohol Drinking Gets a Couple of Bad Reviews and Seniors Should Know
Limits
Many U.S. senior citizens
consume low to moderate amounts of alcohol on a
regular basis but need to be aware of special
warnings for seniors by National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
July
10, 2014 – For a while now alcohol has had a
good run with research studies declaring it a
safe or even beneficial drink when it comes to
major health threats like heart problems and
cancer. Two reports this week seem to be
pointing in the opposite direction. One says
even light-to-moderate drinkers can lower their
risk of heart disease, their body mass index and
their blood pressure by cutting back on alcohol
consumption. And, a doctors’ organization this
week put alcohol on its list of things to avoid
to reduce your cancer risk.
More...
|
Video
Feature
Important Videos from the National
Institutes of Health
 If
you are a senior citizens that smokes
you need to watch
>>
Why quit smoking when you are older?
Watch Video
>>
How does smoking affect and older
adult’s health?
Watch Video |
Medicare & Medicaid News
New Health Care Innovation Awards Announced for Better Health Care,
Lower Costs
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Innovation Center to invest $360
million
July
10, 2014 – Health Care Innovation Awards
expected to total as much as $360 million to
deliver better health care at lower costs were
announced yesterday by Health and Human Services
Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Seven awards
from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid
Services’ Innovation Center will focus on
improving care for frail elderly patients or
providing support for aging in the community and
most of the other endeavors will also benefit
seniors.
More...
Caregiver & Elder Care News
New Elder Abuse Roadmap Outlines Critical Path to Protecting Seniors
Efforts
led by Justice Department, Health and Human
Services to gather input from hundreds of
private stakeholders; free training for
attorneys
July 10,
2014 – The Obama Administration yesterday
released The Elder Justice Roadmap, which is a
program outline developed by experts in the
field. It will be used by the Elder Justice
Coordinating Council and others to develop
strategic plans to prevent and combat elder
abuse.
More...
Health
and Medicine for Seniors
Vasectomy Appears to Increase Risk of Aggressive, Lethal Prostate Cancer
Men
who had regular PSA screening had a increased
risk of 56% for lethal prostate cancer; effect
stronger among men who had a vasectomy at
younger age.
July 9, 2014 – The largest
study to examine the link between vasectomy and
prostate cancer has found that men who had this
birth control procedure have a small increase in
their risk of prostate cancer but a stronger
risk for advanced or lethal cases of this
cancer.
More...
Health
and Medicine for Seniors
YouTube May Be Social Media Tool to Link More Seniors to Health
Information
With
video social media, information about skin
cancer and sun protection goes straight from
researchers to the public
July 9, 2014 – Senior
citizens have not been pioneers in using social
media, but they are eager consumers of health
information. Research for the University of
Colorado Cancer Center suggests that YouTube has
the potential to be the ultimate provider of
health information seniors want – at least as it
applies to skin cancer.
More...
Medicare & Medicaid News
HHS to Add 150 New Health Centers for High Need Communities Across U.S.
Affordable
Care Act funds $100 million to expand primary
care in 2015 in health centers
July 8,
2014 – An estimated 150 new health centers
serving communities in need will be built across
the country in 2015, thanks to a $100 million in
funding from the Affordable Care Act. The new
health center sites will increase access to
comprehensive, affordable, high quality primary
health care services in the communities that
need it most, according an announcement today by
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.
More...
Caregiver & Elder Care News
Too Many Seniors Fail to Heed Warning of Exposure to Hot Summer Weather
National Institute on Aging provides advice about
hyperthermia that may save your life or someone you care for – elderly
men the most in danger of death
July 3, 2014 – Senior citizens, especially those
with chronic medical conditions, should stay indoors, preferably with
air conditioning, or at least a fan, on hot and humid summer days, warns
the National Institute on Aging (NIA), which suggests specific actions
seniors can take to avoid deadly hyperthermia. About 1,500 in the U.S.
can be expected to die from heat-related problems this summer – mostly
senior men.
More...
Medicare & Medicaid News
Medicare
Costs for Breast Cancer Screenings Skyrocket, But Do Patients Benefit?
While U.S.
Preventive Services does not recommend breast
cancer screening for senior women 75 and older,
Medicare still spent an increasing amount on
this age group
By Karen N. Peart, Yale
University
July 3,
2014 - Breast cancer screening costs for
Medicare patients skyrocketed between 2001 and
2009, while the number of screening mammograms
performed remained stable. What makes this even
worse is that the increased cost did not lead to
earlier detection of new breast cancer cases,
says a new study by Yale School of Medicine
researchers.
More...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Six New Dietary Guidelines to Prevent Cancer Labeled
Aggressive
Seniors warned warn about association between cancer
and alcohol, red and processed meats, dairy products, and carcinogens in
even well-cooked beef, poultry, and fish
July 3, 2014 - Six dietary guidelines, described as
more aggressive than previous cancer prevention advice, have been
released by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a
nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine.
More...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Seniors See Brains Age Faster the Less They Sleep
Faster
brain ventricle enlargement marker for cognitive
decline; first study to look at impact of less
sleep
July 2, 2014 – The less
older people sleep, the faster their brains age,
according a new study. The researchers see their
discovery as opening the door for new studies on
sleep loss and its contribution to cognitive
decline in seniors, including dementia.
Health
and Medicine for Seniors
Insulin, Other Drugs May Do More Harm Than Good for Some Diabetes
Patients
Harm to
quality of life outweighs benefits of treatment
for older patients and those with negative
feelings about side effects, burden of
medication
June
30, 2014 - For patients with type 2 diabetes – especially those over age
50 – the negative impact of side effects like weight gain and burdens
like frequent insulin shots trumps the benefits of drugs, says a new
study by the University of Michigan Health System, the VA Ann Arbor
Healthcare System, and University College London.
Nursing Home Abuse?
Latest study from Mayo Clinic
published in JAMA Neurology suggests even
those with high risk gene can delay decline for
years
