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Pessimism, Cynicism Can Hurt Your Heart
Study: Negative Outlook Appears to Raise Risk of Heart Disease, Death

By Salynn Boyles
www.WebMD.com

Aug. 10, 2009 -- Whether you believe the metaphorical glass is half full or half empty may not only affect how you see the world, it may also affect your heart.

New research suggests that having a positive attitude just might protect against heart disease and keep you alive.

The study of postmenopausal women is one of the largest ever to examine the impact of personality and temperament on the heart.

Just as optimism appeared to protect against heart disease and death, pessimism seemed to increase the risk for both.

And women with the highest degree of hostility and cynicism were also more likely to die than those with the sunniest dispositions.

“We don’t know exactly why, but attitude does appear to matter when it comes to heart disease and health,” University of Pittsburgh Medical Center internist Hilary A. Tindle, MD, MPH tells WebMD.

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Puzzles, Games Protect the Brain
Mental Stimulation Delays the Start of Memory Decline, Study Shows

By Caroline Wilbert
www.WebMD.com

Aug. 5, 2009 - If you are trying to decide what to buy Grandma and Grandpa for their birthdays, consider a board game or good book. Why? A recent study shows that increased  participation in activities that stimulate the brain may delay onset of dementia-related memory decline in older seniors.

Researchers used information from the Bronx Aging Study, which included data on 488 people who were between the ages of 75 and 85 at the start of the study.

At the start of the study, participants did not have dementia. They reported how often they participated in six mentally stimulating activities: reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing a board or card game, participating in a group discussion, or playing music.

Researchers analyzed data on the 101 participants in the study who developed dementia over an average follow-up time of five years.

The more mentally active the person was, the longer it took for the onset of accelerated memory decline to show up.

For each activity, such as reading or playing games, the participant ranked his or her level of participation as daily, several days a week, or weekly. Daily got seven points, several times a week got four points, and weekly got one point. Occasional or no activity received no points.

The median point total was seven among the group that developed dementia. When researchers looked at the time that memory decline started accelerating rapidly for each participant, they found that each additional activity day was linked to a delay in the onset of memory decline by 0.18 years.

“The point of accelerated decline was delayed by 1.29 years for the person who participated in 11 activities per week compared to the person who participated in only four activities per week,” study author Charles B. Hall, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says in a written statement.

This phenomenon held up even after researchers factored in education.

For the Health Professional

Thursday, November 06, 2008 

Contact: AoA Press Office
              (202) 357-3507                                                                                       

HHS Strengthens Initiative to Help Hispanic Seniors Manage Their Diabetes
Goal is to Increase the Number of Diabetes Self-Management Training Programs for Hispanic Seniors in the United States

HHS today announced an exciting collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Patient Education Research Center at the Stanford University School of Medicine to increase the number of diabetes self-management training programs (DSMT) in the United States.

This collaboration has a particular focus on Hispanic people with Medicare and supports HHS’ Interagency Hispanic Elder Initiative. That initiative, launched in 2007 by the department’s Administration on Aging (AoA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), seeks to improve the health of Hispanic senior populations. The initiative has identified diabetes as a primary issue of concern for Hispanic seniors.

Approximately 18 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes. Hispanic beneficiaries are particularly susceptible to the disease and are more than four times likely than non-Hispanics aged 65 and over to experience a hospital admission due to uncontrolled diabetes.  If not properly managed, diabetes can lead to serious and costly complications, such as amputation, blindness, stroke and even premature death.

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