Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

From: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

New research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals the amount of dementia sufferers who go missing when out driving, and how effective Silver Alert notifications have been in locating them. The results reveal the majority of missing drivers were men aged 58 to 94, with most drivers becoming lost during routine trips. Alarmingly only 40% were found in the county where they went missing, and 10% were found to have crossed into a different state.

Researchers studied 103 older drivers to see if their performance on a road test matched their abilities in a naturalistic setting. They concluded road test performance is a reasonable proxy for estimating fitness to drive in older individuals’ typical driving environments. This research is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Women in their seventies who exercise and eat healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables have a longer life expectancy, according to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that many older adults with dementia live and die in community settings rather than nursing homes. This contradicts the commonly held view that most individuals with dementia eventually move to nursing homes and die there.

In a study examining the relationship between physical activity and physical function, researchers from Australia discovered that older adults who experienced any level of psychological distress were more than four times more likely to experience functional limitation than those who did not. This study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that brief cognitive screenings combined with offering further evaluation increased new diagnoses of cognitive impairment in older veterans two to three fold.

Older individuals’ complaints about memory lapses such as having trouble remembering recent events may indicate that they are experiencing cognitive problems that are greater than typical age-related changes. These findings, which are published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, indicate that primary care clinicians, who are often the first to see patients who are worried about their memory, should be aware that such complaints might be indicative of something serious and warrant a further cognitive assessment.

An older individual who cares for a spouse with dementia may be at an increased risk of developing cognitive problems because of the lifestyle that was shared with the spouse and because of the stress of caring for a loved one who is ill.

In the first update of the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatric Society’s guidelines on preventing falls in older persons since 2001, they now recommend that all interventions for preventing falls should include an exercise component and that a number of new assessments should be used, including; feet and footwear, fear of falling, and ability to carry out daily living activities.

Sisters in Motion: Study Shows Faith Based Interventions Can Encourage Exercise in Older African-American Women

More Study Needed to Determine Why Veterans with PTSD Are More at Risk Than Others

Women who are physically active at any point over the life course (teenage, age 30, age 50, late life) have lower risk of cognitive impairment in late-life compared to those who are inactive, but teenage physical activity appears to be most important. This is the key finding of a study of over nine thousand women published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Study Suggests Sleeping Badly Can Predict a Worsening Quality of Life

Older married adults whose spouse has dementia are at significantly higher risk for developing dementia themselves, compared to similar older married adults whose spouse never develops dementia.

New Study Calls Into Question Current BMI Guidelines For Older Adults

According a new study of over 3,000 adults aged 70-79, the apparent association between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of functional decline over time did not hold up after adjustments were made for characteristics related to lifestyle, in particular physical activity, body weight, education, and income.

Younger people with pain look similar in terms of their disability to people who are two to three decades older without pain, according to a study published in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

Research news from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society