Suicide notes left by elderly people provide a unique opportunity to better understand and prevent suicide in this often vulnerable population. A new analysis of notes penned by seniors who died by suicide reveals several common themes. These include feeling as if they were a burden, feelings of guilt, experiencing mental illness, loneliness, or isolation, … Read more
Spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic typically used to treat heart failure and hypertension, shows promise in treating alcohol use disorder (AUD), new research suggests. Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and Yale University School of Medicine investigated the impact of spironolactone on AUD. Initially, … Read more
Dee McClure works with many older people who don’t think they’re depressed. They may be down in the dumps. They may be blue. But they aren’t depressed — because they aren’t crazy. Dee McClure McClure, coordinator of the Community Based and Peer Counseling Program at North Range Behavioral Health , in Greeley, Colorado, doesn’t judge … Read more
Medicare’s 2023 draft physician fee schedule (PFS) proposes changes in policies for telehealth, opioid use disorder treatment, and dental services, as well as a plan for the limited use of fee-for-service funds to address social needs. In addition, the draft rule would expand opioid treatment and recovery services, including a bid for wider use of … Read more
June 15, 2022 – President Joe Biden issued an executive order today banning conversion therapy and offering other LBGTQI+ protections as part of White House efforts to advance equality during Pride Month. “My order will use the full force of the federal government to end inhumane practices of conversion therapy,” Biden said in a speech … Read more
Opioid use in the elderly is associated with an almost 40% increased risk of dementia, in new findings that suggest exposure to these drugs may be another modifiable risk factor for dementia. “Clinicians and others may want to consider that opioid exposure in those aged 75-80 increases dementia risk, and to balance the potential benefits … Read more
Impaired vision in older adults is an underrecognized and modifiable dementia risk factor, new research suggests. Investigators analyzed estimated population attributable fractions (PAFs) associated with dementia in more than 16,000 older adults. A PAF represents the number of dementia cases that could be prevented if a given risk factor were eliminated. Results showed the PAF … Read more
A clinical decision support (CDS) system that can be implemented in primary care reduces cardiovascular risk factors (CV) common in patients with serious mental illness (SMI), new research suggests. Investigators assessed more than 70 primary care clinics that treated close to 9000 patients with SMI. Disorders included schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. The clinics … Read more
Loss of vestibular function is a key contributor to a well-documented increased risk for falls in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), new research confirms. Falls are twice as common in patients with AD vs older individuals without the disorder and significantly increase the likelihood of institutionalization. However, researchers recorded fewer falls in patients with a … Read more
Patients using a tablet-based app were more than twice as likely to disclose depression, intimate partner violence, and fall risk compared with verbal screenings, according to a new study. The study, published online today in JAMA Network Openincludes the use of mPath, a tablet-based app created by a team of researchers at Wake Forest School … Read more