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Exercise can effectively treat chronic conditions such as heart disease, COPD, knee osteoarthritis, and lower back pain. Yet physicians frequently overlook exercise as a treatment option.
A recently developed guide offers providers descriptions of evidence-based exercises categorized by disease type.
In addition to reading our E-newsletter, be sure to visit Today’s Geriatric Medicine’s website at www.TodaysGeriatricMedicine.com, where you’ll find news and information that’s relevant and reliable. We welcome your feedback at TGMeditor@gvpub.com. Follow Today’s Geriatric Medicine on Facebook and Twitter, too.
— Barbara Worthington, editor |
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Prescribing Exercise for Chronic Health Conditions
Exercise helps to alleviate the symptoms of many chronic health conditions such as knee osteoarthritis, low back pain, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, and more, yet it is often overlooked as a treatment. A review in the Canadian Medical Association Journal provides an easy-to-use how-to guide for health care professionals to prescribe exercise for specific chronic diseases.
“Many doctors and their patients aren’t aware that exercise is a treatment for these chronic conditions and can provide as much benefit as drugs or surgery, and typically with fewer harms,” says lead author Tammy Hoffmann, PhD, of the Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice at Bond University in Robina, Australia.
According to the authors of the review, exercise is often underprescribed in favor of pharmaceutical or surgical solutions, despite exercise having similar efficacy. Lack of awareness among physicians and patients about the effectiveness of the different types of exercise, poor descriptions of exercises in studies, and a lack of training for health care practitioners are factors affecting underprescription.
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Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain:
Initial Pharmacological and Nonpharmacological Therapies
Increasing incidence of harmful side effects and medication interactions associated with prescription medications have led to growing support of the use of over-the-counter medications and nonpharmacological multimodal therapies to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain. Read more »
Over-the-Counter Sleep Aids
Difficulty sleeping is a common complaint among significant numbers of older adults. Providers must carefully assess patients, their specific complaints, and the risks and benefits related to possible remedies. Read more »
Namaste Care Improves Quality of Life for Dementia Patients
Namaste Care, which provides loving touch in a comfortable group environment, can improve communication and decrease pain and agitation. Read more » |
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ASA Conducts a Capital Conference
By Barbara Worthington
More than 3,000 attendees populated the informational sessions at the Aging in America Conference hosted by the American Society on Aging from March 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C. Among the attendees were physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, geriatric care managers, and social workers. Topics on nearly every imaginable aging concern ranged from new visions and models of care and service to support older adults to policy discussions related to senior poverty, Medicare payment models, innovative community design standards for aging Americans, and effective advocacy.
Featured sessions included “Senior Malnutrition: An Umbrella of Solutions to a National Crisis,” “The Future of Community-Based Services for Older Adults and Their Families,” “Male Caregivers: Experiences and Expectations,” and “The Dangers of Counterfeit Medicines: What Seniors and Everyone Working With Them Need to Know.”
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AGS to Provide Latest Geriatric News, Insights
By Heather Hogstrom
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Annual Scientific Meeting will be held in Long Beach, California from May 19 to 21, with preconference sessions held on May 18. While in the heart of Southern California, AGS conference attendees can take a walking tour to see the historic architecture of downtown Long Beach, or take a quick cruise on the Pacific Ocean to search for whales, dolphins, sea lions, and other marine life.
The AGS meeting will offer its own opportunities for sightseeing, from guided walking tours of posters to the exhibit hall available for exploring. The second annual AGS Tech Innovations Pavilion, exhibiting on May 19 and 20, will enable attendees to examine products and services from select technology companies and interact with those providing these solutions for geriatric care. The Education Product Showcase will feature educational tools for self-study or for teaching in the classroom or at the bedside.
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In Palliative Care,
Comfort Is the Top Priority
An article in The New York Times outlines the growing popularity of palliative care, a recognized medical specialty that focuses on patients’ quality of life.
Glove Offers Solution
to Parkinson's Tremors
Could a glove become an effective weapon to combat Parkinson’s disease? An article at CNN online suggests the possibility.
Why Finding a Home Can Be Difficult
for Some With Alzheimer's
An article in The Virginian-Pilot outlines the difficulties in placing dementia patients in care facilities and the limited living options available.
Health Care for Seniors
Often Goes Beyond Their Desires
An article from Kaiser Health News explains that older adults’ health care frequently extends beyond the measures patients would desire for themselves. |
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InRange Remote Medication
Management System
The InRange Remote Medication Management System (RMMS) provides pharmaceutical medication management. RMMS uses the Electronic Medication Management Assistant device that enables pharmacies to remotely program it within a patient’s residence. Designed for patients with chronic illnesses associated with complex medication regimens and significant comorbidities, the system boasts results including medication adherence rates greater than 95%, greater than 20% reduction in inpatient admissions, greater than 25% reduction in readmission risk, and improved patient and caregiver satisfaction. The system performs real-time remote medication adjustments, maintaining remote control from the pharmacy. It provides reorder notification based on actual usage and documents order changes coordinated among multiple providers. Learn more »
IntelliPAP2
A new CPAP machine with heated humidification or pulse dose heated humidification, the IntelliPAP2 provides improved therapy and patient comfort, with the capability to adjust delivered pressure. The PulseDose heated humidification system provides humidification during inhalation only, and blows dry air during exhalation to flush humidity from the tube. Learn more » |
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