Using Emoji for Increased Comprehension & More

A rose is a rose is a rose. And an emoji of a rose is even easier to “get.” There are over 3500 Unicode Standard emoji, including medical-specific ones such as a pill or a syringe. Newer added emoji include a stethoscope, microbe, and drop of blood. Authors of a JAMA commentary suggest even more...

Better Awareness of Osteoporosis

Researchers and clinicians with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have published a guide to help primary care physicians treat their patients with osteoporosis. In the Journal of Family Practice, it is pointed out that along with the aging population, “primary osteoporosis has...

Elderly at Risk

In an article published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers state that “Psychoactive substance use may be risky for adults with functional impairments.” Those who reported impairment were also more likely to report taking prescription opioids, tranquilizers/sedatives, and using...

The Long Link Between Stress and Pain

Stress can be bad. But just how bad? And when, and for how long? The journal of Stress & Health published an article investigated long-term marriages over 27 years from 1991 to 2017. Researchers focused on couples living in rural areas and concentrated on stress as a factor in pain. According to the...

Pain in the Elderly

The Journal of Pain Research published an article entitled, Bibliometric Analysis of Research Articles on Pain in the Elderly Published from 2000 to 2019. In it, over 2100 articles were included, the largest number of them from the United States. "This work provides researchers with an in-depth...

Nurses, Pain, Attitudes, and the Elderly

What do nurses know, and what are their attitudes about pain management? Researchers assessed just that in a study published in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 154 nurses working at the National Geriatric Hospital in Vietnam completed the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain...

When Polypharmacy = Too Many Meds

A new study reported in JAMA states that the combination of older age, dementia, and polypharmacy is equaling a potential rise in overdose risk and is not helping mental status. Study researchers examined the records of over 1.1 million dementia patients, median age 83, and determined that almost 14...

Reducing Pain in Older Veterans

VAntage Point, the official blog of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, discusses the importance of neuroscience education and physical therapy for older Veterans. VA Geriatric Scholar Ralph Magnuson commented that through a group physical therapy program, “We saw a significant change as a...

The Benefits of Sleep

Poor sleep can lead to depression, diabetes, dementia, hypertension, and increased pain levels. All of which can lead to poorer sleep in a highly negative spiral. Poor sleep is frequently seen in older people, although “If you are a healthy older person, your sleep should remain stable after 50-60,”...

Hypertension and Cannabis Use in Older Adults

In a European Journal of Internal Medicine article, a first-of-its-kind study examined the effects of cannabis use on patients ≥60 years of age. Researcher Dr. Ran Abuhasira commented, "Older adults are the fastest growing group of medical cannabis users, yet evidence on cardiovascular safety for...