Eldercare, Aging and Long Term Care

Smoking ban leads to major drop in heart attacks.

A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations, according to a new study that is considered the best and longest-term research to show such a link. The rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colo., took effect. There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it's a clear sign the ban was responsible.

Age-Related Memory Decline Linked to Increased Glucose Levels.

Memory decline with age appears partly explained by increased blood glucose levels that cause decreased activity in the dentate gyrus, a new study published in the December issue of the Annals of Neurology suggests.

Medical News: Keeping Blood Sugar Low May Help Stem Geriatric Memory Loss - in Neurology, General Neurology from MedPage Today.

Lowering blood glucose levels may help lessen the cognitive decline of normal aging, even in diabetes-free patients, researchers here said.

Skimping on sleep is bad for the heart: U.S. study | Science & Health | Reuters .

Just one extra hour of sleep a day appears to lower the risk of developing calcium deposits in the arteries, a precursor to heart disease, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. The finding adds to a growing list of health consequences -- including weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure -- linked to getting too little sleep. "We found that people who on average slept longer were at reduced risk of developing new coronary artery calcifications over five years," said Diane Lauderdale of the University of Chicago Medical Center, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Living | Millions of older Americans use risky drug combos | Seattle Times Newspaper.

At least 2 million older Americans are taking a combination of drugs or supplements that can be a risky mix - from blood thinners and cholesterol pills to aspirin and ginkgo capsules - a new study warns.

Among older men, the numbers are particularly alarming - one in 10 are taking potentially harmful combinations, according to the study.

The results aren't always disastrous, but older people are more vulnerable to side effects and drug-to-drug interactions. And patients need to know that just because lots of medicines and supplements don't require prescriptions doesn't mean they're harmless. Nor are some of these safe to take when you're prescribed other medications.

High blood pressure may make it difficult for the elderly to think clearly.

Adding another reason for people to watch their blood pressure, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that increased blood pressure in older adults is directly related to decreased cognitive functioning, particularly among seniors with already high blood pressure. This means that stressful situations may make it more difficult for some seniors to think clearly. Dr. Jason Allaire, an assistant professor of psychology at NC State who co-authored the study, explains that study subjects whose average systolic blood pressure was 130 or higher saw a significant decrease in cognitive function when their blood pressure spiked. However, Allaire notes, study subjects whose average blood pressure was low or normal saw no change in their cognitive functioning – even when their blood pressure shot up. Specifically, Allaire says, the study shows a link between blood pressure spikes in seniors with high blood pressure and a decrease in their inductive reasoning. "Inductive reasoning is important," Allaire says, "because it is essentially the ability to work flexibly with unfamiliar information and find solutions." Allaire says the findings may indicate that mental stress is partially responsible for the increase in blood pressure – and the corresponding breakdown in cognitive functioning. However, Allaire notes that normal fluctuations in blood pressure likely play a role as well. ### The study, which is published in the current issue of Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, examined blood pressure and cognitive functioning test data collected from a cohort of adults aged 60-87 twice daily for 60 days. The lead author is Alyssa A. Gamaldo, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at NC State. A second co-author is Sarah R. Weatherbee, who is also a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at NC State.

More Reasons to Beware L.T.C. Insurance - The New Old Age Blog - NYTimes.com.

My mother had such a policy, a new product in the 1970s and one that looked very different from the policies of today. Because of her age when we bought it, the annual premium was $7,000. I can’t recall how many years we paid for it and prefer not to check my records to find out. What good would it do me now? Leaving aside the eye-glazing technical details, nothing she needed was covered. The policy gave me peace of mind but otherwise was an utter waste of money.

Alzheimer's - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People with Alzheimer's Disease.

There are many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people (LGBT) who have Alzheimer's disease , but it is often difficult to access even the smallest piece of information on the needs of this community. Books or other sources that are very informative about all other aspects of care services and provision seem to omit or skim over this aspect. The internet is doing its bit to address this imbalance and now anybody can be better informed about LGBT issues. LGBT people with Alzheimer's disease, and their caregivers, have finally found a voice and their needs are beginning to be addressed more fully.  

Alzheimer's - Urinary Tract Infections and Alzheimer's Disease.

For people with Alzheimer's disease, urinary tract infections (UTIs) can present particular difficulties. Later stage Alzheimer's disease is associated with increased difficulties in communication. Therefore, someone with a UTI, might be experiencing pain and discomfort yet be unable to articulate this. However, sudden changes in behavior, such as aggression , anxiety, violence, may be an indication that something is physically wrong. People with Alzheimer's get sick too, but far too often, their change in behavior is attributed to dementia rather than from a physical cause.

Official History Spotlights Iraq Rebuilding Blunders - ProPublica.

An unpublished, 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country, and then molded into a $100 billion failure by bureaucratic turf wars, spiraling violence and ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society and infrastructure.