Nineteen men and one woman, with an average age of 66 years met for a one-hour yoga class. After eight weeks, study subjects experienced improvement in various parameters of the balance, as measured by the Berg Balance Scale and the Scale FAB. The improvement was 17 and 34 percent respectively. Participants also showed an increase in confidence. Learn more on how yoga can help post stroke.

A new study shows that people 65 years old and older who cook with and use olive oil on their salad can significantly reduce their stroke risk. Read more about this exciting study.

Studies conducted at several Boston hospitals found that participants who were in the T’ai Chi arm of the study experienced an improvement in mood which is important for those suffering from chronic heart disease. Read more about this study.

“We found that just two days of training in one hour sessions with difficult stimuli resulted in older subjects seeing as well as younger college-age subjects,”chief researcher Andersen said in a media statement.”The improvement was maintained for up to three months and the results were dependent on the location in the visual field where the stimuli were located - suggesting that the brain changed in early levels of the visual cortex.” Learn more about this important study and how it can improve the lives of elders as they age.

Exercise cannot reverse the cardiac stiffening effect of years of sedentary behavior in people over 65, but it can improve arterial function and aerobic capacity and induce left-ventricular remodeling. Learn more about how exercise can improve function in seniors who are over 65. 

Two studies assessed the benefit of moderate physical activity and high-intensity aerobic exercise in elderly subjects.  They found that moderate physical activity performed in midlife or later may be associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment. They also found that a high-intensity aerobic exercise programme may improve cognitive function in individuals who already have the condition. Learn more about how to maintain your cognitive function.

A study of 924 Swedish men aged 71 ± 1 year was conducted in Sweden. The objective was to examine the relations between 10-year mortality and adherence to the World Health Organization dietary guidelines. Learn which cohort fared better.

A longitudinal study of apparently 1507 healthy men and 832 healthy women aged 70 to 90 years looked at diet, exercise and lifestyle. Participants were recruited from 11 European countries. Learn how elders who followed a Mediterranean type diet combined with 30 minutes of exercise a day and who followed a healthy lifestyle were less likely to die from all-causes and cause-specific mortality.

According to the American Geriatrics Society, hospital delirium affects about one-third of patients over 70, and a greater percentage of intensive-care or postsurgical patients. When my mother was 95 and broke her pelvis, while hospitalized she experienced hallucinations. In her case, the hallucinations were at least in part due to anti-anxiety meds, Haldol and Ativan. The cause of delirium is unclear, but there are many apparent triggers: infections, surgery, pneumonia, and procedures like catheter insertions, all of which can spur anxiety in frail, vulnerable patients. Some medications, difficult for older people to metabolize, seem associated with delirium. Learn more about the potential long-term consequences of delirium in the elderly.

A new study has found that high blood pressure can alter the blood flow to the brain which in turn increases the risk of falling. Read more about these important findings.