A University of Michigan study recently published in Academic Emergency Medicine says that it is common for patients 65 and older to receive potentially inappropriate medications when treated in an emergency room. Nearly 19.5 million older patients, or 16.8 percent of eligible emergency visits from 2000-2006, received one or more potentially inappropriate medications - or PIMs...

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets: EHSI) was pleased on learning the news that Intel, The Mayo Clinic and GE Healthcare have launched a new initiative to study the care and cost benefits of home-based telemedicine for elderly patients with chronic illnesses. Emerging Healthcare Solutions has licensed a cutting-edge mobile telemedicine platform from Telemedicus, Inc...

Computer programs have been able to predict which of three short films a person is thinking about, just by looking at their brain activity. The research, conducted by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London), provides further insight into how our memories are recorded...

Hypothermia occurs when a person's normal body temperature of around 37°C (98.6°F) drops below 35°C (95°F). It is a medical emergency. The body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Hypothermia is the opposite of hyperthermia which is present in heat exhaustion and heat stroke...

Medill Reports: "Unless federal legislation closes the Medicare coverage gap colloquially known as the 'doughnut hole,' seniors may opt for online drug imports to alleviate steep prescription costs. ... 'As seniors start falling into the doughnut hole, they are going online to find deals on prescription drugs, whether they're based in the U.S...

Responding to the publication of the Health Committee's report on Social Care, Hilary Evans, Age Concern and Help the Aged's Head of Public Affairs, said: 'With the debate on social care raging, the publication of this report is extremely timely...

Total knee replacement (TKR) successfully relieves pain and improves function in patients with advanced knee arthritis, according to a study presented today at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The surgery also significantly improves dynamic balance among elderly patients...

Sixty per cent of people think politicians are not doing enough to improve care for older people according to a survey by Age Concern and Help the Aged. The poll also found that eight out of ten adults believe care reform is among the most important issues in the forthcoming election...

Following Age Concern and Help the Aged's care summit, Andrew Harrop, Director of Policy and Public Affairs for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: 'Our care summit did exactly what it set out to do. It provided all three main political parties the neutral platform that was needed to re-open dialogue about reforming the current care and support system...

At age 55, men can expect another 15 years of sexual activity, but women that age should expect less than 11 years, according to a study by University of Chicago researchers published early online March 10 by the British Medical Journal. Men in good or excellent health at 55 can add 5 to 7 years to that number. Equally healthy women gain slightly less, 3 to 6 years...

The New York Times: "The Senate Finance Committee has opened an investigation into patient deaths and allegations of substandard treatment at long-term care hospitals, small specialty medical centers that treat chronically ill patients. The investigation focuses on the Select Medical Corporation, a for-profit corporation that runs 89 long-term care hospitals, more than any other company...

Politicians must work together to find long-term solutions on care reform, says Age Concern and Help the Aged, as new figures reveal six out of ten1 think politicians are not doing enough to work together to improve the care and support system for older people...

Research published on bmj.com today reports that people who are in good health are just about twice as likely to be interested in sex compared to those in poor health. Sexual activity is recognized as having several health benefits. In addition, it is linked to living longer. In this case, the study investigates how general health impacts on the quality of sex...

Some anti-depressant drugs are associated with an increased chance of developing cataracts, according to a new statistical study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University...

The Society for Nutrition Education (SNE) has partnered with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and American Society for Nutrition (ASN) to publish a position paper, "Position of the American Dietetic Association, American Society for Nutrition, and Society for Nutrition Education: Food and Nutrition Programs for Community-Residing Older Adults," focusing on access to safe...

Medicare payment issues including rising costs, caps on physical therapy and other outpatient services for some patients are in the news. The Dallas Morning News reports that Medicare Advantage plans with drug benefits are getting more expensive: "Seniors in those plans will pay an average of $39.61 a month this year in premiums, up 14...

Building on previous studies that found racial differences in hospice use, a new study from the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife and Boston University School of Medicine finds that blacks and Hispanics use hospice for advanced heart failure at a rate of up to 50 percent less than whites, despite a markedly higher rate of incidence of the disease in these populations...

Commenting on research showing that four in five adults regard Internet access as their fundamental right, Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Age Concern and Help the Aged commented: 'Age Concern and Help the Aged wants everyone to have access to the Internet as it is a fantastic resource that brings real benefits to people, whatever stage of life they are at. Unfortunately, the 6...

The population of the UK is ageing. Sixteen per cent of the UK population is 65 or older, and for the first time, there are more people over the age of 65 than there are under the age of 18. This raises a lot of questions on issues such as pension provision, health care and wellbeing...

Health Affairs this month is devoted to the topic of childhood obesity, with the first study of the group - National, State, And Local Disparities In Childhood Obesity - pointing out that "new data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health show that the percentage of children ages 10-17 who are overweight ...