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AARP unveils Legislative priorities for new Congress, including U.S. Health Care overhaul...AARP on Tuesday released a list of legislative priorities for health care for the 111th Congress as part of a "characteristically sweeping agenda that focuses on the recession and on health care reform," The Hill reports...(more)

Vision problems prompt Older Drivers to put down the keys...With 30 million drivers in the US aged 65 and over, we count on older Americans to recognize when they can no longer drive safely and decide that it’s time to stay off the road...A new study finds that a decrease in vision function is a key factor in bringing about this decision...(more)

Medication lapses in Health Care System pose risk for one in four Older Patients entering Home Health Care…Evidence-based, National Home Care Quality Improvement Initiative shown to enhance Medication Management...(more)

Healthcare spending in 2007 increased at lowest rate in nine years, with Prescription Drug spending growth slowing to lowest rate since 1963, study finds... U.S. health care spending by both the public and private sectors grew at a rate of 6.1% to $2.2 trillion in 2007, down from growth of 6.7% in 2006, according to a study by federal auditors published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, the Wall Street Journal reports...(more)

Study shows need for standardizing Nursing Home Social Workers' Credentials... Social workers play a vital role in improving the quality of nursing home residents' lives. But qualifications   of nursing home social workers vary wildly in part because of low federal standards and inconsistent state laws, the first national study on nursing home social workers reveals...(more)

Ten Tips: How to beat the Baby Boomer Blues... ...(more)

One simple step to obtain Health, Happiness, and Longevity in 2009...The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced today its call to action for anyone looking to live a happier, healthier, longer life - invest in yourself; join a health club...(more)

Study helps explain connection between Sleep Apnea, Stroke and Death...Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain, elevates blood pressure within the brain and eventually harms the brain’s ability to modulate these changes and prevent damage to itself, according to a new study published by The American Physiological Society...The findings may help explain why people with sleep apnea are more likely to suffer strokes and to die in their sleep...(more)

VA Data show Home Health Technology improves access to care...Veterans with chronic conditions can manage their health and avoid hospitalization by using special technology provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in their homes,
according to a recent study...(more)

Staying healthy in a tough economy...With the economy in a state of decline, it is difficult for many Americans to afford health care. Visits to doctors are down 10 percent to 15 percent and many individuals are not taking their medicines as prescribed... However, there are certain measures that can be taken to lessen the burden while facing tough economic times...(more)

10 Tips for Keeping the Brain Sharp Into 2009 ...One piece of excellent news in the past year was that brain health seems to be improving among older Americans...A large national survey from the University of Michigan found that over a 10-year-period ending in 2002, memory loss and thinking problems were down significantly among seniors aged 70 and up, from 12.2 percent to 8.7 percent...(more)

AARP Survey finds 1 in 5 Boomers worried about affording Health Care in 2009...An AARP survey examines the health care and prescription drug challenges facing Boomers and older Americans in the weakened economy. ..The poll of Americans age 45-plus shows positive signs that much of the population is embracing healthy habits and practicing wise use of prescription drugs, but finds they can do more to reduce their health care bills and improve their health...(more)

New Study reveals the most common reasons why Total Hip Replacements may fail... Each year thousands of patients undergo total hip replacement surgery in order to help alleviate pain associated with debilitating hip disease and other related hip problems...According to a new study published in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surery, while many successful, long-term results have been documented, limited information currently exists regarding why hip replacements fail in the United States population...(more)

Smokers with Stroke in the family 6 times more likely to have Stroke too... A new study shows that people who are smokers and have a family history of brain aneurysm appear to be significantly more likely to suffer a stroke from a brain aneurysm themselves...(more)

Trying to eat less becomes more important to fend off Middle-Age Weight Gain...Lots of experts disagree over the seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight off by trying to eat less – a debate that centers on whether the practice backfires, leading to binging and weight gain...Now a new study shows that practicing restraint becomes more important with age...(more)

Family History of Prostate Cancer does not affect some treatment outcomes... In a first of its kind study, a first-degree family history of prostate cancer has no impact on the treatment outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy (also called seed implants), and patients with this type of family history have clinical and pathologic characteristics similar to men with no family history at all...(more)

Study investigates the cost effectiveness of Spinal Surgery... Back pain affects more than 80 percent of people and costs more than $100 billion annually in the U.S.... But is the surgery cost effective?...(more)

Researchers link Blood Sugar to normal Cognitive Aging...Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study appeared in the December issue of Annals of Neurology...(more)

No-Nonsense Nutrition Advice... Can you take it?... We’ve seen the advice a million times. Eat less and exercise more... More fruit and vegetables... Less fast food and fewer french fries...Perfectly sensible nutrition counsel that has been repackaged and foisted upon us for decades, to no avail...(more)

Family members of Critically Ill Patients want to discuss loved ones’ uncertain prognoses... Critically ill patients frequently have uncertain prognoses, but their families overwhelmingly wish that physicians would address prognostic uncertainty candidly, according to a new study out of the University of San Francisco Medical Center...(more)