People with impaired hearing may be able to follow conversations fairly well, but with a lot of effort. High-tech miniaturized hearing aids are marketed aggressively, but may not supply the volume needed to hear clearly.
Many “joint support” dietary supplements and herbal remedies are available, but there is no strong proof that they reduce pain and cartilage loss from osteoarthritis.
A head-to-head drug comparison study found that the oldest drug in use for treating Parkinson’s disease, levodopa, may be the best choice for treating newly diagnosed cases of the movement disorder.
Side effects of statins include muscle pain, diabetes, and memory problems but most people do not experience them and the drug may not be the cause.
Older men with lung conditions, heart failure, and other chronic conditions are at higher risk of serious complications from the flu.
Remaining mentally active later in life may still delay aging-related loss of memory and thinking skills, even in those with less lifetime intellectual stimulation from their education and occupation.
Early-diagnosis tests for Alzheimer’s disease are in the research stage but are not reliable. Genetic testing may be considered under certain circumstances, but without a good treatment for the disease, testing offers little medical benefit.
Older people are at no greater risk of harmful complications from taking the newest generation of blood-thinning drugs in place of the older standard, warfarin (Coumadin).
Even when a person’s memory is still within the normal range, noticing changes in mental function and being concerned about them can be an early warning sign of future decline.
Melanoma is less common than the other major types of skin cancer but is the most dangerous.