Caring for their grandchildren one day a week could help women stay mentally sharp as they age. However, spending five days a week with the grandkids could have the opposite effect.
Women with osteoporosis have many options for preserving bone strength and preventing fractures. The mainstays of treatment are bisphosphonate drugs.
Nighttime foot and calf cramps are common in people over age 50. They’re often caused by standing for long periods or by nerve damage. Stretching and using ice or heat can help relieve them.
Heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and muscle cramps are signs that the body is unable to regulate its temperature in extreme heat. Men with cardiac conditions are at increased risk for developing heat-related problems.
Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can lead to liver disease and cancer in a minority of infected people. New drug regimens reduce treatment duration and side effects.
Women with incontinence may be at greater risk for depression and work disability. Treatments can have significant effects on the condition and its psychological side effects.
A study found that the number of older adults with advance directives or “living wills” has increased sharply but this didn’t appear to make it less likely for people to die in the hospital.
Older people often tend to feel cold because they lose the insulating layer of fat beneath the skin, metabolism slows, and they lose muscle mass. Regular exercise is one way to build muscle mass and stay warmer.
Changes to the brain and nervous system, vision, muscles, and other systems that control balance can lead to an increased risk for falls. Strength training, balance exercises, stretches, and other forms of exercise can help prevent falls.
For back pain, waiting, pain relievers, and physical therapy should come before surgery. Spinal fusion has mixed results but could help in selected cases. One case is narrowing of the space around the spine from misalignment of the spinal vertebrae.