Welcome to the Long Term Care Aware section of Global Aging.

Click here to access the first in a series of articles on this subject, as well as links to other related articles.

 

New guidelines urging doctors to look for factors that put older men at risk for osteoporosis have just been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Once thought to be primarily a woman's issue, this bone-thinning disease is thought to strike about six out of 100 men by the age of 65. Screening for men that age and older is...

WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY 2008
 

The third annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day will be celebrated worldwide on June 15. Sponsored by the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) and its partners, a related conference will be held in Ottawa, Canada, on June 16-17, 2008. Individuals, groups, and organizations are urged to attend, or to participate...

A new study linking alcoholic beverages to breast cancer has left many women in a panic. Should you give up evening cocktails? Should you stop cooking with wine? The latest data, gathered by researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., are based on the drinking habits of more than 70,000 women who supplied dietary information during health examinations between 1978...

Panic Attacks May Be an Independent Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease  News Author: Susan Jeffrey
 Release Date: October 8, 2007, Medscape (WebMD)
October 8, 2007 — A new analysis of data from a substudy of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study suggests panic attacks may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Postmenopausal women in this study who...

Stress Overview

Everyone is familiar with stress. We experience it in varying forms and degrees every day. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem.

• In small doses, stressors can help give us increased energy and alertness,

Children's Health Issues - New Meningococcal Immunization Recommendations

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has issues new meningococcal immunization recommendations. The recommendations state that young adolescents at the pre-adolescent visit (11-12 years old), adolescents at high school entry (15 years old) and college freshmen living in dormitories should be immunized against meningococcal...

Children's Health Issues - Staying Healthy:
Vaccinations – Keeping up to date with the U.S. System
By Karen L., MD, AWC of Amsterdam

Parents of children who may be returning to the U.S. should try to keep their children’s vaccinations up to date for the U.S. system. The country you are living in will have its own system of immunizing children;

Marcy Dwyer was a member of the AWC of Zurich and editor of the FAWCO Forum. She died in 2003 after a long battle with Ovarian Cancer. This site grew out of her suggestion that FAWCO provide a site to support members of FAWCO Clubs whose lives have been touched by Cancer.

The objective of the Marcy Dwyer Memorial Cancer...

Cigarette smoke is the leading cause of preventable death in America today, resulting in approximately 450,000 premature deaths annually. A smoker's lung cancer risk is between 10 and 20 times higher than that of a nonsmoker, depending on how many cigarettes are smoked, and how long the person has smoked.

Approximately 160,000 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed annually...

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death among women. In the United States alone, an estimated 178,000 women die each year due to tobacco use. In addition, the diseases of smoking are a major health risk for women. Each year more women die of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than men; since 1986, lung cancer has caused more deaths among...

During 2003, an estimated 1.1 million Americans will have a first or recurrent heart attack, and approximately 700,000 will die of heart disease. Recognizing and responding promptly to heart attack symptoms and receiving prompt, appropriate care is vital to saving lives and to preventing permanent damage to the cardiovascular system.

FDA NEWS: FDA Clears New Lab Test to Help...

A majority of women aren't aware that Cardiovascular Disease is the number one cause of mortality in women. The subject of heart disease is enmeshed in a series of myths that the American Heart Association wants women to know about.

Coronary heart disease is a man's disease.
Coronary heart disease is an epidemic in women as well as in men.

Unhealthy diets, smoking and physical inactivity are the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases. These unhealthy lifestyles are more and more frequently acquired at an early age.

According to the World Heart Federation (WHF) overweight children are three to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke before they reach 65 than slimmer youngsters. The Federation issued this...

A simple three-part test may mean the difference between life and death, recovery or disability on the part of a stroke victim.

Stroke is a medical emergency. Treatment is available, but only if the stroke is recognized in time. The most common sign of stroke is sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, more often on one side of...

It May Not Be Enough to Reduce Bad Cholesterol to prevent Heart Attacks

Inflammation is the process whereby the body responds to injury. Recent studies by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic suggest that inflammation is important in the process in which fatty deposits build up in the lining of arteries, a leading cause of heart attacks.

 

The long-term health risks for hypertension in children and adolescents can be substantial. For this reason, the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group (NHBPEP) on Children has established new blood pressure guidelines. They recommend that children have their blood pressure checked regularly beginning at age 13.

Until recently doctors have monitored blood pressure in young children...

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), an arm of the National Institutes of Health, has released new clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, detection, and treatment of high blood pressure. These guidelines feature altered blood pressure categories, including a new "pre-hypertension" level.

Millions of people who previously were told that their blood pressure levels were fine, are...

Reducing risk factors could help you avoid becoming a 'face of stroke'

This year stroke will strike 700,000 Americans of all ages, genders and ethnicities. A member of your family, a friend or neighbor - even you - could be a victim.

Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death of Americans and is a leading cause of disability.

Better Health After 40 - Getting the Right Nutrients

As we get older and become more focused on the diseases and disorders that come with aging, we should also be concerned with getting the right nutrients that may help to prevent some of these diseases. What vitamins should you be getting to make the most of your health? And, how...