Marijuana Has Special Risks for Older People
WSJ - As more seniors use cannabis, doctors are calling attention to risks that can hit older people more than younger ones. It can interfere with other medications, which is tricky for seniors because they are often on multiple prescription drugs. Marijuana can also raise the risks of injuries, falls, anxiety and confusion. The situation is further complicated because many seniors may be wary of telling their doctors they use it.
Who Will Take Care of Italy’s Older People? Robots, Maybe.
NYT - “An excellent choice,” answered the small robot, reclined like a nonchalant professor atop the classroom’s desk, instructing her to listen closely. She leaned in, her wizened forehead almost touching the smooth plastic head.“Once upon a time,” the robot began a brief tale, and when it finished asked her what job the protagonist had.
The scene may have the dystopian “what could go wrong?” undertones of science fiction at a moment when both the promise and perils of artificial intelligence are coming into sharper focus. But for the exhausted caregivers at a recent meeting in Carpi, a handsome town in Italy’s most innovative region for elder care, it pointed to a welcome, not-too-distant future when humanoids might help shrinking families share the burden of keeping the Western world’s oldest population stimulated, active and healthy.
Senior living industry tells federal lawmakers of ‘unprecedented’ financial issues
McKnight’s - A recent House hearing on healthcare inflation drew no shortage of comments from groups including the senior living industry sharing experiences with escalating costs.
The long-term care industry — and assisted living, specifically — has faced unprecedented cost increases and financial challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Maggie Elehwany, Argentum senior vice president of public affairs.
Alzheimer’s first signs may appear in your eyes, study finds
CNN - The eyes are more than a window to the soul — they’re also a reflection of a person’s cognitive health.
“The eye is the window into the brain,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Christine Greer, director of medical education at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Boca Raton, Florida. “You can see directly into the nervous system by looking into the back of the eye, toward the optic nerve and retina.”
One day doctors may be able to use eye tests to identify cognitive decline soon after it begins.
Research has been exploring how the eye may help in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms begin. The disease is well advanced by the time memory and behavior are affected.
Depression is linked to accelerated aging
McKnight’s - Older adults with late-in-life depression are actually aging faster than their chronological peers, according to researchers at the University of Connecticut Center on Aging.
Kinda Funny -
I’ve Had Performances Like This
The Agony of Putting Your Life on Hold to Care for Your Parents
NYT - Randi Schofield is the sole provider for an ailing father and, at the same time, for her own children — a situation now common among Americans in their 30s and 40s.
Observation - Powerful article.
How to Feel Less Lonely: 7 Evidence-Based Ways to Reconnection
Stephan Joppich - For one thing, asking for help when you’re lonely is the hardest thing you can imagine. Loneliness is a stigmatized emotion, so strangely, we assume that asking for help will only make us look worse. For another, self-regulation shuts down when you’re lonely. That is, it gets really tough to make smart choices for yourself. You eat more junk food, drown in TV shows, or — as in the author’s case — get a craving for cigarettes.
I Took Over My Father’s Finances at 25. The Lessons Were Hard-Won.
NYT - Many adult children end up caring for their parents late in life. But when the role reversal happens in their 20s and 30s, the burden can feel too much to bear.
40 percent of adults with hearing loss do not inform their clinicians
McKnight’s - Adults who recognize that their hearing abilities have diminished often do not let their doctors or nurses know, a new study has found. This unaddressed loss can lead to social isolation, depression and reduced quality of life, the researchers said.
Restless Legs Syndrome May Boost Dementia Risk
WebMD - Restless legs syndrome may be a risk factor for dementia or a very early warning sign of dementia in older adults, new research hints.
RLS is a condition that causes an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, typically in the evening or nighttime hours when sitting or lying down.
In a large study of older adults, those who had RLS were significantly more likely to develop dementia over more than a decade than peers without RLS.
Observation - anymore it feels like a lot of things can contribute to dementia so the questions becomes what is it that we can control?
The U.S. health care system, post-COVID emergency: 4 key changes
BenefitsPRO - The Biden administration’s decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency in May will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for COVID tests.
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