November 2014

As an aging population rises, the more falls they have

November 18, 2014

BOSTON, NEW YORK - Eleanor Hammer, 92, executes a tightly choreographed, slow-motion pas de deux with her walker during meal times at The Sequoias, a retirement community in San Francisco.

Read more about As an aging population rises, the more falls they have

Pain, Depression, Tied to Delirium Risk After Surgery for Seniors

November 11, 2014

Study found patients who had both before procedure were 21 percent more likely to become disoriented.

HealthDay News -- Pain and depression before an operation may increase seniors' risk for delirium after surgery, a new study suggests.

Read more about Pain, Depression, Tied to Delirium Risk After Surgery for Seniors

A Tiny Stumble, a Life Upended

November 3, 2014

After a fall, life is upended in an instant — a sudden loss of independence, an awkward reliance on family and friends, and a new level of fear for those who fall, and their contemporaries.

SAN FRANCISCO — Joan Rees, 79, had hardly been ill a day in her life. Her biggest problem was arthritis, mostly in her knees, but at home in San Francisco she walked every day and she traveled frequently.

Read more about A Tiny Stumble, a Life Upended

Bracing for the Falls of an Aging Nation

November 2, 2014

As the population ages and people live longer in bad shape, the number of older Americans who fall and suffer serious, even fatal, injuries is soaring.

SAN FRANCISCO — Eleanor Hammer, 92, executes a tightly choreographed, slow-motion pas de deux with her walker during meal times at The Sequoias, a retirement community here. She makes her way to the buffet, places her food on the walker’s built-in tray and returns to her table.