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  People over age 65 who had cataract surgery had a lower chance of a hip fracture 1 year after the procedure according to an article published in JAMA in August of 2012. Cataracts cause visual changes that result in postural instability and in combination with the loss of strength and loss of bone strength that occurs with aging, this leads to more...

Chinese exercises such as tai chi and qigong can help with balance, strength, and focus. As we age this gentle and easy exercise is doable. We lose 1-2% of our muscle mass every year after age 40. Staying fit helps delay or prevent both osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease. Everyone can exercise; even imagery helps build muscle mass.    

According to an article published in the August issue of BMJ quality and Safety, there are more than 43 million hospital injuries caused by unsafe medical care worldwide. The authors reviewed more than 4,000 scientific articles and tracked adverse outcomes from the use of medication, urinary tract infections caused by catheters, systemic infections from...

  According to a Mayo Clinic study published in November of 2012 in the journal, Hospital Medicine, the use of sleeping pills such as Ambien (zolpidem) quadruple the risk of falls. These drugs, which stimulate GABA brain receptors, have side effects such as dizziness, ataxia, hallucinations, and even sleep walking, may be much of the reason why. Falls...

  Falls in nursing homes are 2-3 times more frequent than the elderly living at home. There is considerablel morbidity and mortality with falls, especially in those people who are weak, osteoporotic, have poor balance, or on drugs that have sedative effects. In a study using lavender patches for one year showed that there were fewer falls than those...

Older adults suffer from bad habits and this leads to unnecessary pain. We lose muscular strength as we age so we must treat ourselves as athletes. Moving like a baby and working on the ground or in a chair. Feldenkrais has about 2500 types of movement and there are many exercises that can help elderly, Dr. Frank Wildman describes ways to help the elderly remain...

Adults using hypnotics (sleeping pills) to help with sleep have an associated 3 fold increased risk for early death and a 35% increase risk for cancer according to a study published in the British Medical Journal in February of 2012. Drugs studied include Restoril, Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, and some antihistamines such as Benadryl. While this is only an association...