Older adults face multiple normative transitions associated with aging that result in changes or losses of important social roles. When the individual’s personal identity or feelings of self-worth were tied up in a particular role, the loss of that role can be devastating. From a cognitive Behavioral perspective, the way an individual perceives these role changes and the beliefs they hold about their own value and importance outside of these roles will impact how well they negotiate the transition. For example, a person who believes that his or her life is meaningful only if they are making money may respond to retirement with thoughts about no longer having value or being needed. (more…)

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…)

Common beliefs about older workers include beliefs that they are physically unable to do their job; have a high rate of absenteeism; have a high rate of accidents; are less productive, less motivated, and less receptive to innovations than younger people; and are unable to learn. While these are rather commonly held beliefs, there are few actual data to support these assumptions; in fact, most research studies indicate that these stereotypes are inaccurate. (more…)

First and foremost, many of the services supported by the Aging Network would not exist without network funding and advocacy. Without network services, an essential tier of the continuum of long-term care would be lost—the one that bridges total independence in one’s own home and institutionalization. (more…)

Complications of Adverse Drug Reactions may include hospitalization, increased hospital stays and health care expenditures, morbidity, and death. The incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions varies by type of health care setting (e.g., ambulatory clinic, hospital, nursing home). In a cohort of older Medicare enrollees, the rate of Adverse Drug Reactions was 50.1 per 1,000 person years. In long-term care facilities, the rates of Adverse Drug Reactions were reported as 1.9 to 9.8 per 100 resident-months. Adverse Drug Reactions are a common cause of hospital admission of older adults and were responsible for 6% to 24% of all hospital admissions. Of all Adverse Drug Reactions, 23% to 28% were categorized as serious.

Approximately one quarter to one half of Adverse Drug Reactions are considered to be preventable. Errors are most likely to occur at the time of prescribing a medication or during monitoring of therapy. Prescribing errors include choosing an inappropriate medication, prescribing a medication that interacts with another medication in the individual’s regimen, and prescribing a drug in the face of an established drug allergy. Errors in monitoring of therapy may include failing to obtain necessary laboratory values to monitor drug therapy and not responding promptly to signs, symptoms, or laboratory evidence of drug toxicity.

Many researchers have attempted to identify risk factors for Adverse Drug Reactions, an endeavor that has been disappointing. The most persistent risk factor for Adverse Drug Reactions is use of multiple medications; thus, it is important that patients be maintained on the fewest number of medications needed to manage their health conditions. Researchers have not found Adverse Drug Reactions to vary substantially according to age or sex. Several factors are important to keep in consideration to minimize Adverse Drug Reactions, even though they have not been identified as independent risk factors. (more…)

As mentioned earlier, the tendency to reminisce as we grow older was regarded by many gerontologists as a pathology until Robert Butler showed it could be a highly positive way of integrating experiences and coming to terms with the past. As such, life review became a method for group therapy, creative writing groups, and as a source for living history drama. Some researchers went even further. They described elements of wisdom and aging creativity in the life review process. Not only were older adults of learning and expressing themselves, but because of their treasure house of past experience, they could also be ideal students and could make excellent teachers. (more…)

In some states, the Aging Network and the services it supports remain invisible or are low priority in the eyes of legislators and non-network agencies and organizations. A related challenge is that even though waiting lists for some Older Americans Act services are long, a majority of older adults appear to be unaware of existing services or are unwilling or unable to access them. (more…)

The majority of older adults who suffer from depression experience lower-level symptoms that do not meet diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. The DSM recognizes several well-defined disorders that are considered minor depressive states. Dysthymia is defined as presence of one of the two defining symptoms plus at least two other symptoms of depression continuously for a period of at least 2 years. This chronic, low-level depression typically manifests relatively early in life and is in fact less prevalent in older than in younger persons. (more…)

In many instances, the symptoms listed below are the result of relatively minor disorders as elderly. However, they can also represent the early signs of serious chronic disease in older adults, and they should be investigated promptly by your doctor. (more…)

Social cognitions involve thoughts about others and thoughts about the self in relationship to others. When we consider cognitive aging theory from this point of view, it leads us away from traditional research methods and theoretical perspectives that have focused on basic information processing and how it is tied to physiological decline. This body of research has been largely experimental and often has taken place in situations designed to remove the effects of the social context. In contrast, research on social cognition and aging typically is designed to consider how social context affects the thinking of adults. (more…)