Health
Welcome to our Health category, where we share news and opinions on what it means to live well in your senior years. We explore various topics to help you stay active and informed, from managing everyday wellness to understanding the latest trends in senior health. This is a place for discovery, learning, and conversation.
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Ultrasound May Make It Possible To Treat Alzheimer’s In A New Way
Engineers at Chang gung University, in Taiwan, have designed a device that sends tiny beams of ultrasound into the brain, allowing drugs to get through something called the “blood-brain barrier.” The blood brain barrier is a protective device created by our bodies. Currently most drugs available for Alzheimer’s therapy have large molecules that cannot pass…
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Prescription Drug Abuse and Memory Loss
A young couple who lived near me were celebrating their wedding at her parent’s house. The handsome groom carried some gifts to their car. It was parked in the street in front of the house. He was leaning over the open trunk when another neighbor, a 71-year-old woman, ran right into him with her car.…
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Falls Are A Serious Matter for Older Persons
The single biggest cause of injury among seniors is falling and the most common injury is a broken hip. the second largest cause of injury among older adults is automobile accidents. Other causes are elder abuse and residential fire-related injuries. Injury among older adults is such a serious threat to health and well-being that the…
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Senior Dental Care
For older adults, dental problems often go untreated and can be the source of other health issues. Cost is the single biggest reason seniors do not go to the dentist for regular checkups and cleaning or even to treat discomfort and pain. Physicians often overlook the state of teeth or gums when investigating other health…
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Smoking Is Linked To Alzheimer’s
Heavy smokers in their 50’s are doubling the risk of developing Alzheimer’s after the age of 70. Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland tracked 21,123 people beginning in 1978. By 2008, more than 25% were diagnosed with dementia and though some had vascular dementia, most had developed Alzheimer’s. But in the same study, the…
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Natural Eye Changes As We Age
Presbyopia Many things about us change as we grow older, including our eyes. The first thing we might notice is having to hold something further away when we read. This is called presbyopia. Before the age of forty or so, the natural lens of the eye is very flexible. This flexibility helps the lens focus on…
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Diabetes Is Common In Seniors
Senior Diabetes Many articles and web sites begin discussion of diabetes in older adults with a scolding. The message seems to be that we become diabetic because we are over weight and under exercised. Still, there is excellent information in some of these web sites and articles so please keep reading. The National Institute on…
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Losing The Will To Live
Depression in older persons leads to suicide more frequently than in any other age group. People over 65 account for more than 25% of all suicides and among white men over 85, the suicide rate is six time more than the general population. The majority of thee suicides shot themselves to death. I can imagine…
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Depression Is Not Normal
Most of us retired people are generally happy. Maybe it’s better to say we are not unhappy. We have our coffee in the morning, bathe and groom ourselves, and move through our day. There are other people in our lives, and we enjoy beauty and peaceful moments. Yet, the highest incidence of suicide is among…
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