In the News

Study Highlights Risks for Caregivers

A new study—the most comprehensive to examine the health risks of caring for an ill partner—reveals that the stress of caring for and losing a spouse can increase the chance of death within a year by as much as 21 percent. Older men and poorer women seem to be the most vulnerable.

Study findings show that the risk to spouses is highest when there is a hospitalization for a chronic, disabling illness like dementia or congestive heart disease. Confirming what many psychologists, gerontologists, and public health researchers have known for years, the study findings indicate that the stress of caring for a family member—and especially a husband or wife—is itself a public health problem. Read More

Household Help May Reduce Health Care Costs

A new study from Purdue University shows that older people who don't have help for daily tasks such as dressing and bathing are much more likely to be hospitalized for acute illness than those who do have help. Study findings suggest that reducing health care costs for older adults may be as simple as providing them with a little household help each day.

Researchers found evidence that older adults who qualify for nursing-home care because of their inability to complete daily tasks can continue to live in their homes if they have appropriate assistance. However, elders who live alone without assistance are more likely to require hospitalization.

"As our population ages, there will be more need to find economical ways to care for [frail elders], and adequate home-based care could be both less expensive and more effective for some than full-time nursing-home care," said Laura Sands, associate professor of nursing in Purdue's College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences. Read More

Alzheimer's Progresses More Rapidly In Educated People

High levels of education may help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, but it may speed up its progression once developed, according to new research published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. Previous studies have provided evidence that high levels of education can delay Alzheimer's disease.

According to these researchers, the "cognitive reserve" theory holds that highly educated individuals have more intellectual reserve so the onset of overt Alzheimer's disease symptoms is delayed. However, once symptoms become apparent, more damage has accumulated than in less educated brains, so the subsequent decline in mental function is more rapid. Read More

Documentary Highlights Culture Change in Long-Term Care

A PBS film documentary, Almost Home, tells the stories of families facing dementia and disability who must juggle care. The film highlights a nursing home director dedicated to transforming his institutional facility into an individualized home environment. Almost Home chronicles a year in the life of a retirement community that is using an innovative approach to tackle the challenge of making a nursing home feel more like home. PBS will air the documentary on April 4. Read More

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