Depression is defined as changes in cognition and mood and loss of interests. Older persons are vulnerable to the effects of depression, which include various physical and social problems. These include problems carrying out activities of daily living [1] decreased physical, cognitive and social functioning; and greater self-neglect [2]. Generally, depressive symptoms can exacerbate health outc...

BACKGROUND Anecdotal reports suggest that influenza-related morbidity may be high among persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), but little information is available concerning the population-level impact of influenza on mortality in persons with AIDS. METHODS Using the Multiple Cause-of-Death data files, which contain information on all deaths occurring in the United States eac...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a premalignant plasma-cell disorder, among persons 50 years of age or older has not been accurately determined. We used sensitive laboratory techniques to ascertain the prevalence of MGUS in a large population in a well-defined geographic area. METHODS We identified all living residents of Olmsted County, ...

A versatile multimodal user interface (UI) framework was developed for persons with disability and for older persons to increase autonomy and quality of life. This UI framework covers use cases from single switch use in scanning mode, simplified telephone for older persons based on touchscreen terminal, integration of social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) and assistive robots. The evaluation ac...

BACKGROUND Health risk appraisal is a promising method for health promotion and prevention in older persons. The Health Risk Appraisal for the Elderly (HRA-E) developed in the U.S. has unique features but has not been tested outside the United States. METHODS Based on the original HRA-E, we developed a scientifically updated and regionally adapted multilingual Health Risk Appraisal for Older ...

BACKGROUND Though ageing is not a disease, it has been associated with the occurrence of conditions which require health service utilisation. Ghana's population is characterised by a steady growth in the number of older adults and previous studies have noted limited levels regarding utilisation by older persons. METHODS Thus, this study utilised a qualitative approach to explore older persons...

BACKGROUND Inappropriate drug use (IDU) is an important risk factor for adverse outcomes in older persons. We aimed to investigate IDU and the risk of hospitalizations and mortality in older persons and in persons with dementia and to estimate the costs of IDU-related hospitalizations. METHODS We analyzed 4108 individuals aged ≥60 years from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care (SNAC)...

Is Old, and What Denotes Primary Prevention? Whether to treat older adults with statin medications for primary prevention of cardiovascular events remains a clinical conundrum. A number of observations with regard to increasing age stoke this dilemma: The association between elevated cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk diminishes (1), risk-prediction tools (such as the Framingham risk sc...

This paper examines retirement behaviour and household income for older persons in Chile. It pays close attention to the sources of household income, income inequalities, and the economic vulnerability of older persons. This is important in order to evaluate whether labour market and social security reform in Latin America will improve the welfare of older groups, and especially their vulnerabi...