Most older adults adapt successfully to the multiple developmental and social changes and late life depression that are common in late life. For those who experience distress or develop psychological symptoms, Cognitive-behavioral therapy offers an ideal treatment modality. The emphasis in cognitive-behavioral therapy on the acquisition of coping skills provides older adults with concrete strategies for dealing with areas of problematic adjustment. (more…)
Abuse of drugs and alcohol is not uncommon among the elderly. The high rate of prescribed medication use, increased physiologic ...
Cognitive-behavioral interventions approaches to managing the distress associated with physical/somatic complaints problems sho ...
Depression is the most common mental health problem in the elderly. While the incidence in community-dwelling older adults is n ...
Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions Research documenting the efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions in treating the psyc ...
Multiple losses are common as people age, including deaths of spouse, family, and friends. A less obvious form of loss involves ...
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The proportion of elderly at any age without any chronic conditions is small, and disease can trigger a cascade of events resulting in functional deficits and disability. An increase in the number of activities with which an elder has difficulty increases linearly with comorbidity, that is, coexistent medical conditions that further complicate not only the genesis of a functional deficit but also its treatment. For example, rehabilitation for a stroke for an individual who also has painful, degenerative changes in the foot and a low tolerance for stressful activity secondary to angina with exertion would present a particular rehabilitation challenge. Yet, this example encapsulates geriatric rehabilitation specialist’s emphasis on care and function, not cure and disease. (more…)
The overarching goal of physical therapy rehabilitation is to return the individual to as close to the premorbid level of funct ...
There are numerous basic Activities of Daily Living instruments that seek to quantify basic physical functions and obtain a numeric ...
Beneficiaries of the Medicare program have three rehabilitation-related benefits established by federal statute: physical thera ...
Most older adults adapt successfully to the multiple developmental and social changes and late life depression that are common ...
There are a number of issues that must be considered in geriatric pain assessment. The major issues that merit attention are pr ...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common neuropsychiatric condition that is frequently unrecognized and untreated, resulting in significant personal suffering and functional impairment. This article reviews the current state of knowledge of OCD epidemiology, clinical features and natural history, differential Obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders treatment options, focusing on how Obsessive Compulsive affects elderly. (more…)
Only about 5–12% of people attending specialty Obsessive Compulsive Disorders OCD clinics are 60 years or older. However, OCD i ...
Because there are no placebo-controlled treatment studies of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in elderly, Obsessive Compulsive Di ...
Compulsive hoarding disorder consists of three components: acquiring a large number of possessions, storing of items and not di ...
Research indicates that anxiety symptoms are more prevalent in elderly people than in any other age group, occurring at about t ...
Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions Research documenting the efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions in treating the psyc ...
Not all body fat is equally bad for your health. It is widely known that body fat distribution is extremely important. There is increasing evidence for the deleterious effects of Visceral Fat on aging. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is an epidemiological tool that demonstrates a correlation between Visceral Fat and development of diabetes mellitus, stroke, coronary artery disease, and mortality. This ratio is easily determined by dividing the measurement of waist circumference by hip circumference. (more…)
Adipose tissue fat is not simply a reservoir for excess nutrients, but rather an active and dynamic organ capable of expressing ...
Some medications exist for weight loss. These medications are moderately effective, although they often have side effects that ...
Animal studies support a cancer-promoting role for fat, and in humans, epidemiological data strongly suggest that dietary fat i ...
Obesity results from an imbalance between caloric consumption and caloric expenditure over a prolonged period. Weight gain occurs w ...
Concomitant with the global increase in obesity is the increase in the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome, also known ...
Carotid sinus hypersensitivity ( more than 3-second pause or a decrease in systolic blood pressure = 50 mm Hg during carotid sinus massage) predominantly affects elderly patients, although the prevalence in the general population has not been precisely defined. In elderly patients with recurrent syncope, carotid sinus hypersensitivity has been reported in up to 35% of cases. Permanent pacing in patients with carotid sinus syndrome (carotid sinus hypersensitivity associated with syncope) is indicated. Observational and randomized studies have shown that recurrent symptoms are significantly reduced after permanent pacemaker implantation in patients with carotid sinus syndrome. (more…)
Neurocardiogenic Vasovagal syncope is more common in younger patients but also should be considered in elderly patients with unexpl ...
Aging is associated with progressive fibrosis of the sinoatrial node and AV conduction system, resulting in bradycardia, which may ...
Pacemaker therapy is indicated in patients with symptomatic bradycardia (syncope, presyncope, dyspnea, and exercise intolerance) co ...
There are intrinsic changes in the cardiac pacemaker cells and the cardiac conduction system associated with aging, which increase ...
Results from several recently completed trials have important implications for the primary prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death Preve ...
Aging is associated with progressive fibrosis of the sinoatrial node and AV conduction system, resulting in bradycardia, which may be further exacerbated by disease and medications, resulting in symptoms requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. More than 80% of pacemaker recipients in the United States are older than 65 years, and the median age is 75 years. As the population ages, it is anticipated that the number of older persons requiring permanent cardiac pacemakers, as well as the associated costs, will continue to rise. (more…)
Pacemaker therapy is indicated in patients with symptomatic bradycardia (syncope, presyncope, dyspnea, and exercise intolerance) co ...
Neurocardiogenic Vasovagal syncope is more common in younger patients but also should be considered in elderly patients with unexpl ...
Carotid sinus hypersensitivity ( more than 3-second pause or a decrease in systolic blood pressure = 50 mm Hg during carotid sinus ...
There are intrinsic changes in the cardiac pacemaker cells and the cardiac conduction system associated with aging, which increase ...
Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmia The principles of drug and non-drug management of supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (SVT) are si ...
Obesity in the elderly is a major health crisis facing our population that may predispose the elderly to the same adverse health outcomes facing the younger, obese population. However, several studies have suggested that the risk of obesity on life span is less in the elderly and may even become insignificant. However, these studies have found an increase in disability in older subjects with obesity. (more…)
Concomitant with the global increase in obesity is the increase in the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome, also known ...
Obesity results from an imbalance between caloric consumption and caloric expenditure over a prolonged period. Weight gain occurs w ...
Not all body fat is equally bad for your health. It is widely known that body fat distribution is extremely important. Ther ...
There are new strategies to address the 3 critical factors for body health: blood sugar, insulin and inflammation. These formul ...
Adipose tissue fat is not simply a reservoir for excess nutrients, but rather an active and dynamic organ capable of expressing ...
Unfortunately, many dementias are partially or completely biologically irreversible. However, as mentioned previously, it is important to recognize that all dementias are treatable. Some of these irreversible dementias are preventable. For example, automobile accidents in civilian populations and projectile wounds in military populations are common causes of brain damage that cause dementia. Some improvements can occur in these conditions for a period of time after the initial insult, but affected individuals are left with varying degrees of impairment and often severe limitations in function. (more…)
Alzheimer’s disease is a concept in evolution; it is considered by most to be a degenerative brain disease that was first describe ...
The principal reversible dementias are metabolic. Hypothyroidism and exposure to industrial or environmental toxins should be c ...
It is always important in the treatment of dementia to have clear therapeutic goals established in partnership with the patient ...
Neuroimaging is widely used in the evaluation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Traditionally, imaging in Alzheimer’s disease has be ...
There are a number of issues that must be considered in geriatric pain assessment. The major issues that merit attention are pr ...
The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women approaches 43%, and age is an important correlate. The underlying etiology of sexual dysfunction in women is complex. Nevertheless, hormonal changes such as loss of estrogens and androgens contribute significantly to some of the sexual difficulties experienced by aging women. (more…)
When approaching menopause or during post-menopause period, most women suffered from menopausal symptoms irritability like ...
Altered cellular metabolism and intracellular and intercellular signaling with advancing age result in widespread changes in endocr ...
As you probably know, sex hormone in women is declining with age. Men also experiencing the same, even though the declining rat ...
Altered cellular metabolism and intracellular and intercellular signaling with advancing age result in widespread changes in endocr ...
The accurate diagnosis of endocrine dysfunction in the elderly requires a high index of suspicion. Signs and symptoms of hormone de ...
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There are several important changes in pharmacokinetics metabolism associated with aging that predispose the elderly to increased risk of druginduced side effects including cardiac arrhythmia.
First, advanced age is accompanied by a decrease in overall body weight, total body water, lean body mass, and intravascular volume, resulting in a greater volume of distribution (V d ), which is defined by the drug dose divided by drug plasma concentration (V d = dose/concentration). The reduced distribution volume will, therefore, lead to a higher drug concentration after a given dose in the elderly compared to the younger population. (more…)
Pharmacodynamics describes the course of action of a drugs and aging at the effector organ level, in terms of duration and magnitud ...
Complications of Adverse Drug Reactions may include hospitalization, increased hospital stays and health care expenditures, morbidi ...
Something you and your doctor should appreciate is that getting older influences the way you react to drugs. Elderly patients are t ...
The accurate diagnosis of endocrine dysfunction in the elderly requires a high index of suspicion. Signs and symptoms of hormone de ...
There are intrinsic changes in the cardiac pacemaker cells and the cardiac conduction system associated with aging, which increase ...