It takes a daily dose of at least 800 international units of vitamin D to consistently prevent broken bones in older adults. That dose can reduce the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent and other breaks by 14 percent. Lower doses didn't have any effect, according to a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The report, which ...

I used to be in charge of the buyers guide for ADVANCE for LTC Management. I remember an array of products being listed in that directory--some more unusual than others. I recall how one of the companies listed products related to bidets. I often wondered how useful those types of products might be for the elderly. It turns out they could be very ...

Need a primer on medication management in the elderly? If so, The American Geriatrics Society Updated Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults was released March 1 in the online edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The criteria, last revised in 2003, identify medications that are ...

A new study suggests that surgery can be very dangerous for the frail elderly, and even more so for nursing home residents, Paula Span reports in an article on the ''New Old Age'' section of The New York Times.   In fact, even ''routine'' operations, like appendectomies, become high-risk for nursing home residents, according to a study ...

Are vitamins good for us or not? Two new studies add to the research that taking extra doses of vitamins may not be good, according to a blog post from The New York Times. A study of vitamin E and selenium use among 35,000 men found that the vitamin users had a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a report published ...

Sept. 23 was National Falls Prevention and Awareness Day, according to a news release from the American Geriatrics Society. Studies show that a combination of interventions can significantly reduce falls in the older adult population. Click here to learn more about what you can do to help prevent falls by reviewing the AGS/BGS Clinical Practice ...

Injury is a possibility for every senior athlete. But there are ways to lessen the risks and damage and hasten the recovery. The Washington Post recently published the following guidelines, which were culled from tips from physicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers. Do strength training. Train differently than when you were ...

The American Geriatrics Society's newest clinical tool, the AGS Guide to the Management of Psychotic Disorders and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia in Older Adults, is now available on the AGS Web site, according to an AGS news release.  The guide gives health care professionals an overview of the risk factors, evaluation and ...

An OIG audit found that almost one in seven elderly nursing home residents, nearly all of them with dementia, are given powerful atypical antipsychotic drugs even though the medicines increase the risks of death and are not approved for such treatments, according to a New York Times article. More than half of the antipsychotics paid for by the ...

The end of each year brings reflection on the highs and lows. What have you accomplished? What could you improve on? As 2010 comes to a close, here's a look back at some of the most interesting things we've brought you this year: January - Getting Ready for MDS 3.0 February - We launched our Specialty Resource Centers March - An in-depth ...