Age Concern

Swiss researchers say they have taken a step closer to unlocking the mystery of ageing, after discovering the impact of a longevity gene in mice and then managing to extend the life-span of worms by 60 per cent thanks to a basic antibiotic treatment.

Some specialized units for dementia care do manage to improve on traditional nursing home care, recent studies suggest.

Most family caregivers recognize that occasionally, outside help must be arranged. Perhaps the person you care for has taken a turn for the worse, and you're in a crisis situation managing new responsibilities. Or maybe you're just realizing that you can't be there 24/7 and you need a little time to yourself. Recognizing the need to offload some tasks may be the best way for you to manage your caregiving responsibilities over the long-term.

Women live longer than men partly because their immune systems age more slowly, a study suggests.

American researchers found that the gene, which has previously been implicated in Parkinson’s Disease, extended the healthy lifespan of fruit flies by more than 25 per cent.

A new study adds to evidence of a link between late-life depression and dementia.

Make the European Union more age-friendly and better adapted to our ageing population, as well as have intergenerational solidarity high on the EU agenda.

«Dad was a university librarian. He loved good books, poetry, magazines, novels, essays — the same things I love. As I grew up, he bought dictionaries of all kinds to feed his and my obsessions: the rhyming one, the French one, the slang one, the two-volume Oxford English with print so small the set came with a magnifying glass. For my 25th birthday he bought me a Webster’s Third International Unabridged and wrote in it: “Cindy Darling, A good dictionary is like a magical bank account. The more you draw from it the richer you get.”
(...)
My father is still in there, somewhere, but our relationship will never be the same.»

I am ever so slightly aggrieved that my hands are looking a little knobbly and freckled but life's too short to worry about these things

If you are over the age of 70 the new “Cyber-Seniors Corner” YouTube channel  (http://www.youtube.com/cyberseniorscorner) wants to hear from you.

Experts have found that people are developing dementia earlier due to excessive use of technology. Photo / Thinkstock

Two Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers have identified a protein in the blood of mice and humans that may prove to be the first effective treatment for the form of age-related heart failure that affects millions of Americans, a study says.

A Compendium of Essays highlighting the challenges and opportunities of ageing for women, launched in celebration of International Women’s Day 2013.

Download a PDF ☛ http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/images/uploads/publication-pdfs/Has_the_Sisterhood_forgotten_older_women_1.pdf

Many women, like me, are stepping onto a big emotional roller coaster at the same time that our children are reaching the emotional tilt-a-whirl that comes with being a teenager.

My mother has Type 2 diabetes, but she won’t eat. My father gets up and snacks in the middle of the night. My mom’s A1c is almost 8 percent. Why won’t she use her glucometer?

For older adults, it’s common for a moment of forgetfulness (where did I park the car?) to prompt major concerns about the development of Alzheimer’s disease.