Latest Senior Health News

1Sep
2023

Federal Government to Regulate Staffing at Nursing Homes for First Time

Federal Government to Regulate Staffing at Nursing Homes for First TimeFRIDAY, Sept. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Nursing homes will soon have to meet federal minimum staffing requirements, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday."Establishing minimum staffing standards for nursing homes will improve resident safety,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an agency news release announcing the proposal. “When facilities are understaffed, residents suffer. They might be unable to use the bathroom, shower, maintain hygiene, change clothes, get out of bed or have someone respond to their call for assistance," Becerra said. "Comprehensive staffing reforms can improve working conditions, leading to higher wages and better retention for this dedicated workforce.”The proposal would set the minimum staffing that is equivalent to...

Blood Test Might Help Diagnose Parkinson's Disease Much...

31 August 2023
Blood Test Might Help Diagnose Parkinson`s Disease Much EarlierTHURSDAY, Aug. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As it stands, no one blood test or brain scan can definitively diagnose Parkinson's disease.But researchers report this may soon change if a new blood test continues to show promise.The test measures DNA damage in the mitochondria of cells, which is known to be higher in people with Parkinson’s disease. Earlier research from the same group also showed there is an accumulation of mitochondrial DNA damage in the brain tissue of people who died from Parkinson’s disease.“While more work is needed to validate the blood test, our goal is to get this to the bedside as quickly as possible,” said study author Laurie Sanders, an associate professor of neurology and pathology at the Duke School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C. “A clear-cut...

Deaf Children 'Equal, Healthy and Whole,' Pediatricians'...

30 August 2023
Deaf Children `Equal, Healthy and Whole,` Pediatricians` Group AffirmsWEDNESDAY, Aug. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- It's time for everyone to change the words we use when we talk about kids who are deaf or hard of hearing.This is one of the main messages from newly updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics on hearing in infants, children and teens."The removal of deficit-framing terminology such as ‘loss,’ ‘failed’ and ‘impairment’ was to reflect that children who are deaf or hard of hearing are equal, healthy and whole," said report author Dr. Charles Bower, a pediatric otolaryngologist at Arkansas Children's Northwest. Words like hearing-impaired or loss focus on what people can't do, he said."The terminology needs to change because kids who never had hearing from birth have not experienced a loss. It is their normal. They...

Should Folks Get Hip Replacements in Their 90s?

29 August 2023
Should Folks Get Hip Replacements in Their 90s?TUESDAY, Aug. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- If you are in your 90s, is hip replacement surgery too dangerous for you?That depends, new research shows: While elderly patients have more complications and higher death rates after such a procedure, the surgery can be “appropriately considered."That's because the risks for total hip replacement depend not just on patients’ age, but also on their overall health and fitness. Dr. Vincent Leopold and his colleagues of the Charité-University Hospital in Berlin analyzed the characteristics and outcomes of more than 263,000 patients over 60 who had hip replacement surgery between 2012 and 2021.Of this large group, 1,859 patients were in their 90s. The analysis focused on how patient age and health status affected the risks of complications and...

Opening All Arteries Best When Heart Attack Strikes in Old Age: Study

28 August 2023
Opening All Arteries Best When Heart Attack Strikes in Old Age: StudyMONDAY, Aug. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- After a heart attack, elderly adults have better odds for improved health and survival if all major heart vessels are cleared, not just the one that caused the heart attack.Because these patients often have other medical conditions and may be frail, doctors frequently opt to open only the "culprit" blood vessel and leave other partially blocked vessels alone. But new research on more than 1,400 patients aged 75 and older found that clearing all these vessels lowers the one-year risk for death, having another heart attack or stroke, or needing another procedure."This could be a real change in the practice because the actual standard of care in most older patients is just to treat the culprit lesion, because physicians are worried about...
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