Gerontology
Poor sense of smell in older adults linked to 50% increased mortality risk
May 8th, 2019 A new Michigan State University study suggests that older adults with poor sense of smell may see an almost 50% increase in their risk of dying within 10 years – surprisingly in healthier individuals. “Poor sense of smell becomes more common...Hypertension linked to regular sleeping pill use in older people
Older adults with hypertension followed from 2008-2010 through 2012-2013, using sleeping pills on a regular basis was linked with use of an increasing number of blood pressure medications over time, a study has found. The association was observed...Human mortality 'plateau' more likely statistical error than hint of immortality
Human error, not human biology, largely accounts for the apparent decline of mortality among the very old, according to a report by Saul Newman of Australia National University in Canberra. The result casts doubt on the hypothesis that human...Sleep disturbances increase risk of falls in the elderly
Disturbances during sleep decreases capability to control posture and balance according to researchers from the department of engineering and Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick. This is the first study demonstrating the...
Half of older patients exposed to potentially inappropriate prescribing
November 28th, 2018 Around half of older patients are exposed to potentially inappropriate prescribing, each year, and hospitalisation is independently associated with an increased risk, finds a study in Ireland. Inappropriate prescribing can include the...
Back pain associated with 24% increased mortality in older women
November 14th, 2018 Researchers at Boston Medical Centre found that frequent, persistent back pain is associated with earlier death in a study of more than 8,000 older women who were followed for an average of 14 years. After controlling for important socio-demographic...Lacking resilience makes men more vulnerable to depression
Men who lack resilience are exponentially more vulnerable to becoming severely depressed after their spouse dies, according to a study from Florida State University researchers. Brittany King, a graduate student in the department of sociology, along...Increased happiness links to reduced mortality in older people
Happy older people live longer, according to researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. The authors of the study found that an increase in happiness is directly proportional with a reduction in mortality. The study utilised data for...
You can reach 110 – if you survive the perilous 90s
July 4th, 2018 The chances of reaching the ripe old age of 110 are within reach – a you survive the perilous 90s and make it to 105 when death rates level out, according to a study of extremely old Italians led by the University of California-Berkeley, and...
Chronic inflammation in middle age linked to increased frailty when older
May 2nd, 2018 A study, led by Johns Hopkins Medicine investigators, of nearly 6,000 Americans followed for 24 years from middle to late adulthood found that having chronic inflammation in middle age may be linked to an increased risk of frailty and overall poorer...Neglect widespread in English care homes
The largest-ever survey of care home staff in England, led by University College London (UCL) researchers, has found that neglectful behaviours are widespread. For the study, care home staff were asked anonymously about positive and negative...
'Fateful Life Events' affect ageing and mortality risk
April 11th, 2018 A sudden substantial financial loss in middle-age or older people, is associated with an up to 50% higher risk of death, found a US study. The Northwestern Medicine and University of Michigan study found that when people lose 75% or more of their...
'Boomerang generation' reduces parents' quality of life
March 21st, 2018 Adult children who return to live with their parents, the so-called “boomerang generation”, cause a significant decline in parents' quality of life and well-being, according to research from the London School of Economics and Political...
Discovering why the 'super-agers' live long and well
February 28th, 2018 'Super-agers' have long puzzled scientists, but now researchers say they are unpicking why some people live beyond 80 – and still appear to be in fine fettle, with cognitive capacities on a par with adults decades younger. The Guardian reports...
Heavy drinking and smoking linked to visible ageing
January 10th, 2018 Heavy drinking and smoking are linked to four visible signs of physical ageing, and looking older than one's years, found a long-term Danish observational study. The research was from the National Institute of Public Health, University of...