Geriatric Care - Care of the Aged

Neurogeneticists Harness Immune Cells to Clear Alzheimer’s-Associated Plaques (University of Southern California)  New research from scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) shows that the body’s immune system may be able to clear the brain of toxic plaque build-up that is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, reversing memory loss and brain cell damage. The study, which appears in the Feb. 4 edition of the peer-reviewed scientific journal  Neuron , identifies a promising avenue for treating a disease that the Alzheimer’s Association projects will affect 16 million Americans over age 65 by 2050. “Alzheimer’s disease is the public health crisis of our time, and effective treatment does not yet exist,” said Terrence Town, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the study’s senior author. “Our study shows that ‘rebalancing’ the immune response to wipe away toxic plaques from...

Today I am just going to go through some of the main recommendations of the ADA's Latest 2015 Guidelines for Diabetics. First The cut-off point for screening Asians & Indians in terms of their BMI is now 23 instead of 25, and this is because Asians & Indians develop diabetes or a risk for diabetes at a lower BMI than non-Asians. It is important to know that and to screen at a lower BMI. Second  They recommend that people be more physically active during the day, particularly people who are sitting for 90 or more minutes at a time. They recommend that people get up and move around, which I personally think is a very good idea because we all sit too much at work and therefore don't get enough daily activity. Third They suggest that e-cigarettes have not been proven to be useful either in smoking cessation or as a safe alternative to cigarettes. So they DO NOT suggest e-cigarettes as an alternative for smoking cessation or as an alternative to regular...

How Aging Affects Skin Your skin changes with age. It becomes thinner, loses fat, and no longer looks as plump and smooth as it once did. Your veins and bones can be seen more easily. Scratches, cuts, or bumps can take longer to heal. Years of sun tanning or being out in the sunlight for a long time may lead to wrinkles, dryness, age spots, and even cancer. But there are things you can do to protect your skin and to make it feel and look better. Dry Skin and Itching are many possible reasons for dry skin, such as not drinking enough liquids staying out in the sun being in very dry air smoking feeling stress losing sweat and oil glands (common with age). Dry skin also can be caused by health problems, such as diabetes or kidney disease. Using too much soap, antiperspirant, or perfume and taking hot baths will make dry skin worse. Because older people have thinner skin, scratching can cause bleeding that may lead to infection. Some medicines make the skin itchier. I...