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France: Les scénarios noirs du Haut Conseil de l'assurance-maladie (December 23, 2003)
Article in French.
In October, the French government created the High Council for the Future of the Health Insurance. In the Council’s first report at the end of December (2003), it said that economic growth won’t be sufficient to improve the financial accounts of the French Social Security. Without any change, the French Social Security deficit could be 640 milliards euros by 2020. Two measures were proposed:  First, to raise the contributions of the state employees, or to raise the retirees and unemployed contributions to the Contribution Sociale Généralisée (CSG). While huge, the High Council says that this reform is very necessary. Without it, other social needs, such as education and caregiving for elderly will lack financial support.

France: Pour M. Sarkozy, les pouvoirs publics sont "passés à côté du drame" de la canicule (December 18, 2003)
Article in French
On September the 17th, the French Parliament Commission on the heat wave listened to the report of Nicolas Sarkozy, “le Ministre de l’Intérieur”(equivalent to the US Attorney General). Mr. Sarkozy said he wished the “Pompiers de Paris” (the highly respected Parisian Firefighters) would have given an earlier warning of what they saw happening to older people in the heat crisis. Dr. Yves Coquin, a Health Official, said it had sent the information to the Health Ministry.  It appears that good communication did not exist between the departments of this ministry.  

Canada : Ontarians don't eat enough fruit, veggies for cancer-fighting benefit: survey ( December 16, 2003 )
In order to prevent people from having cancer, doctors always recommend eating an average of 10 fresh fruits and vegetables a day. According to the Cancer Care Ontario , 30 percent of cancers could be prevented with healthy food and exercise. A survey led by this group showed that 40 out of Ontarians do not eat the 5 or more recommended fruits and vegetables per day. Eating well to keep healthy is an important issue for an aging population that has to take care of itself. 

France:Alzheimer: Plus de Solidarité Nationale Indispensable (December 10, 2003) 
(article in French)
France:800,000 persons are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, with 135,000 new cases each year. Jean Doudrich, President of “France Alzheimer” says that the citizens must unite to support the victims and their families. Not only is this illness difficult for the individual, but also the financial costs are very heavy on their families. Further, there are not enough facilities to take care of persons with Alzheimer’s; those that do exist are not equally available throughout the regions of France . 

Canada:Pressure On Canada's Online Drug Sellers (December 10, 2003)
The Canadian on-line pharmacies supply about one million of U.S. citizens each year. Many Americans prefer buying their drugs in Canada rather than in the United States , since the medicines in Canada are less expensive. The “cross border purchases” are allowed only for drugs that can’t be found in the U.S. , but state officials don’t prevent people from buying other drugs. The Canadian government has stepped in to insure that on-line pharmacies actually own a resident pharmacy and employ a Canadian doctor to review the prescription.

Singapore Faces Flu Vaccine Shortage ( December 8, 2003 )
A worldwide shortage of the flu vaccine has forced some clinics in Singapore to turn away patients requesting the vaccine. Severe flu outbreaks in the US and Europe , which started earlier than normal this year, have depleted global stocks of the vaccine. Singaporean officials advise anyone traveling to hard hit areas, especially children and older people, to seek out the vaccine.  

Traitement de la ménopause : le désarroi des femmes et des médecins ( December 3, 2003 ) 
(Article in French)
Two recent studies on Substitution Hormonal Treatment concluded that SHT may increase risk of breast cancer and heart-attack. In France , doctors have given the treatment for 20 years to alleviate symptoms of menopause in women, but after the studies were released, 32% of French women receiving the therapy decided to end it. Doctors advise women to postpone making decisions about the therapy until scientists provide more thorough results. 

United Kingdom: The Truth About NHS Hospitals (December 1, 2003)
Harriet Sergeant is a reporter at the Health Telegraph who surveyed many of the National Health Service Hospitals. Her report shows a chilling picture of a hospital system in crisis. The nurses lack appropriate training for their jobs. Many patients are victims of nurses’ poor training, high turnover and a system that does not work for the patients’ benefit.

France: Une épidémie de grippe relance la polémique sur le système de santé (December 1, 2003)
(Article in French)
For days France has been in the grip of a flu virus. In Paris , sick people overwhelmed the hospitals during the weekend.  Some used the emergency plan called “The White Plan,” in order to get care. Once again, controversy swirls about the French Health Care system, three months after the heat wave in which 15,000 people, most of them elderly, died.

Europeans Mull Free Medical Care Benefits ( November 28, 2003 )
Europeans traditionally consider health care a right for all people, criticizing the US system that leaves 40 million people without health insurance. But government drives to cut costs are threatening this “European social model.” European governments must avoid the scenario where “those that can afford it have the best care and health becomes just like any other service you can buy,” says the director of the European elderly people’s platform AGE.

Dementia takes its toll in China (November 22, 2003) 
Mental health care for the elderly is at crisis point in China, experts say. Professor Yu Xin, a geriatric psychiatrist at the Beijing University institute, says China has 6 to 7 million elderly people with dementia, of whom at most 15 per cent ever see a psychiatrist or neurologist. Few of the doctors in China's public health clinics are trained to spot the symptoms of depression, and, outside major cities, few hospitals have a psychiatry department. Chinese also tend to hide emotional difficulties and look for physical causes, Professor Yu said. Last month, however, China began opening up this hidden problem and looking for advice.

L'habitat des personnes âgées mal conçu contre la chaleur (November 22 2003)
Lots of arguments were given to explain the murderous heat wave in France last summer but none of them took into consideration housing construction. The National Institute of Health Watch started an investigation of old people’s homes. With the use of new construction materials, houses can become very hot during summers and cause the consequences of the 2003 heat wave. However, by following some common sense rules, summer can become more agreeable even without air conditioning which threatens France’s current energy saving policy. 

La canicule au jour le jour (November 19, 2003)
Professor Lucien Abenhaim, former director of the French General Department of Health (Direction Générale de la Santé) has just written a book about the scorching heat wave in France in 2003.  He is deeply critical of Jean-François Mattei, the French Health Minister, and denounces the French Health system’s long-standing delay in preparing for such a lengthy heat wave.

Canada Rebuffs U.S. on Prescription Drugs (November 19, 2003)
Cheap Canadian drugs cause dissension with the US —and not because they don’t heal Yanks.   The United States government claims to be worried about drug safety risks for its citizens.   However, pharmaceutical companies protect their excessively high profit rates with huge financial contributions to political campaigns.  Open borders for free trade on pharmaceuticals threaten these profits. 

U.K. mulls repeal of price caps on Drugs (November 16, 2003)
In Great Britain , changing the drug industry system is a big issue, which concerns Europe and the U.S.   British regulators are wondering whether they should deregulate or not. In Britain the State regulates prices and profits. The European model allows for cheaper drug prices than the free-market American-style model. If deregulation is adopted, it may lead to increasing drug prices and irate citizens who cannot afford the drugs they need.  The industry claims that competition will help research and innovation.

Curtailing Medicines from Canada (November 11, 2003)
Many U.S. seniors cope with high prescription drug costs by buying their medicines in Canada, where prescription drugs cost 30-50 percent less. However, brand-name drug manufacturers want to change that. Taking advantage of loopholes in government price controls, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, and Bayer have announced they will raise the price of drugs in Canada to narrow the gap with U.S. prices. AstraZeneca says it will impose stricter sales conditions on pharmacies, forbidding them to make drugs available for export. 

Le plan dépendance sous le feu des critiques (November 7, 2003)
Political opponents and nursing home trade unions are critical of French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin’s “Vieillesse et Solidarité” (“Old Age and Solidarity”) plan. The PS (Socialist Party) and the PC (Communist Party) say Raffarin’s proposal to finance the plan with taxes from a revoked state holiday puts an undue burden on workers. Some trade unions, such as ADEHPA (Association des directeurs d'établissements d'hébergement pour personnes âgées), argue that the government should increase employee capacity at nursing homes before funding care for more seniors.

United Kingdom: Thousands of old people "drugged" (November 5, 2003)
Morethan 22,000 elderly people in nursing homes are being given powerful sedatives for no medical reason, it has been claimed. A report by the Liberal Democrats suggests residents who do not need these drugs are being kept sedated to make life easier for staff. Its health spokesman Paul Burstow said the situation may be even worse in residential homes. "Quite simply the over medication of older people is abuse," he said. The report's figures are based on a review of British and international studies in this area and information released to parliament.

Thailand: Medicare for less than a dollar (November 5, 2003)
It is a program most insurance companies would either love or hate: medical care for less than the cost of a cup of coffee. In Thailand the cost is 30 baht, or less than a dollar, not per month or visit, but a one-time payment. Television ads tout the program for those who normally cannot afford a visit to the doctor, let alone a hospital. 

France: Plus de 600 000 personnes âgées vivent dans les établissements spécialisés. (November 5, 2003)
In France , 480,000 persons are living in specialized homes for continuous care and 160,000 in “guest houses” for assisted living, with many inequalities between North and South. The providers’ rate is only 0.4 per resident, a low rate in comparison with Great Britain . While there is a 3% growth rate in the number of older persons each year, the available space in specialized homes has increased by only 1%. The French government reforms will provide better facilities and equipment as well as reduce regional inequalities.

Chopsticks may be bad to the bones (November 3, 2003)
Chopsticks, with a history that dates 5,000 years, provide a simple and neat way to get small bites of food to your mouth. They also may contribute to arthritis in the fingers. A study of 2,500 elderly residents of Beijing who had used chopsticks throughout a lifetime of eating and cooking has linked the mechanical stress of manipulating chopsticks with osteoarthritis of the thumb, index and middle fingers.

"World's oldest person" dies (October 31, 2003)
Kamato Hongo, a Japanese woman known as the world’s oldest person, died on Friday, October 31 at the age of 116. A healthy diet of fish and vegetables and no smoking supported her longevity, as did her favorite pastime: sleeping. The new oldest person is believed to be a 114 year old Japanese woman.

United Kingdom: Elderly' denied cancer surgery' (October 29, 2003) 
The two charities “Cancer Research UK ” and “Help the Aged” organized a conference in London on October 29 to highlight age discrimination in breast cancer care. Senior doctors and other experts testify that doctors often deny life-saving surgery to women over 70 because they assume the women are too frail. According to Dr. Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programs at Cancer Research UK , changing the attitude of doctors is key to ensuring elderly women get the care they need.

«Sécu»: Le gouvernement se contente de colmater le déficit (October 28, 2003)
FrenchMinister of Health Jean François Mattei wants a step-by-step reform of the country’s Social Security system. First, Mattei intends to stabilize the deficit of the Health Public Insurance through the “Haut Conseil pour l’avenir de l’assurance-maladie” (High Council for the future of health insurance), which will give the government an audit by the end of the year. Opponents consider the reform unfair, and former health minister Claude Evin (PS) says the reform may damage France ’s sense of national solidarity.

Rival plans pitch for Medicare advantage (October 28, 2003) 
Australian Opposition leaders are preparing to announce alternative plans to the Prime Minister’s highly criticized proposed Medicare reforms. Minister of Health Tony Abbott has backtracked on some initial proposals to reform Medicare, and has released alternative plans that would make it more convenient for patients to benefit from Medicare. The Australian Medical Association says Abbott’s concessions are a step in the right direction, but calls for a larger increase in Medicare payments to doctors.

South Africa: Doctor puts a smile on elderly faces (October 22, 2003)
A Cape Town-based maxillo-facial and oral surgeon is giving new hope to aged patients, having devised a technique that allows them to regrow bone in their jaws where it has thinned. The crone-like profile, common in children's books about witches whose pictures show their jaws almost connecting with the ends of their noses, is certainly no joke for the elderly who lose bone-mass in the jaw. Not only do they lose their teeth, but wearing dentures becomes increasingly uncomfortable without a solid jaw to rest on. It is exactly these people to whom Dr Rushdi Hendricks's innovative work in Cape Town is offering new hope.

Europe: Skin care, science and the secret of eternal profit (October 21, 2003)
Who needs Botox when you can have Boswelox? Instead of having chemicals injected into your forehead to smooth wrinkles, simply apply L'Oréal Paris Wrinkle De-Crease with Boswelox, and watch your face rejuvenate. Wake up, you men who thought that moisturiser was just oil-in-water emulsion with some added scent! Moisturiser has matured into anti-ageing cream, complete with active ingredients, molecules and enzymes developed in laboratories. The ageing baby-boomer may not be able to turn back time but here is a way to slow down its effects. Beiersdorf may not have discovered the secret of eternal life but it and L'Oréal have done something else. By combining a bit of science with a lot of marketing, they have taken traditional mass brands sufficiently upmarket to be able to obtain premium prices, without incurring the distribution costs of older luxury names.

France: Canicule: le directeur d'une maison de retraite mis en examen pour "homicide involontaire” (October 19, 2003)
In France, the director of a nursing home has been charged with being responsible for the death of an old woman during the midsummer heat. The charge not only implicates the individual, but also holds the nursing home accountable. The incident may push the French government to monitor nursing homes more closely, and consider whether to increase the required number of employees at all nursing homes.

German Lawmakers Give Final OK for Health System Reform (October 17, 2003)
The German parliament passed a healthcare system reform measure that will cut costs by reducing state health insurance coverage. German Social Affairs Minister Ulla Schmidt argues the reform will contribute to “job creation,” but the government admits the proposal won’t be sufficient to deal with long-term problems of increased health costs in an aging society.

United Kingdom: 'I am isolated without my sight' (October 17, 2003)
Margaret Maxwell is a feisty fighter for elderly care. She serves on numerous committees and gives a lot to her community. But Margaret, who is in her 80's, is registered blind and feels this has blighted the last four years of her life. She suffers from a condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects many elderly people. Unfortunately, Margaret's experiences are far from unusual. Eye diseases such as cataract and glaucoma - as well as AMD - are common in later life. They constitute a major cause of disability and loss of independence for older people. But help could finally be at hand in the form of an innovative new project set up in the north east of England.

China is aging fast (October 13, 2003)
China ’s population is rapidly aging, due to economic development on the one hand and the well-known “one child policy” on the other.  While an aging population is not inherently bad, China must plan for inevitable retirement, pension, and health care issues in a society with far more elderly than young people.

Cuba faces the challenges of a graying population (October 9, 2003)
Cuba's unusually high life expectancy - a tribute to its modest, but universal, health care - will make it one of the "oldest" countries in Latin America by the end of the decade.  Cubans are aging healthily despite the decades-long US blockade, which has shut out medications and many items thought necessary for long life.  Now, the greatest need is for sufficient income. Due to a stagnant economy, the government struggles to find ways to help. The Office of Elder Services and Social Work at Cuba’s Public Health Ministry does its best, but many elderly Cubans must rely on their families and their own resourcefulness to scrape by.  

Canada: Antibiotics may help stave off Alzheimer's ( October 9, 2003 )
A combination of two common antibiotics may help delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on Thursday. In a 101-patient Canadian study, Alzheimer's patients treated with antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin for three months had significantly less mental decline than those given dummy pills, said Dr. Mark Loeb, associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton , Ontario , and the study's lead author. "The antibiotic regimen might allow a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease to remain home and avoid having to go to a nursing home or other institution, at least for a period of time," said Dr. Loeb.

Norway: Four shots a year may curb menopausal bone loss (October 8, 2003)
An injection of a drug called ibandronate given every three months seems to be an effective new treatment for preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women. Ibandronate, also known by the brand-name Bondronat, is one of a class of bone-boosting drugs called bisphosphonates. The four-times-a-year treatment may offer an "effective and convenient alternative" to estrogen replacement therapy for preventing the bone-thinning condition of osteoporosis, say researchers in an article in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

United Kingdom: 'Home in a day' hip replacement (October 2, 2003)
Surgeons say a pioneering operation could allow patients to be able to go home the day after they have a hip replacement. Patients who have standard hip replacements have to stay in hospital for an average of eight days. Developers of the new procedure say it could cut waiting lists and save the NHS millions of pounds. The news comes as the High Court ruled that patients suffering an "undue delay" for an operation could claim the cost of having treatment abroad.

United Kingdom: Myths stop elderly having flu jab ( October 1, 2003 )
Half of elderly people do not have the flu jab because they wrongly believe it will give them the illness, according to a survey. A quarter also mistakenly think healthy people do not need to have the vaccine. The survey results were revealed as the Department of Health launched its annual campaign to persuade people over 65 to have their free jab. People in "at-risk" groups, such as those with asthma and diabetes and those on steroids or cancer treatment are also advised to have the vaccine.

United Kingdom: Study links IQ and affluence level to longevity (September 24, 2003)  
By following nearly 1,000 subjects during a 70-year span, Scottish researchers have found that people with high IQs who reside in poor neighborhoods lived longer than people in similar areas with low IQs, while the intelligence score was not important for longevity for people living in wealthy neighborhoods. “The significant interaction found between IQ and deprivation suggests that IQ in childhood is less important in terms of mortality for people who live in more affluent areas in adulthood than for people who live in deprived areas,” says Carole L. Hart, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow and colleagues from other universities in Scotland .

Africa: Older people and orphans overlooked by HIV/Aids policymakers (September 19, 2003 )
HIV/Aids policymakers are not acknowledging the key roles of senior citizens and orphans in their strategies to combat the pandemic, says an NGO report released this week. "Few national HIV/Aids policies pay adequate attention to the growing numbers of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids, and even less make provision for their older carers and guardians," says the report entitled "Forgotten families, Older People as Carers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children" written by HelpAge International and International HIV/Aids Alliance.  

Fears over elderly mental health care (September 24, 2003)
The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) investigation said standards at Withington Hospital's Rowan ward left patients open to abuse. It said its findings raised fears about care standards across the UK. Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust accepted the report made "grim reading" and said it was trying to improve services to elderly people in need of psychiatric care. The investigation followed allegations last year of mental and physical abuse against 10 patients on the ward.

Sweden: Study shows increased risk of cancer for stressed women (September 24, 2003)
Stress can increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer, according to a new, prospective study of Swedish women, ECCO12 – The European Cancer Conference heard on Wednesday, September 24. However, the study's lead author, Dr Östen Helgesson, warned that his findings should be treated with caution as the design of the study meant that it was not possible to assess how much stress was needed to increase the risk of breast cancer. Furthermore, the questionnaire used in the study had not been finally validated as an accurate way of recording stress and relating it to the chances of developing breast cancer.

Kenya: Elderly Carry the Burden of Aids (September 23, 2003)  
At 70 years of age, Eunice Wangechi is still engaged in back-breaking chores to bring up her grandchildren, just as she did to raise her own children many years ago. She is one of Africa's ever rising number of older people having to raise orphans left behind by their parents, according to a new study on aged people and their struggles within the Aids pandemic. In their report titled Forgotten families: older people caring for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids, two charities are asking African governments to move swiftly to save the older generation the agony of caring for Aids orphans.

Europe: Successful prostate surgery: It's quality of surgery not quantity that matters most (September 22, 2003)
A surgeon's personal skill in performing radical prostate surgery and not necessarily the number of operations performed is the key to a patient's future quality of life and the potential for cure. Surgeons must be honest with patients about their own success rates and prospective patients should not be afraid to ask tough questions, a leading urologist said today (Monday 22 September).  

United Kingdom: Breast cancer ignorance revealed (September 19, 2003)
Three quarters of women over the age of 50 do not realise that breast cancer is more common as women age, according to a survey. Many are also ignorant about other facts which doctors say could save their lives by allowing them to seek treatment early. One in five women over 50 do not check their breasts for changes from time to time, and the same percentage fail to attend breast screening. It is hoped the survey, commissioned by charity Breast Cancer Care, will boost women's knowledge about the disease.

New SARS alert in Hong Kong as nine elderly hospitalized (September 19, 2003)
A Hong Kong hospital has raised a new SARS alert after nine residents of a home for the elderly were treated for fever and respiratory tract infection, a health department spokesman said. Hong Kong was the second worst-affected region by with 297 SARS-related deaths and nearly 1,800 infections. SARS virus - is thought to have jumped from animals to humans, which resulted in temporary ban of the trade of exotic culinary wildlife.  

The Killer Season (September 16, 2003)
This summer's murderous heat wave in Europe, which may have caused more than 11,000 deaths in France alone, is enough to make you look forward to the season of mittens, hot cocoa, and frostbite. Ah, for kind, crisp winter, when people aren't baked like blackbirds! But not so fast: Demographically speaking, cold is actually a far bigger killer than heat. One study calculated that in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, more than 80,000 people died of cold-related causes per year—or more than 100 times the figure for heat-related deaths. All bets are off in the developing world, where the hottest months (whichever part of the calendar they fall on) are more deadly. This means that some of the demographers' kernels of insight on the seasonality of mortality hold up across climates, cultures, and time zones. Stay tuned!

New Zealand: Low cost health care for elderly (September 16, 2003)
A $47 million nationwide initiative to make primary health care more affordable for older New Zealanders enrolled in Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) is to be sped up, Health Minister Annette King said yesterday. Originally planned for 2005-06, the Government has decided to make low-cost primary health care more accessible a year earlier than that for New Zeal- anders aged 65 and over. Professional bodies, particularly the New Zealand College of GPs, believed bringing forward funding for over 65s would be beneficial, Ms King said.

Canada: Elderly get wrong drugs (September 16, 2003)
At least one in three Montreal-area seniors has been improperly prescribed medication by a general practitioner, a new study has found. Some of the medication errors can be fatal but are not necessarily the result of incompetence by a physician, suggests the lead author of the study. Rather, poor communication among doctors, patients and pharmacists is to blame. "It's shocking," said Robyn Tamblyn, associate professor of epidemiology at McGill University. The study, published in today's Canadian Medical Association Journal, describes many common prescription errors - from duplication of similar drugs to inadvertently allowing patients to take a medication for an excessively long period. 

United Kingdom, Scotland: Elderly to get £8m protection from killer diseases (September 15, 2003)
Thousands of pensioners in the Lothians are to be vaccinated against killer diseases like pneumonia under a new £8 million campaign launched today. For the first time, all over-65s in Scotland will automatically be offered a jag protecting them from diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis and blood poisoning. The massive programme is aimed at slashing the death toll from pneumococcal forms of the infections, which strike hundreds of elderly people in Scotland each year, killing dozens. In the Lothians, around 60 pensioners are admitted to hospital every year with pneumococcal infections, with around 15 dying. The new Scottish Executive funded programme was launched on September 15 with a major advertising campaign urging all elderly Scots to get the jag when GPs start to offer it alongside the annual flu jabs next month.

EU life expectancy increases, says survey (September 9, 2003)
Life expectancy in Europe has increased by eight years since 1960, a new survey shows today. The average life expectancy is now 75 for men and 81 for women – about one year more than the average in America. The 200 page dossier, The Social Situation in Europe 2003, shows how the EU population is ageing: the over-65s now represent 16% of the total population, and the under-15s account for 17%. The most dramatic change in prospect is that the number of “very old” people - those over 80 – will rise by almost 50% in the next 15 years.

Japan to have 20,000 centenarians (September 9, 2003) 
In a fresh sign of the rapid ageing of Japan's population, the number of people aged 100 or older is expected to reach a record high of 20,561 by the end of September, the Health Ministry says. Women will account for 84 percent of the number of Japanese centenarians, which is expected to top the 20,000 mark for the first time since the government began compiling the data in 1963, the ministry said in a report.

Australia: Tomatoes protect against cancer (September 7, 2003)
Tomatoes are protection against prostate cancer and sausages and salami several times a week may increase the risk of a range of cancers, says a 10-year study of 40,000 Australians. In the biggest Australian medical experiment so far, the first results are emerging on the link between cancer and diet.

Charles to finance US ageing research (September 6, 2003)
The Prince of Wales is about to give financial backing to a leading alternative medicine centre in the United States to fund research to reverse the process of ageing. The prince, 54, has authorised his US charity to generously fund a research fellowship at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Maryland - part of the National Institutes of Health - after being impressed by the work of Marc Blackman, its clinical director. The offer came after Dr Blackman and his wife, Linda, and other alternative medical experts were invited by Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to a private dinner at St James's Palace last November, "to discuss ideas and visions for complementary medicine", according to a US embassy document obtained by the Guardian.

Elderly suicide rate down but experts worry downward trend may reverse  (September 3, 2003)
The number of elderly suicides in Singapore has dropped by more than half since a decade ago. But experts are worried this downward trend may be reversed because of the downturn and aging population. In the mid-1990s, Singapore's elderly suicide rate was the highest in the world, outside rural China. But a 10-year study by local academics shows there has been a turnaround.

Bone loss prevention drug showing promise in advanced prostate cancer (September 2, 2003)
Oral sodium clodronate may slow the development of symptomatic bone metastases and reduce the risk of death in men with advanced prostate cancer, according to a randomized controlled trial in the September 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Prostate cancer spreads most commonly to the bone, and bone metastases affect at least 85% of men with advanced prostate cancer. Bisphosphonates, including sodium clodronate, reduce bone loss. In the early 1990s, researchers in the United Kingdom initiated two phase III trials to examine the benefit of bisphosphonates in men with advanced prostate cancer. The results of one of these trials is now being reported.

United Kingdom: Scientists target ageing (September 1, 2003)
The search for the elixir of life has become respectable. A Cambridge University conference will announce this month an international scientific competition to solve the secrets of ageing. The prize, potentially worth millions of dollars to the winner, is attracting keen academic interest. Four top US research groups have signed up, and a British team, based at Newcastle University, has expressed interest. The launch of the prize reflects a significant shift in scientific thinking. Until a decade ago, the idea that the ageing process could be slowed or reversed would have been dismissed as science fiction.

Philippines: To Your Health - Anti-Ageing Warrior (August 30, 2003)
At his brightly lit clinic on the 11th floor of a condominium in Makati City, 80-year-old Dr. Cornejo, looking much younger than his age, sits amidst images and statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sto. Nino. Wearing a doctor's white coat with a PSG Command Hospital label, this recipient of more than 600 awards and commendations from various organizations explains that he is simply a consultant to the presidential security group. He is still practicing medicine, as an apostolate, waiving all consultation fees and pensions, which he donates to widows of soldiers in Mindanao, to organizations caring for streetchildren and to the Elsie Gaches Village in Muntinlupa.

Better nursing for elderly (August 29, 2003)
A new initiative has been launched to encourage more nurses to undertake specialist training in how to care for older people. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and charity Help the Aged (HTA) have announced that they are to develop a new partnership that aims to focus on the development of nursing care for older people.

Canada: Appreciation of humor doesn't change with age (August 25, 2003)  
A Canadian study of humor in older adults has found that appreciation and emotional reactiveness to humor doesn't change with age. Older adults still enjoy a good laugh. However, the ability to comprehend more complex forms of humor may diminish in later years. The findings are published in the September issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

France: Holocaust of the elderly: death toll in French heatwave rises to 10,000 (August 22, 2003)
The summer of 2003 will be remembered as the year of the holocaust of the French elderly. France was reeling yesterday from figures that suggested some 10,000 people - mostly over the age of 75 - were killed by this month's heatwave, double the previous estimate. As a political storm raged over blame for the deaths, President Jacques Chirac called an emergency cabinet meeting and promised an inquiry to examine "with complete openness" the failings of the health and welfare system.

China: Temporary Elder Care Service Rose Stealthily in GuangZhou (August 22, 2003)
GuangZhou, China-- Recently, temporary elder care service started to pop up in many elder care centers in GuangZhou.  The service provides many conveniences and positive responses for family member.  The service is very helpful to the family members when they want to travel on vacation or business trips, even when their elder parents have arguments with them.  (full text is in Chinese)

Canada: Vancouver – Elder Care Center suspected new SARS arose (August 20, 2003)
Toronto, Canada – Laboratory result proved, one elder care center appeared new SARS.  Blood test showed the virus gene was the same as the SARS in China, Toronto, etc affected area months ago.  But some experts said it’s too early to conclude because the symptoms were not as obvious and there may be error in the test.  A doctor from Britain Columbia Virus Control Center in Vancouver pointed out two possible answers for this undetermined situation.  One was that this virus was the exact same virus as SARS only that symptoms were less significant.  Another was that this was a variation or transformation of the original SARS virus.  (full text is in Chinese)

UK: £1 billion cost of elderly falls (August 20, 2003)                                Falls among the elderly cost the British government £981 million a year, researchers estimate. Almost 60% of the cost is borne by the NHS, with the remainder spent on long term care. It was found around 650,000 people over 60 were taken to A&E after falling, and over 204,000 were admitted to hospital. The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, said action was needed to prevent falls to protect patients and save NHS funds.

France: Heat Death Toll Forces a Shocked France to Question Itself (August 20, 2003)
The staggering number of deaths in France is finally drawing the nation's attention to who died and how. The details lead not through some place decimated by an awful plague but through the brick and concrete of the nation's biggest cities. The government estimates that the heat killed perhaps 5,000 people. The largest undertaker, General Funeral Services, said today that the number could be more than twice that. The victims were generally found inside apartments or houses or hotels. In virtually every case, there was no air-conditioner. "Among the elderly, there's a lot of anonymity," said Bernard Mazeyrie, the managing director of OGF, the parent company of General Funeral Services. "Paris is a city with a lot of anonymity."

Toxic protein could explain Alzheimer's and lead to breakthroughs (August 19, 2003)
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered for the first time in humans the presence of a toxic protein that they believe to be responsible for the devastating memory loss found in individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease. An understanding of this key molecular link in the progression of Alzheimer's could lead to the development of new therapeutic drugs capable of reversing memory loss in patients who are treated early, in addition to preventing or delaying the disease.

Thousands die in European heat wave (August 15, 2003)
Record-high temperatures across Europe—causing heat-related deaths and leading to a series of deadly forest fires in Southern Europe—have claimed thousands of lives. The French health ministry has now reported that up to 3,000 have died in recent weeks in France as a result of the heat wave, after previously claiming there was no accurate way to measure heat-related deaths.

Russia: Reaching Out on a Moscow Beach (August 14, 2003)
A dozen elderly women in swimsuits stand on a beach in northern Moscow, raise their hands above their heads and stretch to an invocation by their leader. The sight is strange enough to draw a small crowd of puzzled onlookers, but the women seem to enjoy the limelight. They gather every morning -- weather permitting -- on the Pokrovskoye-Streshnyovo beach at the Khimki reservoir, where they go for a swim and then proceed with their health routine.

France: Controversy in France over plight of elderly in searing summer heat (August 11, 2003)
As a punishing heat wave dragged into its second week in France, controversy erupted over the number of deaths attributable to the summer heat, with a top emergency doctor warning of an imminent disaster. The health ministry meanwhile confirmed that more elderly people were seeking treatment at hospitals in the heat, but said emergency rooms were not over-stretched.

New Study Links Hormones to Breast Cancer Risk (August 8, 2003)
A study of one million British women has found a higher death rate from breast cancer among those who took combination hormone therapy than those who did not use it or took estrogen alone. The study is by far the largest to determine the effects of hormones on breast cancer. The findings, which are being published in London on Saturday in the journal The Lancet, build on compelling evidence from studies in the United States that the risks of invasive breast cancer from combination hormone therapy were greater than many doctors had predicted.

Hong Kong: Four Institutions burst out Flu Infection; 34 were hospitalized  (July 27, 2003)
Hong Kong - Small infections of flu burst throughout Hong Kong.  Several were infected in Salvation Army Lai-King Institute days ago.  On July 26, 8 more were infected and sent to hospital.  In addition, 3 nursing homes and mental institution located in Chai-wan, Yuan-long and Shang-shui appeared flu symptoms such as fever, coughing, etc around the same time.  Those infected were sent to hospital for examination.  So far, up to 64 were infected.  Among them, 34 were hospitalized and 1 needed special treatment.  Legislative Council Wing-Lok Lo warned, “The flu infection in many of the institutions is a sign for further infection among the society.” (The text is in Chinese.)

Population getting older but healthier (July 7, 2003)
A new study shows that the share of elderly people requiring medical care should drop thanks to better prevention and medical treatments. Currently, up to 126,000 people - or 11.4 per cent of the population over the age of 64 – are not able to care for themselves in Switzerland. “People are also benefiting from better living conditions, social protection and a less strenuous working environment,” Valérie Hugentobler, one of report’s authors, told swissinfo.

United Arab Emirates: Unit set up to care for the elderly (August 7, 2003)
Rashid Hospital has set up a new section to manage the increasing number of elderly patients who have been left with nowhere to go after treatment. The hospital reports that there are now at least 15 old people who have apparently been abandoned by their families or are unable to get themselves back to their home countries. However, the new section will allow for a more coordinated response and has been created under an agreement between the hospital and the Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms).

Taiwan: CDC announces free flu shots to be offered to elderly(August 7, 2003)
To prepare for a possible recurrence of SARS this fall and to avoid confusion between SARS and influenza, Taiwan's Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced yesterday that free flu shots will be offered to senior citizens in mid-September, earlier than in past years. In addition, for the first time, all hospital workers and caregivers will be required to have the shots, evening newspapers reported.

Hong Kong: Four Institutions burst out Flu Infection; 34 were hospitalized (July 27, 2003) 

Small infections of flu burst throughout Hong Kong.  Several were infected in Salvation Army Lai-King Institute days ago.  On July 26, 8 more were infected and sent to hospital.  In addition, 3 nursing homes and mental institution located in Chai-wan, Yuan-long and Shang-shui appeared flu symptoms such as fever, coughing, etc around the same time.  Those infected were sent to hospital for examination.  So far, up to 64 were infected.  Among them, 34 were hospitalized and 1 needed special treatment.  Legislative Council Wing-Lok Lo warned, “The flu infection in many of the institutions is a sign for further infection among the society.”  

Bahrain: Dust haze hits health of young and elderly (July 6, 2003)
A THICK dust haze covered Bahrain yesterday resulting in an increase in the number of people seeking medical care and reducing visibility to 800 metres. More people have been visiting hospitals seeking medical care as result of the deteriorating weather conditions, medical sources told the GDN. Those most affected were young children and the elderly, who suffer from asthma, they said.

Malaysia: Special treat for the elderly (July 8, 2003)

It was an evening of food and fun for about 300 elderly folks from 14 homes when they attended Eastin Hotel’s 5th anniversary charity dinner.  The event appropriately called “A Tribute To The Aged” kicked off with a cultural performance by a group women led by former MCA Wanita chief Datin Paduka Rosemary Chong.  Ong said 2.2 million of the 23 million Malaysians were above 55 years old and he hoped the young would treasure the presence of their elders at home.  

N.D.P. says hospital waiting lists caused by fees for seniors (July 21, 2003)
Nova Scotia's N.D.P. say the easiest way to end hospital bed waiting lists would be to stop the practise of making seniors pay for medical care in nursing homes. New Democrat leader Darrell Dexter says seniors are taking up valuable and expensive hospital bed space, while they wait to get into long-term care. Dexter says if an N.D.P. government is elected on August 5th, it will do away with the assessment and fees. Can we assume elderly have little choice? 
 

Painkillers may protect against Alzheimer's – study (July 18, 2003)

Scientists reviewed 15 studies that examined the effect of painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and found people who take them are less likely to develop the illness which is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. As the result, they stated that common painkillers may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and the longer they are taken the greater the benefit.

Technology creates new concerns for dying older patients and their families (July 18, 2003)
Together with her colleagues, Dr Jane Seymour of Sheffield University spent two years researching older adults' views about the use of new medical technologies during care and treatment. The study involved 77 older people living in Sheffield, ranging in age from 60 to over 85. The study concludes that advance care planning would be better understood as a process of discussion and review between clinicians, patients and families, rather than by completing an advance statement.

Australia: Meat, exercise good for the elderly (July 17, 2003)

Australian researchers find that red meat could be critical to increasing muscle strength in older people. The study shows that elderly people who doubled their usual red meat intake and underwent progressive resistance training twice a week increased their muscle mass more than those who did not eat more meat.

Sex among Chinese elder males (July 14, 2003) (in Chinese)

The sex need among the elderly has long been ignored in China. The number of older people who have contracted sexually transmitted diseases has been rising rapidly due to unhealthy sex behaviors. Experts say that more social activities and marriage among the widowed and the divorced elderly can help mitigate the problem. (The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)

Thailand: Sad story of neglect and discrimination (July 14, 2003)

A national Aids meeting in Thailand brought out the issue that elderly carers had been neglected since the anti-AIDS campaign began 19 years ago. Although elderly people in Thailand have a lower possibility of contracting AIDS, they face physical, mental and financial problems to take care of ill children or grandchildren orphaned by the disease. A study shows that 67% of people with HIV/AIDS returned to live with their parents when they were no longer able to work. They left the burden of caring for their children with their parents after they died.

China: Old lady’s fight against AIDS (July 11, 2003) (in Chinese)

A 77 year old Chinese lady started her career of AIDS prevention after her retirement as a medical doctor. Yaojie, Gao, an old lady who won WHO’s World Health and Human Rights Awards, dedicates herself to educating and preventing the spread of AIDS in China. Although limited resources and people’s ignorance about AIDS made her after-retirement career a tough one, she never gave up. (The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)

UK: What makes us age? (July 10, 2003)

We all think we know what ageing does to us - how it makes us frail, more likely to fall ill and eventually to die. But what actually causes ageing and can we do anything to slow its advance? As the ageing process remains one of the great mysteries of medical science, the author will give an explanation.

Canada: Nurses shun elderly care (July 8, 2003)

The average age of nurses in Ontario is 47, and 30 per cent of those nurses will be retiring within the next 10 years. However, very few young nurses are interested in replacing them. “Long-term care is not the first choice for recently graduated nurses, most of whom choose instead to enter the seemingly more glamorous critical care or emergency units.” Long-term care crisis looms as “young nurses see gerontology nursing as a dead-end job, a place where old nurses go to die”.

30% of Japanese elderly miss medical refunds (July 6, 2003)

A survey released that 30 percent of Japanese seniors didn’t apply for refunds for medical expenses, totaling 728 million yen of unpaid refunds. The reimbursement system was set up to help people aged 75 and older with the medical expenses. Those who pay more than the set maximum amounts are eligible to receive refunds for the extra they paid by applying at the offices of city, town and village governments. The survey shows that "there is a need to thoroughly inform senior citizens about the system and to take such measures as simplifying application procedures".

UK: How elderly are being cheated (July 5, 2003)

In the UK, one in three will need some long term care and it's very expensive. Finding the cash is tough for most families in England - Scotland and Wales offer more generous help from the public purse. Financial help in England is means-tested and local authority testers can be really mean. Expert Owen Wright of specialist adviser the Care Funding Bureau says local authorities often skirt around the rules. "If you know what you are doing and are assertive, you can often end up with more." The article discusses how honest is the long term care system in UK and provides a guide to getting more towards care bills.

UK: Borders facing crisis in care for the elderly (July 2, 2003)

A report, by a scrutiny panel set up by Scottish Borders Council, has warned of bed shortages and outlined difficulties in recruiting adequate numbers of skilled staff. Scottish Borders has a higher proportion of older people in its population than any other region in Scotland and the demand for home care and residential services is expected to increase rapidly over the next decade. A total of 21,887 Borders residents, i.e. 25 per cent of the adult population, are retired.

Singaporeans urged to engage elderly through community-based services (June 28, 2003)

Singapore Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Education called for a mindset change of Singaporeans to prepare for the challenge of an ageing society by engaging the elderly in community-based services. Many Singaporeans are not used to paying for services needed by the elderly. Some even feel embarrassed about sending their parents to a day-care centre. However, Minister said centres actually do a better job than employing a maid to look after the elderly.

Taiwan: Peng Hu County Restricts Health Welfare for Rural Elderly (June 27, 2003) (in Chinese)

Peng Hu County Farming and Fishery Department official said that a new law regarding the eligibility of farmers’ health insurance will come into effect today. The law denies eligibility of applying the farmers’ health insurance for farmers who receive pension from the social security system or any other social insurance welfares. (The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)

Ireland: Call for 1.5% rise in PRSI to care for elderly (June 26, 2003)

A government study commissioned by the Irish Department of Social and Family Affairs recommended that PRSI (public) contributions be increased by 1.5 per cent to fund long-term elderly care in Ireland. Emphasising the projected increase in the elderly population and the rising costs of care, the report stated that “social insurance financing offers most advantages” in comparison to other options.

Ireland: Social Security rise urged to pay for elderly care (June 25, 2003)

A report commissioned by the Irish government favored a1.5% hike in Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI) payments to fund the care of the elderly. The report estimated that the total number of older people in need of moderate or high levels of care would increase from 2.1% of the total population in 2001 to 3.8% by 2051. Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Coughlan said the report would form the basis of a general consultation process over the coming months.

'Mediterranean Diet' Cuts Heart Attack, Cancer Risk (June 25, 2003)

A study found that people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet had a 33 percent reduction in the risk of death from heart disease and a 24 percent decrease in cancer death rate. The diet often includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, unrefined cereals, olive oil, cheese and yogurt, and fish for most days. Wine is consumed in moderation.

UK: Alzheimer's hope for ancient sex remedy (June 24, 2003)

Scientist from Oxford is testing an ancient Asian remedy for the effects of too much sex as a potential treatment for the brain damage that causes Alzheimer's disease. Phytopharm, the biotechnology company that specialises in plant-based medicines, is developing the drug and has already tested the drug’s safety in humans.

Australia: Elderly have right to care (June 20, 2003)

Australian states are blaming the Commonwealth for the practice of leaving the elderly to languish in hospitals due to lack of nursing home beds, a practice known as granny dumping. In response to the blame, Australian Ageing Minister Mr. Kevin Andrews yesterday claimed that elderly Australians had as much right to hospital care as younger people.

Australia: Caring for elderly and planning for the future (June 17, 2003)

To address the need for more aged care facilities in the Manning Valley, Australia, the City Council decided to build several new government-sponsored aged care facilities for the elderly.  Construction is already well underway on a new centre at Kolodong and others are under consideration.

UK: Time to protect elderly from attacks (June 13, 2003)

The government in Norfolk, UK, has toughened up regulations in the care industry to close a loophole in a bid to protect elderly and disabled people from abuse or injury. Now people applying for care jobs with private agencies will be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) before being allowed to look after vulnerable people living in their own homes.

Australia: Home care programs for elderly 'in crisis' (June 13, 2003)

Aged care groups in Australia called for an overhaul of the national home care programs at a community care summit in Canberra. They agreed that caring for the elderly in their homes needed to be simplified, and the $1.7 billion a year in funding should be increased to more than $2 billion. They also criticized the current system of community care that generates the buck-passing between the Commonwealth and the states.

New Zealand: Group gives community a say on health issues (June 11, 2003)

Both Marlborough and Nelson in New Zealand set up a new project to bring together district health board, GPs and community representatives to look at health issues, allowing local input and control. The project is part of a national strategy to improve health access for the elderly and will complement the district council's new elderly forum, set up to look at other factors affecting quality of life, such as transport and housing.

Singapore: Nursing homes to admit patients from only one hospital (June 11, 2003)

The Singapore government announced yesterday a new measurement to curb the spread of SARS or any other infections. Care home residents who need hospitalization can go to designated hospital only. Similarly all public hospital patients who need additional nursing home care after being discharged will be moved to homes which will admit patients from only one hospital from now on.

India: How exercise makes us healthy & happy (June 10, 2003)

The latest WHO estimates claim inactive life-style as the biggest killer worldwide. Over 70-90 per cent cases of diabetes and cardiovascular cases can be prevented if we decide against being couch potatoes. The author, a retired professor, explains the details and reasons of “how exercises make us healthy and happy”.

New Zealand: Elderly not keen on prescription plan (June 3, 2003)

Government drug-buying agency Pharmac in New Zealand wants to reintroduce three-monthly prescriptions instead of pharmacists issuing them monthly. The move will most affect the elderly through the change in the dispensing scheme, and could save district health boards $35 million in dispensing fees.

Limited Gain Found in Soy Pills (June 3, 2003)

Finnish researchers found that pills with a soy compound were no better than a placebo at relieving the symptoms of menopause. The new study, by researchers from Helsinki University Central Hospital, included 56 breast cancer survivors, who are usually told to avoid hormone replacement therapy because it can raise the risk of the cancers' recurrence.

Researchers identify protein which could help protect against neuro-degenerative conditions (May 30, 2003)

British Researchers found that a protein could be used to as a treatment for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease. They discovered that the naturally occurring protein, 27-kD, a heat shock protein was able to reduce cell death in the brain.

Ontario cuts fee increases planned for nursing homes (May 30, 2003)

The Ontario government has reversed a plan to increase nursing home fees by $2 a day beginning July 1. Instead, the hike is set to $1.16 a day. The money goes directly to the nursing homes, but the provincial government that subsidizes the cost sets the rates.

Chronic headaches may predict men's stroke risk (May 29, 2003)

Finnish researchers found that men who suffer from chronic headaches might be at increased risk of having a stroke. They said that chronic headaches might be a signal for diseases leading to a stroke. The study showed that those who suffered headaches were four times more likely to have a stroke than others.

Australia: Extra $600,000 to Train Aged Care Workers (May 29, 2003)

Australian government will spend an extra $600,000 to train aged care workers in smaller, less viable aged care homes. The money will fund six pilot projects, which will deliver professional staff training to 62 aged care homes across the country.

Smoking speeds up memory loss in middle age (May 28, 2003)

UK researchers found that cigarette smokers who continue the habit through middle age may suffer from memory loss. According to the study, smokers showed a faster decline in their scores on tests of word memory, relative to non-smokers from their 40s to their 50s. The relationship between smoking and memory loss appeared strongest in people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes each day.

UK: Care of elderly often lacks dignity says NHS (May 28, 2003)

The Commission for Health Improvement in UK found that health services for older people often lack privacy and dignity. The elderly were most likely to suffer from delayed and poorly managed discharge once ready to leave hospital. They were also particularly likely to be cared for on wards which were inappropriate to their condition and they were often placed on mixed sex wards.

New Zealand: Elderly at risk as B12 runs short (May 23, 2003)

In New Zealand, hundreds of sick and elderly patients can't get their vitamin B12 prescriptions filled because an unexpected doubling in demand has left pharmacists without any supplies. According to the supplier GlaxoSmithKline corporate communications head Ron Murray, New Zealand used to demand about 4000 units a month, but that demand has increased rapidly in recent months for reasons he didn't understand. How will the New Zealand government cope up with this supplier shortage?

Australia: Elderly face grim future (May 23, 2003)

Four nursing homes in Australia are to be sold to government-approved operators, leaving over 100 elder residents’ welfare in doubt. Two of them were once subject to government sanctions due to mishandlings of health care for the elderly. The government claimed that it was closely monitoring the homes and homes would remain open.

Israel: Cuts to child allowances, elderly nursing care will be smaller (May 22, 2003)

Israeli Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev ammounced cuts to elderly nursing care hours this Thursday. He reached agreement with Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the elderly receiving 10 and a half hours will be subject to a 45-minute cut instead of a five and half hour cut.  The elderly receiving 15 and half weekly hours of nursing care will not be affected. How will this new policy affect the quality of life of the elderly?

Senior citizens put through their paces (May 21, 2003)

The population of Switzerland is ageing steadily: men live on average until 77 years old, while women can expect to reach 83. Pro Senectute - the Swiss organisation for the elderly - has launched a nine-month mental and physical training programme for senior citizens. Entitled “Independence In Old Age”, its aim is to keep the elderly healthy and living independently for as long as possible.

Hong Kong: SARS-infected elderly doubled to 61 people in care homes (May 15, 2003) (in Chinese)

In over 50 Hong Kong care homes, the number of the elderly infected by SARS has doubled to 61 people during the past two weeks. An expert at the Medical Center of the Central University in Hong Kong points out that, care homes are expected to the next SARS “spreading center”. (The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)

Taiwan: Free emergency watches for the elderly living alone to combat SARS (May 14, 2003) (in Chinese)

As SARS is spreading in Taiwan, Taipei Mayer Yingjiu, Ma says that the city government will provide free emergency watches to 4,300 older people who are living alone by the end of this year. According to the officials in Firefighting Department, the emergency watch is the user-end of a SOS radio system, which enables the users to contact the Firefighting Department for emergency. (The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)

Rice-Bowen: Health care for elderly lacking (May 14, 2003)
Health care for the elderly in Barbados is being saddled with inefficiency and shortages of critical supplies. Some health workers at some health institutions have had to carry to work items such as soap and seasoning to properly carry out their daily duties. “At the Geriatric hospital, there is no hot water for laundering the clothes, and as a result, clothes and the linen must be taken down to the Mental (Psychiatric Hospital) to be laundered and brought back.

Retired, Elderly Get Drug Aid From Rotary (May 14, 2003)
The Rotary club of Lagos has donated drugs worth about N75,000 to the Nigerian Society for the Welfare of the Retired and Elderly Persons (NISWREP). Making the donation, President of the Club, Rotarian Hakeem Akinlade, said the essence of the donation was to create a precedence for other individuals and corporate bodies who may want to follow suit.

Quality of Life for Older Australians (May 13, 2003)

The quality of life for Australia’s ageing population will be enhanced by a number of measures in the Federal Ageing Budget. Community care programs, which provide aged care services to people in their own homes, will receive increased funding. Aged Care Assessment Teams will also receive more funding to assess people’s health needs for care services. 65 Commonwealth Carelink Centres across the country will receive continued funding. Extra aged care places in rural Australia will be funded through the Multi-Purpose Service Program.

Chiropractic manipulation in elderly “raises stroke risk” (May 13, 2003)
Neck and spine adjustments by chiropractors and other practitioners can increase the risk of stroke, says US research, although the profession in the UK challenges the study. The researchers found that people under the age of 60 who had strokes or mini-strokes as a consequence of tears in their neck arteries were six times more likely to have visited a practitioner who had manipulated their neck within the past month than those who had strokes due to other causes.

Municipal workers on sick-leave more often than others (May 13, 2003)
The number of sick-leave days taken by municipal workers continues to rise despite the municipalities' efforts to invest in occupational well-being. Since 1995 the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health has collected information from the absentee registries of ten major cities. Apart from Helsinki, all the cities with a population over 100,000 were included in the study.     According to the findings, the older age groups fall ill more often than the younger workers, but the number of absences has increased across the board.

SARS 'super-spreaders' appear to be elderly or those already suffering ailments: WHO (May 12, 2003)

Extremely infectious patients of the SARS virus or "super-spreaders" appeared to be the elderly or those already suffering medical ailments, a World Health Organization official said Monday. According to the official, “super spreaders” are mainly elderly people who have already been immunologically compromised.

Fall in elderly suicides linked to rise in anti-depressants (May 10, 2003)
A fall in suicide rates among older Australians has been linked in a new study to a sharp rise in the rate of prescriptions for anti-depressants. Ian Hickie, co-author of the study and CEO of beyondblue, the national depression initiative, said while anti-depressant prescriptions had risen 300 per cent in the period, drug data provided the best indication that doctors were managing psychological problems more effectively.

Italy tightens SARS measures over concern for elderly (May 9, 2003)

Italy is to step up measures to prevent the spread of SARS to protect its sizeable elderly. Italian society was particularly vulnerable to the pneumonia-like virus, he said, since around 20 percent of the population is elderly.

SARS a big danger for the elderly (May 8, 2003)
New research published yesterday in Britain suggests SARS is much more deadly than many other respiratory diseases, particularly for older patients. The news came as World Health Organisation experts were being sent to a crowded province in China where SARS is spreading fast. The latest scientific findings show SARS is killing 55 per cent of infected patients aged over 60 in Hong Kong. In younger patients, the death rate could be as low as 6.8 per cent.

Elderly in fear of waiting-list letter (May 08, 2003)
The elderly on hospital waiting lists are in fear of hearing from the Canterbury District Health Board. Age Concern Canterbury chief executive Andrew Dickerson said the announcement that 7200 people would be cut from waiting lists had caused stress among the elderly. This was because the letters advising them of their status had not yet been sent. "Older people are over-represented in most waiting lists," Mr Dickerson said. "There's a lot of anxiety amongst them."

Southern Italy's Elderly Suffer Poor Health (May 7, 2003)

According to a survey by the National Center for Epidemiology and Health Surveillance, Italians who grow old in the south of the country are likely to suffer more illness than their northern compatriots. The results highlight a drastic "split between the North and South.” In the South, elderly people are less isolated and more integrated into the social fabric, but they are also tend to be sicker, less self-sufficient, more likely to need hospitalization and less likely to get vaccinated.

SARS deadliest for elderly, study says (May 7, 2003)
The first major study of SARS trends suggests that about 20 percent of the people hospitalized with the disease in Hong Kong are dying from it and that more than half of those over 60 die.

Importance of exercise for the elderly (May 07, 2003)
Studies have shown that exercise improves the cardiovascular health of a person: it can lower blood pressure, reduce heart disease risk and help control stress. The risk of other illnesses such as stroke and diabetes are also reduced. Exercise can also help prevent or delay the onset of osteoporosis, which affects the elderly. As we grow older, our flexibility and balance inevitably decreases.

German Osteoporosis Rates Up 30 Percent (April 28, 2003)
Osteoporosis is reaching epidemic levels in Germany, according to a leading expert, who said on Monday that doctors and the general public need to pay more attention to the fragile bone disease. Five to six million people in the country are estimated to already have osteoporosis, said Dr. Walter Fassbender from the University Clinic Frankfurt and an organizer of this year's conference of the German Society for Internal Medicine in Wiesbaden.

Calming the elderly's fears - through dialects (April 27, 2003)
When social workers from Singapore’s Marine Parade Family Service Centre telephoned their elderly wards last week to say they would be dropping by to spread the word on Sars, some turned them down, saying they were too scared to receive visitors. Some others seemed to think that the virus had nothing to do with them, so did not want to be involved in the education campaign.

Exercise Programs Can Help Sedentary Older Adults (April 21, 2003)
Older adults spend much of their time engaged in sedentary activities like talking on the telephone and reading, but programs to promote physical activity can help them get moving, according to new research.  The study asked older people how they use their discretionary time and assessed how two programs affected the time they spend being physically active.

Little done to curtail online Rx (April 22, 2003)
As storefronts keep opening to offer seniors cheap drugs from Canada, the state and federal governments are in the awkward spot of saying their operations are illegal - but doing nothing to stop them.

Exercise works out well for the elderly (April 22, 2003)
A study of elderly people aims to prove that personalised rehabilitation and exercise programmes not only reverse age-related declines in ability, but allow the elderly to be independent for much longer. Residents of six Auckland resthomes are being helped to identify and achieve key goals and do more physical activity as part of the Auckland University study.

Gastric Emptying For Specific Foods May Be A Key To Managing Deadly Illnesses In The Elderly (April 18, 2003)
The rate of gastric emptying is a major measure of the glucose and cardiovascular responses to oral carbohydrates.   The former is key to the dietary management of people with diabetes mellitus, in whom strict control of blood glucose has been shown to reduce microvascular complications. As cardiovascular responses are relevant to the prevention of postprandial hypotension (subnormal arterial blood pressure following a meal), this can be an important clinical problem.

Are the elderly getting the drugs they need? (April 17, 2003)
Doctors are often failing to prescribe drugs that cut