Elder Care News

June 13, 2025

Top Headlines

Salivary Gland Regenerative Biobank to Combat Chronic Dry Mouth

May 21, 2025 — Millions of people are affected by chronic dry mouth, or xerostomia, an agonizing side effect of damaged salivary glands. Currently, there is no cure for it. Researchers have established the world's first biobank of human salivary gland ...

Language Isn't Just for Communication -- It Also Shapes How Sensory Experiences Are Stored in the Brain

May 20, 2025 — Our ability to store information about familiar objects depends on the connection between visual and language processing regions in the brain, according to a new ...

Relieve Your Pain With a Psychologist or an App

May 16, 2025 — Psychological treatment can relieve pain. New research now shows what happens in the brain -- and what specific treatments psychologists, doctors and patients can turn ...

People With Critical Cardiovascular Disease May Benefit from Palliative Care

May 15, 2025 — Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on easing symptoms, addressing psychological and spiritual needs, and helping patients and caregivers make critical decisions aligned with their ...

New Insights Into the Energy Balance of Brain Neurons

May 14, 2025 — A research team has demonstrated how the energy levels of individual neurons in the brain change during so-called spreading depolarizations -- waves of activity that occur in various brain disorders. The findings provide important foundations for ...

Could a Mini-Stroke Leave Lasting Fatigue?

May 14, 2025 — A transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke, is typically defined as a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that causes symptoms that go away within a day, but a new study finds that people who have this type of stroke may also ...

The Risk of Death or Complications from Broken Heart Syndrome Was High from 2016 to 2020

May 14, 2025 — The risk of death or complications from the stress-related heart condition associated with stressful events, such as the death of a loved one -- called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or broken heart ...

Cell Death Discovery Could Lead to Next-Gen Drugs for Neurodegenerative Conditions

May 12, 2025 — Researchers have discovered how to block cells dying, in a finding that could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The team has identified a small ...

Promising Parkinson's Drug Decoded

May 8, 2025 — How well our brain functions depends heavily on the performance of our nerve cells. That is why they are regularly checked for their proper function -- defective cell components are marked, disposed of and recycled. This includes the mitochondria, ...

Eating Ultra Processed Foods May Speed Up Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease

May 7, 2025 — People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson's disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra ...

Shingles Vaccine Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease for Up to Eight Years

May 5, 2025 — People who are given a vaccine for shingles have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, according to a recent study of more than a million people. The protective effect of the vaccine ...

Molecular Double Agent: Protein 'Eato' Plays Surprising Role in Protecting the Brain

May 1, 2025 — A team of researchers has made a discovery in fruit flies that could change the way we understand brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in humans. The scientists found that Eato -- a ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:54am EDT

Mindfulness Therapy Reduces Opioid Craving and Addiction, Study Finds

Apr. 30, 2025 — Researchers found that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) can help rewire the brain's response to natural healthy pleasure, leading to reduced opioid cravings. The findings suggest that ...

New Body-Fluid Biomarker for Parkinson's Disease Discovered

Apr. 25, 2025 — Researchers have discovered a new biomarker for Parkinson's disease. A misfolded protein facilitates reliable diagnosis even in the early stages of Parkinson's disease in body ...

Micro-Nano-Plastics Found in Artery-Clogging Plaque in the Neck

Apr. 23, 2025 — A small study found that fatty buildup in the blood vessels of the neck (carotid arteries) may contain 50 times or more micronanoplastics -- minuscule bits of plastic -- compared to arteries free of ...

Can Hormone Therapy Improve Heart Health in Menopausal Women?

Apr. 22, 2025 — Oral hormone therapy may benefit heart health in menopausal women. A new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative found that estrogen-based oral hormone therapy had a long-term beneficial ...

Nontraditional Risk Factors Shed Light on Unexplained Strokes in Adults Younger Than 50

Apr. 17, 2025 — Among adults ages 18-49 (median age of 41 years) who were born with a hole in the upper chambers of their heart known as patent foramen ovale (PFO), ...

Hereditary Alzheimer's: Blood Marker for Defective Neuronal Connections Rises Early

Apr. 16, 2025 — Individuals with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease show altered blood levels indicating damaged neuronal contacts as early as 11 years ...

Researchers Report Association Between Urinary Incontinence, Cardiovascular Disease

Apr. 16, 2025 — Researchers report an association between urinary incontinence and cardiovascular disease risk in women. The researcher recommend women should be ...

More People Now Die at Home After Stroke Than in Medical Facilities

Apr. 9, 2025 — A new analysis finds a significant uptick in the number of people dying at home due to ischemic stroke compared to inpatient medical facilities, and when not at home, individuals in rural communities ...

Father With Alzheimer's? You May Be More at Risk of Brain Changes

Apr. 9, 2025 — While some studies have suggested that having a mother with Alzheimer's disease may put you more at risk of developing the disease, a new study finds that having a father with the disease may be tied ...

Discovery Reveals Protein Involved in Parkinson's Disease Also Drives Skin Cancer

Apr. 9, 2025 — A small protein involved in neurodegeneration leading to Parkinson's disease also drives a type of skin cancer known as melanoma, according to new ...

Stroke Deaths and Their Racial Disparities Increased Over Last 20 Years

Apr. 9, 2025 — Over the last two decades, ischemic stroke mortality rates in the U.S. have grown, with almost 3 in 10 deaths occurring at home, and increases particularly among racial minorities and rural ...

New Insights Into Neurodegeneration Using Human 'Mini Brains'

Apr. 9, 2025 — Researchers have discovered a new way that neurons act in neurodegeneration by using human neural organoids -- also known as 'mini-brain' models -- from patients with frontotemporal lobar ...

Researchers Identify Safer Pathway for Pain Relief

Apr. 8, 2025 — Scientists have helped identify a novel drug compound that selectively activates pain-altering receptors in the body, offering a potentially safer alternative to conventional pain ...

Home Care Cooperatives May Be Key to Addressing the Critical Shortage of Caregivers for the Elderly

Apr. 7, 2025 — Home care cooperatives may be the key to alleviating the shortage of paid caregivers for older Americans. Participants in cooperatives experienced more respect, control, job support, and compensation ...

Global Study Establishes Long-Term Risk of Stroke

Apr. 3, 2025 — A global study establishes long-term risk of stroke. Findings shows one in five people who experience a minor stroke or TIA will have another stroke within 10 ...

Could Targeting Parkinson's Outside of the Brain Improve Symptoms?

Apr. 3, 2025 — Parkinson's doesn't just affect movement and the brain -- it may also impact the heart, according to new research. Scientists suggest that targeting a key protein outside of the brain could ...

17 Modifiable Risk Factors Shared by Stroke, Dementia, and Late-Life Depression

Apr. 3, 2025 — In a new extensive systematic review, researchers identified 17 modifiable risk factors that are shared by stroke, dementia, and late-life depression. Modifying any one of them can reduce your risk ...

Key Differences Between Visual And Memory-Led Alzheimer's Discovered

Apr. 2, 2025 — Differences in the distribution of certain proteins and markers in the brain may explain why some people first experience vision changes instead of memory loss in Alzheimer's disease, finds a ...

Study Finds Nearly Five-Fold Increase in Hospitalizations for Common Cause of Stroke

Apr. 2, 2025 — Cervical artery dissection is a tear in an artery in the neck that provides blood flow to the brain. Such a tear can result in blood clots that cause stroke. A new study has found almost a five-fold ...

New Study Links Lower Proportions of Certain Sleep Stages to Brain Changes Associated With Alzheimer's Disease

Mar. 31, 2025 — New research reveals that lower proportions of specific sleep stages are associated with reduced brain volume in regions vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer's disease over ...

Highly Educated People Face Steeper Mental Declines After Stroke

Mar. 26, 2025 — Stroke survivors who have attended some level of higher education may face even steeper mental declines, according to a study. The findings suggest that attending higher education may enable people ...

New Evidence Links Microplastics With Chronic Disease

Mar. 25, 2025 — Tiny fragments of plastic have become ubiquitous in our environment and our bodies. Higher exposure to these microplastics, which can be inadvertently consumed or inhaled, is associated with a ...

AI-Powered Mammograms: A New Window Into Heart Health

Mar. 20, 2025 — Mammograms, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) models, may reveal much more than cancer, according to a new study. The findings highlight how these important cancer screening tools can ...

Stroke Rehabilitation Drug Repairs Brain Damage

Mar. 18, 2025 — A new study has discovered what researchers say is the first drug to fully reproduce the effects of physical stroke rehabilitation in model mice, following from human ...

Lifestyle Risks Weigh Heavier on Women's Hearts

Mar. 18, 2025 — Lifestyle and health factors that are linked with heart disease appear to have a greater impact on cardiovascular risk in women than ...

'It Still Hurts, She Said': Why Pain Medication May Not Be as Effective for Women as It Is for Men

Mar. 17, 2025 — A new study may help to explain why there is an over-representation of women experiencing chronic pain compared to men and why pain medication may not be as effective for women as it is for men. ...

Assessing Pain, Anxiety and Other Symptoms of Nursing Home Residents Unable to Speak for Themselves

Mar. 12, 2025 — As many as half of nursing home residents are cognitively impaired and may be unable to communicate symptoms such as pain or anxiety to those caring for them. Therefore, information needed for the ...

Blood Test Shows Promise for Early Detection of Dementia

Mar. 11, 2025 — For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates. Idiopathic REM sleep behavior ...

Worldwide Study Finds High Rates of Depression and Anxiety in People With Chronic Pain

Mar. 10, 2025 — A novel analysis of more than 375 published studies concluded that the association between chronic pain and rates of depression and anxiety is staggering. The study found that 40% of adults with ...

Clinical Trial Tests Novel Stem-Cell Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

Mar. 9, 2025 — A recently launched Phase 1 clinical trial is examining the safety and feasibility of a groundbreaking treatment approach for Parkinson's disease in which a patient's stem cells are ...