Study: Loneliness Could Drive Doctors’ Visits

Experiences of loneliness and social isolation can lead to increased health care use among seniors, according to research from the University of Georgia College of Public Health and published online in the American Journal of Public Health. The study found that the frequency of physician visits was particularly influenced by chronic loneliness, and suggests that the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.
 

“We often assume that if a person has enough friends and relatives they are doing OK,” noted study co-author Kerstin Gerst Emerson, an assistant professor of health policy and management.

“But loneliness is not the same as being alone. You can be lonely in a crowded room. It's very much about how you feel about your actual social relationships.”

If you get an idea that you or an aging loved one could, in fact, benefit from companionship, why not encourage her to become more active by taking up a hobby or joining a book or card club. Or, if getting out or health doesn’t permit that, perhaps try  inviting friends over for coffee or tea, or hosting a book or other hobby club. How about a movie night?

For more information about the research, visit http://ugaresearch.uga.edu/research-news/hidden-costs-of-loneliness/.

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Brain Health Important Long Before Senior Years, Study Says

Now’s a good time to start tuning into your brain health. Because, according to research, you can make a difference by starting early. 

The latest research finds those with poor physical fitness in their 40s may have lower brain volumes at age 60. This is an indication of accelerated brain aging, according to information presented at the American Heart Association EPI/Lifestyle 2015 meeting.

A subset of 1,271 participants from the Framingham Offspring Study participated in exercise treadmill testing in the 1970s, when their average age was 41. Starting in 1999, when their average age was 60, they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains as well as cognitive tests. 

The participants did not have heart disease or cognitive problems at the beginning of the study, and none were taking medication that alters heart rate.

·       People who had a lower fitness level or greater increase in diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) or heart rate a few minutes into the low-intensity treadmill test (2.5 miles an hour) had smaller brain tissue volume later in life.

·      People who had a larger increase in diastolic blood pressure during low-intensity exercise also performed more poorly on a cognitive test for decision-making function later in life.

Talk with your doctor about ways you can stay healthy now when there may be a greater chance to influence your future brain health.

For more about the study, visit http://blog.heart.org/better-midlife-fitness-may-slow-brain-aging/.

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Balance Problems Could Be Warning Sign

A new study that finds seniors – average age 67 – who have trouble balancing on one leg for at least 20 seconds may have increased risk of small blood vessel damage in the brain – stroke – and reduced cognitive ability. The research included healthy older people with no clinical symptoms, according to the report in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.

 

“Our study found that the ability to balance on one leg is an important test for brain health,” said Yasuharu Tabara, Ph.D., lead study author and associate professor at the Center for Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Kyoto, Japan. “Individuals showing poor balance on one leg should receive increased attention, as this may indicate an increased risk for brain disease and cognitive decline.” 

The study consisted of 841 women and 546 men. To measure one-leg standing time, participants stood with their eyes open and raised one leg. The maximum time for keeping the leg raised was 60 seconds.

Participants performed this examination twice and the better of the two times was used in the study analysis. Cerebral small vessel disease was evaluated using brain magnetic resonance imaging.

Researchers found that the inability to balance on one leg for longer than 20 seconds was associated with cerebral small vessel disease and the potential for strokes. 

To reduce your risk of falls, be sure your home is not a safety trap. Go to MakingHomeSaferforSeniors.com for a home safety tour and checklist that can alert you to the potential safety hazards in your home.

 

For more about the study, visit http://blog.heart.org/ability-balance-one-leg-may-reflect-brain-health-stroke-risk/.