Healthy Seniors News & Features

As assisted suicide gains more acceptance and people push back on extreme end-of-life measures, some people are asking whether we should pay more attention to the quality of our death and what that means.

The new study found that those who ate a large amount of dark-colored fruits and vegetables had a slower per year decline in lung function compared to those who ate fewer of these anthocyanin-filled foods.

Earlier this year, the consortium of several large hospital systems announced it would form a nonprofit drug company called Project Rx.

Across the nation, the rate of deaths from falls among those 65 and older increased 31 percent from 2007 to 2016 -- from about 18,000 to nearly 30,000, researchers found.

Similarly, older adults in good physical health were more sexually active: Of all people who described their health as "good" to "excellent," 45 percent were sexually active, versus 22 percent of those who rated their health as "fair" to "poor."

The test asked for the names of famous people (for example, authors, politicians and actors) based on 20 questions about them. Study participants also were given definitions of 20 little-used words and 20 easy words, and asked to produce the corresponding word.

The key factors include the usual suspects: not smoking; eating healthy; exercising regularly; maintaining a normal weight; and drinking only in moderation.

Those who did use a hearing aid were less likely to have gone to an emergency room or spent time in the hospital within the past year.

Overall, the study uncovered some good news: premature death rates are down in the United States as a whole.

Americans appear to be aging slower than they used to, which may help explain recent gains in life expectancy.

The study included 31 adults, ages 62 to 91, with no swallowing problems, and 33 healthy young adults, ages 18 to 28. Both groups underwent an X-ray video test that revealed the mechanics of their swallowing.

In the study, the team assessed 84 male and 41 female cyclists, aged 55 to 79. The men had to be able to cycle 62 miles in under 6.5 hours, while the women had to be able to cycle 37 miles in 5.5 hours.

The sharpest decline has come in countries that already had the shortest life expectancy, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Do you have things you want to do before your time's up? If so, consider sharing that so-called "bucket list" with your doctors.

The protective link was seen even among people who carried a gene variant called APOE4, which raises the risk for dementia.

A review of 44 studies that included more than 12,000 people aged 60 and older found that frailty, mental impairment, depressive symptoms and smoking increased the risk for complications after surgery.

Even levels of air pollution deemed "safe" by U.S. government standards may shorten the life spans of seniors, new research suggests.

While these elders had poorer physical health than younger family members, they had better mental well-being, according to the study.

New research does suggest that hearing loss raises the odds for dementia, but the jury is still out on whether one condition actually causes the other, experts say.

Many older Americans take multiple medications -- but only about one-third ever discuss possible interactions between drugs, a new poll finds.

The researchers reported that dog owners who lived alone were 11 percent less likely to die of heart disease and a third less likely to die from any cause, compared with those who lived alone and didn't have a dog.

As early as middle age, many Americans have problems with dressing, grocery shopping and otherwise caring for themselves -- and for some, it leads to a progressive decline, a new study finds.

Find out how a non-meat diet can give you the protein you need.

But national guidelines generally recommend against these products for those over 65

More short-term stays the biggest factor fueling the increase