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The Biden administration said Thursday that it has signed deals with drug companies that will lower the prices on 10 of the most popular and expensive drugs used by American seniors.

Taxpayers should save $6 billion because of the new prices, while seniors using Medicare could save roughly $1.5 billion on their medications, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a new...

Financial stress persists even though rising inflation rates have eased, and the group feeling the pinch most acutely is in its peak earning years, a new poll shows.

"Our biggest surprise from this poll is that the age group most likely to be affected or stressed by pressures on personal finances is not the group whose incomes are more likely to be 'fixed' by reliance on Social Security o...

Heart valve disease is much more common in aging adults that has been thought, a new study warns.

More than a quarter of healthy and symptom-free people aged 60 and older had previously undetected heart valve disease, researchers report.

"Our findings showed that more than 28% of these adults had some form of heart valve disease, although reassuringly it was only mild in the majorit...

In new vaccination guidance issued Wednesday, U.S. health officials now recommend that all Americans aged 75 and older get an RSV vaccine before fall arrives.

However, those a bit younger -- ages 60 to 74 -- should only seek the shot if they are vulnerable to severe RSV because of chronic medical conditions such as lung or heart disease, or if they live in nursing homes, the U.S. Centers ...

Independent living is important for seniors, but a new study shows it might not be the best thing for their health.

Older adults living in senior housing tended to have better health than those who remain in their own homes, researchers found.

People in senior housing are less vulnerable to illness and accidents, receive more health care at home and live slightly longer than older a...

The legalization of cannabis and the popularity of its edible versions is having an unexpected effect: More seniors landing in emergency departments with overdoses.

A new Canadian study found "cannabis poisonings" in the province of Ontario tripled among older users after edibles became legal, compared to the pre-legalization era.

"Overall, this study shows the health outcomes of ca...

People's idea of "old age"is aging itself, with middle-aged folks and seniors believing that old age starts later in life than did peers from decades ago, a new study finds.

The study revolves around the question "At what age would you describe someone as old?"

Decades ago, folks born in 1911 set the beginning of old age at 71 when they were asked that question at age 65, researcher...

Most seniors have embraced "doc-in-a-box"strip mall clinics and urgent care centers as a means of getting prompt medical care, a new poll has found.

About 60% of people ages 50 to 80 have visited an urgent care center or a retail health clinic during the past two years -- even though those sort of options weren't available earlier in their lives.

"The rapid rise in availability of t...

Some slow-growing cases of leukemia don't need constant surveillance by cancer specialists, a new study claims.

Low-risk patients with slow-growing chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and no symptoms fared well even after they stopped seeing doctors for specialized blood tests, researchers report.

The patients had fewer hospital visits, fewer infections and similar survival after thr...

Although the pandemic has ended, staffing shortages and employee burnout still plague U.S. nursing homes, a new government report finds.

But the problems didn't end there: The report, issued Thursday by the Inspector General's Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...

Pickleball has become the darling of older folks trying to stay in shape, but new research shows that with that popularity has come a surge in serious injuries.

Bone fractures related to pickleball have increased 90-fold over the last 20 years, with most injuries occurring in adults ages 60 to 69, finds a new analysis presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Or...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15, 2023 (Healthday News) -- As U.S. suicide rates continue to rise, new government data shows older men have become the most susceptible.

In a report published Wednesday, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found there were about 30 suicide deaths for every 100,000 men ag...

The risk of falls increases in older age, and along with it, the risk for serious physical or psychological damage, but there are steps people can take to help prevent these accidents.

Each year, about 27% of adults 65 and older fall and about 10% of those are injured.

"If you've experienced a fall or have a fear of falling, you are at a higher risk of falling. Once an older adult f...

While guidelines for cancer screening have begun factoring in life expectancy, a new poll shows a majority of older adults disagree with age cutoffs based on how long a person is expected to live.

The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging querie...

Many older adults are savvy about telephone scams, but a sizable minority remain vulnerable, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that when they simulated a "government impersonation" scam -- contacting seniors and pretending to be federal employees -- over two-thirds knew how to handle the situation: They ignored it.

The rest, however, "engaged" with the "scammer." They either c...

Bolstering the notion that a strong body equals a strong mind, new research indicates that the more inactive seniors are, the higher their risk for dementia.

The finding stems from a look at the onset of dementia among nearly 50,000 Brits.

All were at least 60 years old when information about typical daily activity routines was entered into the UK Biobank database at some point betw...

Seniors, pick up those knitting needles, some paintbrushes or that favorite novel, because new research suggests that having a hobby is linked to having lower depression in older people.

Hobbies might include anything from gardening to playing games, arts and crafts, volunteering, reading or being part of a club, according to the study, which spanned numerous countries and included more t...

Hot weather can pose serious health risks for older adults.

Existing medical conditions, problems moving around and medications raise the risk of heatstroke, according to an expert at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Being prepared can help prevent heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

"As we age, we become less efficient at noticing and adjusting to the heat,"geriatrics s...

After a heart attack, elderly adults have better odds for improved health and survival if all major heart vessels are cleared, not just the one that caused the heart attack.

Because these patients often have other medical conditions and may be frail, doctors frequently opt to open only the "culprit" blood vessel and leave other partially blocked vessels alone.

But new research...

With 2023 predicted to be the hottest year on record, a new study is pointing to another potential consequence of heat waves: faster declines in older adults' memory and thinking skills.

The study, of nearly 9,500 older U.S. adults, found that those with greater exposure to heat waves over 12 year...

While both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are considered safe and highly effective, new research finds the Moderna shot has been the safest and most effective for seniors.

"The results of this study can help public health experts weigh which mRNA vaccine might be preferred for older adults and older subgroups, such as those with increased frailty,"said lead study author

The diabetes drug metformin might also benefit older patients after an injury or illness, a small study suggests.

Researchers found that metformin -- a drug that has been around for more than a half-century to regulate blood sugar -- may have a different ability: It can target senescent cells that affect muscle function. These "zombie-like" cells release chemicals linked with inflammation...

Getting older adults who are failing mentally to relinquish their car keys can be challenging. But those conversations are necessary, said researchers who found a majority of adults with cognitive impairment still get behind the wheel.

Michigan Medicine researchers studied this issue in a South Texas community. They found that more than 600 adults over age 65 in Nueces County had cognitiv...

Many retirees opt to volunteer as a way to help others, but new research suggests this act can also benefit volunteers' brain health.

Volunteering later in life may provide protection for the brain from both cognitive (mental) decline and dementia, according to researchers. Their findings were presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, in Amsterdam, in th...

Most older adults think that screening for dementia is a good idea, according to a new poll on aging. But few actually take that step.

Only about 20% of those aged 65 to 80 had a screening test in the past year to see if their memory and thinking abilities have started to decline, according to the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging.

"As many as half of Amer...

Pickleball is a hot trend and it's getting folks exercising who haven't been so active in a long time.

It's also racking up injuries -- both overuse type and acute traumas -- often in those aged 50 and up.

A new poll suggests these players are forgoing care when they hurt their knees, wrists and rotator cuffs. Sports medicine experts are urging them not to ignore their nagging pain....

The couch potato life may not be a happy one.

When older adults become more sedentary, their overall quality of life takes a hit, new research cautions.

Sitting still is your enemy, the study suggests. Even slow walking can help improve your mental and physical health, say the British researchers who tracked more than 1,400 adults age 60 and up.

"We set off to look at wh...

U.S. seniors with mental health needs may not have much access to psychiatrists who could help them, new research shows.

Despite an overall heightened demand for mental health services, nearly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage psychiatrist networks included less than 25% of all psychiatrists in a given service area.

"This means that many people who have coverage through Medicare Adv...

Americans ages 60 and up can get their vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the outgoing CDC director, gave her signature to a recommendation made last week by an advisory panel of outside experts for a single dose of the vaccines made by Pfizer and GSK. The FDA ...

A new study shows that older Americans with health issues are now staying with their Medicare Advantage managed plans, rather than swapping them for traditional plans through a health insurer.

Although Medicare Advantage has been criticized in the past for "cherry-picking"healthy patients, that's no longer the case, according to the research.

"This is not what a lot of people would ...

An advisory panel of the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Wednesday to recommend the first RSV vaccines for seniors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already approved the vaccines, one made by GSK called Arexvy and a v...

The benefits of friendships and activity aren't just for the young.

Staying socially active can also help older adults age their best, according to new research that pinpoints volunteering and recreational activities as important for seniors.

"Although the study's observational nature prohibits the determination of causality, it makes intuitive sense that social activity is associ...

A federal website intended to help people choose a nursing home not only contains inaccurate information, but those inaccuracies appear to be at least partially driven by race, a new study reports.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Nursing Home Care Compare website in the 1990s to publicly report patient safety indicators for every nursing facility ...

Drinking heavily while younger puts you at risk for muscle loss and frailty later in life, new research suggests.

These findings are another reason to cut back on the booze, according to the research team from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the United Kingdom.

"Losing muscle as we age leads to problems with weakness and frailty in later life,"said professor