Seniors/Aging News

TUESDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Falls are a leading cause of death among older Americans, and new research confirms that chronic pain contributes to those accidents. Full Story »

TUESDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who take antidepressants, sedatives and other psychotropic medications may be at increased risk for falls, a new review shows. Full Story »

For older people, gabbing on a cell phone while walking across the street may increase the chances of being run over, according to a new study, although earlier research did not find the same connection among younger people. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - High-cost urban U.S. hospitals may face debt rating downgrades if large cuts to Medicare funding are implemented as part of U.S. health care reform, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday. Full Story »

THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and who have good cognitive function are much less likely to die from heart disease than those who have poorer cognitive function and eat fewer fruits and vegetables, a new study has found. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to boost Medicare payments to physicians in a move that could help shore up support from doctors for a sweeping Democratic-backed healthcare overhaul. Full Story »

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Taking the B vitamin niacin offers no additional benefit to seniors with coronary artery disease who are already prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, U.S. researchers say. Full Story »

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Lifelong exercise helps seniors keep their hearts healthy, new research shows. Full Story »

MARIETTA, Pa. - Malaria. Tuberculosis. Alzheimer's disease. AIDS. Pandemic flu. Genital herpes. Urinary tract infections. Grass allergies. Traveler's diarrhea. You name it, the pharmaceutical industry is working on a vaccine to prevent it. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Tom Dougherty jokes that he takes "get-lost walks." To his wife, Cleo, it's a constant fear: When will his Alzheimer's get bad enough that she has to end his 4-mile daily strolls? Full Story »

SUNDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Gene mutations linked to inherited Parkinson's disease also appear to be connected to the more common form of the disease that strikes people whose relatives don't have it, researchers now say. Full Story »

HONG KONG (Reuters) - People of Japanese and European descent who have mutant versions of five genes may be at higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, two large teams of researchers have found. Full Story »

FRIDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors enrolled in private, standalone Medicare prescription drugs plans (PDP) could encounter significant changes this open enrollment period, which begins Sunday. Full Story »

FRIDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Tiny capsules could increase the body's absorption of the yellow curry ingredient curcumin, which is being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of colon cancer, psoriasis and Alzheimer's disease. Full Story »

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A study of H1N1 swine flu in Mexico finds that while babies and people under the age of 40 are most likely to get sick, elderly people have the highest death rates. Full Story »

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Highlighting the importance of staying fit in old age, a French study has found that seniors who walk slowly are three times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than are fast walkers. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - New data from Mexico, the epicentre of the swine flu pandemic, has confirmed that young people are most at risk of catching the A(H1N1) virus but elderly patients are most at risk of dying from it. Full Story »

TUESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from a young age might prevent early signs of Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a new study in mice. Full Story »