Latest Senior Health News

18Jan
2023

Have Arthritis? Design Your Office to Ease the Strain

Have Arthritis? Design Your Office to Ease the StrainWEDNESDAY, Jan. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Whether your job is remote or takes you to an office, you'll feel better and offset joint pain by having a workspace that's designed to work for you instead of against you. The biggest problem isn’t sitting itself but holding a single position for long periods often with a posture that causes strain, such as leaning forward, said Jen Horonjeff, an ergonomics and human factors consultant in New York City. (Ergonomics refers to office comfort and efficiency)."People think the opposite of sitting is standing. Unless you’re moving around when you stand up, that's not the case," Horonjeff said in a news release from the Arthritis Foundation. "The real opposite of both sitting or standing still is moving. And moving frequently is what we need...

Could Hearing Aids Lower Your Odds for Dementia?

17 January 2023
Could Hearing Aids Lower Your Odds for Dementia?TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Could losing your hearing as you age be a harbinger of dementia?Maybe, suggests new research that found that older people who had trouble hearing were more likely to develop dementia down the road. But there's good news with the bad: Hearing aids — which are now available over-the-counter at much lower prices — may reduce this risk.“There is evidence that hearing loss causes structural brain changes,” said study author Nicholas Reed, an audiologist at the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Baltimore. “You are not getting input to keep your brain robust, so you may develop atrophy in areas, leading to dementia.”In addition, the constant struggle to hear can make your brain work even harder,...

Seniors, Make This Winter an Active & Healthy One

14 January 2023
Seniors, Make This Winter an Active & Healthy OneSATURDAY, Jan. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Winter may feel like a time for hibernation, but it’s important for seniors to safely keep up their hobbies and physical activity in the cold weather. “It’s important to get outside as much as possible, whether it’s temperate or even if it’s colder, as long as it’s safe to do so,” said Dr. Angela Catic, an associate professor in the Center on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston. “If it’s cold, bundling up and getting outside is good for your spirit and good for you physically,” she said in a Baylor news release.Continue walking, biking or being in nature, Catic suggested, while being cautious of snow or icy conditions. But don’t pick up a new active sport like skiing or snowboarding, unless that was already a...

For Seniors, Declining Sense of Smell Could Signal Frailty

13 January 2023
For Seniors, Declining Sense of Smell Could Signal FrailtyFRIDAY, Jan. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors already test seniors’ hearing and vision. Sense of smell could be added to screenings one day, according to researchers who found links between its loss and risk of frailty in older adults.“We use our sense of smell to identify the threat of a fire or to enjoy the fragrance of flowers on a spring day. But just like vision and hearing, this sense weakens as we age,” said study co-author Dr. Nicholas Rowan. He is an associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Baltimore.“We found that both impaired olfactory identification and sensitivity functions are associated with frailty, which is interesting because it shows that it’s not just your aging brain at work here, but it may also be...

Social Isolation Can Raise Odds for Dementia

13 January 2023
Social Isolation Can Raise Odds for DementiaFRIDAY, Jan. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Social isolation is a substantial risk factor for dementia in older adults, according to a pair of studies that add evidence to past research on this threat.But these new studies offer a potential solution: using technology to encourage older adults to text and email to stay in touch.Although the studies don’t prove lack of regular social contact causes dementia, researchers said they do strengthen observations that isolation increases the risk. They suggested that relatively simple steps to increase social support may reduce that risk.About 1 in 4 people over age 65 in the United States is socially isolated.“Social connections matter for our cognitive health, and it is potentially easily modifiable for older adults without the use of...
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