Eldercare, Aging and Long Term Care

Diabetes Linked to Memory Problems in Older Adults - NYTimes.com

A new study adds to growing evidence that the complications of diabetes may extend to the brain, causing declines in memory, attention and other cognitive skills.

via well.blogs.nytimes.com

Funerals Remain a Segregated Business in the South - NYTimes.com

When a black person dies in one of the rural counties around here, chances are the body will end up in the hands of Charles Menendez.

via www.nytimes.com

Oregon Study Reveals Benefits, and Costs, of Insuring the Uninsured - NYTimes.com

In a continuing study, an all-star group of researchers following Ms. Parris and tens of thousands of other Oregonians has found that gaining insurance makes people feel healthier, happier and more financially stable. The insured also spend more on health care, dashing some hopes of preventive-medicine advocates who have argued that coverage can save money — by keeping people out of emergency rooms, for instance. In Oregon, the newly insured spent an average of $778 a year, or 25 percent, more on health care than those who did not win insurance.

via www.nytimes.com

P.T.S.D. Often Follows Heart Attack, Study Shows - NYTimes.com

The emotional toll of a heart attack can be so severe that an estimated 1 in 8 patients who survive the experience develop post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that doubles the risk of dying of a second heart attack, according to new research.

via well.blogs.nytimes.com

Canada - Court Says Ban on Doctor-Assisted Suicide Is Unconstitutional - NYTimes.com

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge ruled Thursday that Canadian laws banning doctor-assisted suicide are unconstitutional. Justice Lynn Smith declared the laws invalid, but also suspended her ruling for one year to give Canada’s federal Parliament time to draft legislation with her ruling in mind. She said the laws were discriminatory for those who were grievously ill or physically disabled who wanted to have some control over their circumstances at the end of their lives. Canada’s federal government is expected to appeal the decision, and the case is likely to go to the Canadian Supreme Court.

via www.nytimes.com

Calcium and Vitamin D Ineffective for Fractures, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Says - NYTimes.com

The United States Preventive Services Task Force, an influential group that recently recommended against routine P.S.A. tests to detect prostate cancer, issued a draft statement on Tuesday recommending that healthy postmenopausal women should not take low doses of calcium or vitamin D supplements to prevent fractures.

The group, an independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care appointed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, also considered use of the supplements by healthy premenopausal women and men. For those groups, it said, there was insufficient evidence to recommend taking vitamin D with or without calcium to prevent fractures.

via www.nytimes.com

At the End, a Rush to the E.R. - NYTimes.com

What elderly person wants to spend time in an emergency room? They’re so chaotic and uncomfortable that several hospitals have opened calmer, more specialized emergency units particularly designed for their oldest patients.

But how much more distressing is an E.R. visit for someone who’s within weeks of dying?

via newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com

Hosts of 'Car Talk' to Retire After 35 Years of Automotive Banter - NYTimes.com

After 35 years of weekly broadcasts and some 12,500 calls, the wisecracking brothers announced on Friday that they are retiring. “As of October, we’re not going to be recording any more new shows,” Tom, 74, wrote in a CarTalk.com column written with Ray, 63, who added, “We’ve decided that it’s time to stop and smell the cappuccino.”

via mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com