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What are advance directives?
Advance directives is a general term that describes two types of legal
documents that "speak" for you in the event you cannot speak for
yourself:
A Living Will allows you to decide and document, in advance, yo... |
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Q: I'm 80 years old, and I'm always very tired and short of breath. My doctor says I have low hemoglobin, but my iron level is OK.
The problem is my bone marrow is not producing. What should I do now?
You
have stated that you have anemia (a low hemoglo... |
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Q: My mother is 73 and in good physical health. In the past few years, however, she has developed a worsening word-finding problem. This has progressed to the point where sometimes she can barely get a sentence out. Other times she is more fluent and can m... |
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How does aging affect the nervous system?
Almost all of us become aware of changes in memory and thinking (cognition)
as we get older. We begin to have difficulty recalling names of persons and
places, note that mental processing has slowed and learni... |
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Age sometimes brings changes that weaken your eyes, but there are things you
can do to maintain lifelong eye and overall health. The solution may be as
simple as using brighter lights around the house to help prevent accidents
caused by weak eyesight or... |
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Falls are common, often dreaded events in the lives of older people. Aside from the
obvious injuries and even death that may result, falling can cause wide-ranging
consequences including loss of independence, mental decline, and decreased activity and
m... |
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Anyone at any age can
have a drinking problem. Great Uncle George may have always liked his liquor, so
his family may not see that his drinking behavior is getting worse as he gets
older. Grandma Betty was a teetotaler all her life — she started having ... |
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Vaccinations help immune system battle disease in elderly as well as young.
At any age, a strong immune system is vital to good health. "But like
every other system in your body," says Leonard H. Calabrese, D.O, Section
Head of The Clevela... |
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The challenges of aging
Life expectancy is increasing for Americans. The fastest-growing segment of the population
is the 85-and-older age group. Despite advances in health care, however, many
elderly people have chronic, incurable diseases and need ass... |
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Depression is not a normal part of aging; but, unfortunately,
it is very common in the elderly. Late-life depression affects about 6 million
Americans age 65 and older, but only 10 percent receive treatment. This is likely
because the symptoms of depres... |
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Why exercise?
Exercising is the single most important thing that you can do to keep
yourself healthy and to delay the aging process. Keeping physically fit may add
up to two to three years to an individual's life span.
The benefits of exercise go far... |
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My mother-in-law has fallen several times in her home and we’d like to make her home safer. What are some ways we can make her home more "fall-proof"?If your mother-in-law is living alone, then you and she may wish to speak
your local office of the aging,... |
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"Exercise, exercise, exercise" has become the battle cry of many
older Americans. If they are not hearing it from their doctors, they are
imposing an exercise regime on themselves. Exercise is a good thing, but for
many older people their spir... |
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What is geriatrics?
Geriatrics is a medical subspecialty that focuses on diagnosing and treating
conditions that lead to disease and disability of older adults.
What is a geriatrician?
A geriatrician is a medical doctor who is specially trained to id... |
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My 78-year-old dad is considering hip replacement. I am concerned that general anesthesia might cause his mental state to deteriorate. My mother was never the same after surgery.
She had hallucinations and paranoia, signs that my dad sometimes shows alre... |
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The aging process
As people age, changes take place in the nervous and muscular systems that make
the body less able to activate the muscles. Studies show that this process can
be slowed considerably through activity and exercise.
Bone density and ... |
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Who needs vitamin/mineral supplements?
Some people may have slight nutrient deficiencies due to illness, surgery or
other conditions. These people may need vitamin or mineral supplements because
their condition may alter their appetite, limit their fo... |
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Pain in the elderly
The elderly are more likely to experience pain than the general population.
In many cases, the elderly are under-treated for pain. Reasons for
under-treatment include patient attitude. Older patients sometimes see pain as a
normal... |
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Remembering childhood, one may think of scraped knees from running or trying
to stay hopelessly balanced on a shiny new two-wheeler. As we begin to age,
however, our bodies are not able to withstand the impact of falling the way they
once did. Bones tha... |
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Stereotypes of aging include a noticeable slowing down of mental and physical
function. But it doesn’t have to be that way, most medical experts agree.
Numerous studies have documented that physical activity is important for our
continued physical and... |
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Here are some tips for adapting your living areas that might help prevent falls or
other accidents.
Living rooms and bedrooms
Place furniture with wide spaces in between, giving you enough room
move around. If necessary, have steady... |
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What are the general oral health issues related to advancing age?
Below are some common teeth and mouth problems seen in seniors.
Darkened teeth is caused, to some extent, by changes in
dentin -- the bone-like tissue that underlies the tooth e... |
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As a senior adult, do I really still need to be concerned about cavities?
Actually, cavities can be more frequent in adults for a number of reasons.
Life-long exposure to fluoride through community water supplies and toothpaste
might not have been a p... |
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What classes of medicines are used in the
treatment of coronary artery disease?
Beta blockers (beta-andregenic blocking agents) —These medicines block
the effects of adrenaline (a hormone), which helps lower your heart rate, reduces the squeezi... |
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I am 84 years old, but I have always been physically active. I received a pacemaker in 1988, and both hips were replaced in 1999. Recently, I find myself getting out of breath with mild activity, such as climbing stairs, swimming fast, etc. My family docto... |
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From the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
Cindy Moore, MS, RD, LD, FADA, Director, Nutrition Therapy, Cleveland Clinic
Should everyone over age 75 take a multivitamin?
Age should not be the sole criterion used to determine whether someone needs
... |
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More than half of men and women over the age of 65 years complain of at least
one sleep problem. Many older people experience insomnia and other sleep
difficulties on a regular basis. As we get older, our sleep patterns change.
However, good restorati... |
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Specialized care for older persons
Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that specializes in the care of older
people and includes the management and treatment of diseases and conditions that
affect them. Doctors who specialize in geriatrics are called... |
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For most older people, good health and an active lifestyle is an achievable goal with
proper nutrition, medical check-ups, treatment of common risk factors, and attention to
personal safety. The risk of heart attacks and strokes is reduced with treatment... |
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Hypertension: The greatest public health problemBlood
pressure, particularly systolic blood pressure (SBP), tends to increase
throughout adult life, while diastolic blood pressure (DBP) tends to level off
and decrease during later years. Systolic blood ... |
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There are several eye problems that are more common among people as they
age, although they can affect anyone at any age. They include:
Presbyopia: This is the loss of the ability to
clearly see close objects or small print. It is a normal proces... |
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Linda Craig had been on medication for Parkinson’s disease for about eight
months when her symptoms rapidly worsened. She experienced increased difficulty
walking and talking, had a harder time controlling her bladder and trouble
performing multiple t... |
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"Memory, the warder of the brain."
--William Shakespeare Macbeth Act 1
Memory and aging
Memory: "The power or process of reproducing or recalling what
has been learned and retained" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Our ability to
... |
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