Background: Obesity and dyslipidemia damage the vascular system and increase cardiovascular disease risk. Previously, pecan-enriched diets have shown lipid-lowering effects in adults; however, the ...impact of pecans on vascular health has yet to be examined. Methods: In this single blinded, randomized control study, 40 adults (BMI: 25±5kg/m2; 59±6y) consumed 68g of pecans/day for a 4-week period (pecan; n=19) or avoided all nuts (control; n=21). At baseline (V1) and post-intervention (V2), fasting blood lipids, macro-vascular (by flow-mediated dilation) and microvascular (analysis of oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenation hemoglobin (HHb) by continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy) function were assessed. Results: Pecan consumption reduced total cholesterol (204±9 to 190±8mg/dL; p=0.03), LDL-c (122±8 to 107±6mg/dL; p=0.003), total cholesterol/HDL ratio (3.3±0.2 to 3.0±0.1; p=0.005), nonHDL-c (140±8 to 125±6mg/dL; p=0.01), and apolipoprotein B (92±6 to 83±4mg/dL; p=0.03) from V1 to V2 with no change in control. There were no changes in macrovascular function for either group (p>0.05); however, microvascular reactivity was different between groups, with improved reactive hyperemia time to half for HHb (pecan: -0.8±1.4 vs. control: +3.3±1.4s; p=0.03) and a trend for O2Hb (pecan: -0.4±0.9 vs. control: +1.8±0.8s; p=0.07) for pecan vs. control. Conclusions: Four weeks of pecan consumption improved cholesterol profiles and microvascular reactivity in older adults. As changes in microvascular function typically precipitate macrovascular changes, long-term pecan consumption may improve vascular health and reduce risk for thrombotic events.
Background: Despite the increased clinical and research interest in sarcopenia, including in Asia, not much is known about the association between sarcopenia and depression. Because sarcopenia and ...depression are associated with a variety of health problems among older adults, we investigated the association between sarcopenia and depression among Korean older adults. Methods: The sample comprised 1,929 participants aged at least 60 years (44.6% men; mean age 69.7) from the nationally representative data from the 2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (2018 KNHANES). Possible sarcopenia was defined according to the recommended diagnostic algorithm of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS 2019), but we measured only hand grip strength(kg) in this study. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used for screening of depression. A cross-sectional analysis was used to examine the relationship between possible sarcopenia and depression. Results: 538 (27.9%) participants and 97 (5.0%) participants were identified as having possible sarcopenia and depression, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and other potential covariates, possible sarcopenia was positively associated with higher odds of depression (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.36-3.11; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Possible sarcopenia was significantly associated with depression among Korean older adults. Early interventions for possible sarcopenia and depression in routine clinical practice could be expected for Korean older adults to have a healthy aging. Future studies are required to explore a causal relationship between possible sarcopenia and depression among Korean older adults.
Fragile Resonance describes
the paths carers take as they make meaning of their experiences and
find a sense of moral purpose to sustain them and guide their
decisions. When a parent or partner ...becomes frail or
disabled, often a family member assumes responsibility for their
care. But family care is a physically and emotionally exhausting
undertaking. Carers experience moments of profound connection as
well as pain and grief. Carers ask themselves questions about the
meaning of family, their entitlement to support, and their capacity
to understand and sympathize with another person's pain.
Based on his research gathering stories of family carers in
Japan and England, Jason Danely traces how care transforms
individual sensibilities and the roles of cultural narratives and
imagination in shaping these transformations, which persist even
after the care recipient has died. Throughout Fragile
Resonance , Danely examines the implications of unpaid carer's
experiences for challenging and enhancing social policies and
institutions, highlighting innovative alternatives grounded in the
practical ethics of care.
Aging Social Policies Wacker, Robbyn R; Roberto, Karen A
2010, 2011, 2010-12-07, 2010-12-01
eBook
This book challenges students to think about the future of aging policy as it relates to issues of access and financing of aging policies and programs.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common way to treat the mental disorders, such as anxiety disorder and depression. This article focuses on how different formats of CBT differs from each other ...and how effective CBT is to treat panic disorders in people from different age intervals. As the development of the technology, remote CBT turns out to have no significant difference with offline ones. Whether delivered as self-guided or face-to-face is also unimportant. Thus, these factors do not have an impact on the research to effectiveness of CBT while treating panic disorders. The result shows that for both teenagers and the older adults, CBT can have a positive impact on declining panic symptoms. However, limitations are also obvious, and are mentioned in the article. In both fields, research is still inadequate. There is a lack of studies with large sample sizes, and therefore insufficient sample diversity. For teenagers, parents' effect and the peers in the surrounding should also be taken in to account. For late-life adults, their mental health can also be affected by the social connections and the care from offsprings. There are also no specific studies on the effectiveness of remote CBT in older adults. These are the directions for future research.
At least 5.6 million to 8 million-nearly one in five-older adults in America have one or more mental health and substance use conditions, which present unique challenges for their care. With the ...number of adults age 65 and older projected to soar from 40.3 million in 2010 to 72.1 million by 2030, the aging of America holds profound consequences for the nation.
For decades, policymakers have been warned that the nation's health care workforce is ill-equipped to care for a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population. In the specific disciplines of mental health and substance use, there have been similar warnings about serious workforce shortages, insufficient workforce diversity, and lack of basic competence and core knowledge in key areas.
Following its 2008 report highlighting the urgency of expanding and strengthening the geriatric health care workforce, the IOM was asked by the Department of Health and Human Services to undertake a complementary study on the geriatric mental health and substance use workforce. The Mental Health and Substance Use Workforce for Older Adults: In Whose Hands? assesses the needs of this population and the workforce that serves it. The breadth and magnitude of inadequate workforce training and personnel shortages have grown to such proportions, says the committee, that no single approach, nor a few isolated changes in disparate federal agencies or programs, can adequately address the issue. Overcoming these challenges will require focused and coordinated action by all.
Globally our society is shifting to an older demographic and our lifespan increasing. It is therefore critical that we find and promote solutions to ageing well. There is emerging evidence that ...engagement in creative activities benefits psychosocial wellbeing and supports cognitive health. However, there are aspects of creative ageing research and implementation that need further development and solution-based thinking. These can be summarized as, (1) providing strong evidence for the benefits of engaging in creative activities; (2) overcoming barriers for participants and researchers; and (3) making engagement in creative activities sustainable. To address these areas, we held a symposium in 2022 and invited stakeholders, including older-adult participants, researchers, practitioners, and aged-care professionals. Symposium participants were allocated into three groups, each with representation from different stakeholders. The groups discussed one of the above areas and then shared ideas with the symposium group. An expert panel led further discussions and sought suggestions for solutions. Key suggestions included involving older adults in research design and planning from the beginning of the process; solutions for accessibility and sense of safety including having “try out” sessions and buddying participants; and creating partnerships with community organizations to promote sustainability. This report summarizes our discussions and advocates for more forums to move the debate forward.
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