A recent study suggests eating a handful or two of nuts a week could cut back on the risk of blindness in elderly by about 35 percent. Researchers at the University of Sydney said foods that have a lot of omega-3 fatty acids can greatly reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, a common eye condition in the elderly that leads to blindness.

Like nuts, fish also carried a decreased risk of contracting ARMD. A weekly serving of fish cut back on the risk by 31 percent. Researchers believe the fatty acids build up a protective layer that defended against plaque build-up.

By Las Vegas Health
Gary Wacker describes his decision to have joint replacement surgery as “a no-brainer.”
“I was failing fast,” Wacker said. “I got to the place were climbing stairs hurt like the dickens, and climbing ladders was unbearable. I had an instance where I had to grit my teeth to climb a one-story ladder.”
Wacker is a refrigeration mechanic, often requiring him to crawl on his hands and knees, climb ladders and lift heavy objects. He had both hips replaced in December 2006, and now he says he feels “wonderful.”
“At 53, I don’t feel like I’m 18 again, but I didn’t expect to,” Wacker said. “I can pretty much do anything I could do before this problem.”
More than 800,000 people in the U.S. had knee and hip replacement procedures in 2007. That number is expected to rise, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS). Of the two major joint replacement categories, about 500,000 procedures were for knee replacements, while 300,000 patients received hip replacements. Other joints such as elbows and shoulders can be replaced as well, but these procedures are less common.
In a healthy joint, bones are separated by layers of soft tissue called cartilage that absorb impact and prevent bones from rubbing against one another. Joint replacement is a surgical procedure in which damaged cartilage and bone are removed and replaced with synthetic components to relieve pain and regain range of movement. It can be used as a treatment for severe arthritis as well as injury involving joints, such as those sometimes sustained by athletes.
“The vast majority of patients need a joint replacement for disabling pain as a result of arthritis,” said Dr. Scott Cooper, an orthopaedic surgeon at Ozark Orthopaedics in Rogers.
Joint replacements are meant to last for long periods of time, but age can affect the need for a procedure to be performed more than once during a patient’s lifetime.
“Speaking of hip replacements and knee replacements, well over 90 percent last for 10 years, probably 75 percent or so will last for 20 years, but they don’t last forever and the younger a patient is when they get one, the more likely they are to wear it out,” Cooper said.
In the past, the procedure was primarily used in older patients, but new developments in materials and technology have made joint replacement safer and more attractive to people that may not have considered it before.
The increase in joint replacement procedures is the result of new developments in prosthetic joints and a widening segment of the population receiving the operations, according to Dr. James Stiehl, clinical associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
“These devices have eliminated the issue of wear that we’ve dealt with for years,” Stiehl said, referring to cross-linked polyethylene. This highly-versatile and wear-resistant thermoplastic is the same basic material used in flexible home piping.
Older prosthetic joint materials are prone to heavy wear and breakage, but studies of cross-linked polyethylene show significant improvements in these areas. This new development means more people are able to undergo joint replacement surgery than ever before. With older metal-on-metal applications, doctors must deal with the long-term effects of microscopic metal shavings entering the blood and poisoning the patient. At particular risk are patients with kidney ailments and pregnant or nursing mothers. Because the new cross-linked polyethylene is more wear-resistant, joint replacements are now safer for patients in such sensitive situations.
More younger patients are also getting joint replacements. While the average age of a joint replacement patient is about 66, about a third of joint replacement patients are younger. These younger patients are attracted to newly-developed prosthetic joints because of their longer life and decreased wear. Younger patients tend to be more active, increasing the risk of prosthetic joints wearing out prematurely, but with newer materials, this risk is greatly diminished.
Another driving force behind the increase in joint replacements is the development of new techniques that make the procedure less invasive. By using special tools designed to work through smaller incisions, surgeons can accomplish the same results with less trauma to the body, shortening the time required for healing. This technique is referred to as “minimally invasive,” but Stiehl warns minimally-invasive procedures can increase the chances of complications because of the difficulty of such operations.
In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved another technique that is meant to spare as much natural material within the joint as possible. The technique is known as hip-resurfacing, and it involves rounding the head of the femur and placing a synthetic cap over it to replace damaged cartilage. The benefits of this procedure include preserving the natural stability of the bone and more natural movement of the joint. Having only been on the market for a couple of years, the lifespan of these implants is still a subject of research.
Because of the procedure’s relatively untested track record, some doctors are wary of performing the operation.
“Hip resurfacing is a reasonable approach, but there are some problems,” Stiehl said.
At the time of FDA approval, most of these implants were metal-on-metal applications, limiting their use in patients that may be sensitive to metal ions. There is also a risk of femoral neck fracture. Patients with osteoporosis are not good candidates for hip resurfacing, and this eliminates many women and senior citizens, groups most likely to develop the bone-weakening condition. Still, hip resurfacing is performed in a number of hospitals nationwide.
With these new materials and techniques improving joint replacement and opening it to much wider audiences, what does the future hold? Stiehl looks to computers to further improve what is already a widely-successful procedure. Computer-assisted surgery has the potential to reduce tissue trauma by reducing the time and cutting required for each operation.
“We just have to look at ways to make it more predictable,” Stiehl said. “I think the computer is going to add precision to these operations to make them easier to do.”
Joint replacement is certainly not a risk-free procedure, but the success rate of such operations is between 95 percent and 99 percent.
Cooper said one of the risks is developing an infection,
“Infection is a risk of any operation, but it’s particularly bad if a joint replacement becomes infected because usually that requires removal of the implants and having the patient get I.V. antibiotics for several weeks before the implants can be put back in,” he said.
The most serious risks include infection and blood clots, but Stiehl put the risk of either occurring at less than 1 percent. Other risks include bone fracture, limb length inequality, prosthetic loosening and risks associated with any surgical procedure, such as heart attack or stroke.
“Things that impact these numbers are things like hospital experience,” Stiehl said. “Hospitals that do more than 250 joints a year have lower rates of complications. It stands to reason, the better you are, the lower your complications.”
Wacker says he would recommend the surgery to others in similar situations.
“The rehab involves discomfort, stretching yourself and a lot of downtime,” Wacker said. “But, if you have serious joint pain, I would definitely recommend having it done.”

Antoinette Grajeda contributed to this report.

The more isolated seniors are, the more likely they are to have dementia, a recent study shows. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm came to this conclusion after following a group of more than 500 people. The seniors, who were all at least 78 years old, had no signs of dementia prior to the study. Researchers say that a person’s lifestyle plays a role in determining if they wind up with dementia.
To come to the conclusion, researchers tracked the participants over a six-year period. During the onset of the study, the elderly people answered questions about their lifestyle and completed a survey about their personality.
Then, over the next six years, they completed medical exams and checkup interviews, focusing mainly on the same things as the initial interviews. After the end of the six-year process, about 150 people had dementia out of the original 500.
Then, researchers broke down the data of those 144 seniors to determine predictors and warning signs of dementia.
They found that uptight and worried people were much more likely to develop dementia than people who were relaxed. Seniors who were active and around other people were three times less likely to develop dementia than those who were alone and not active, researchers reported. Researchers lauded their results, as it indicated that dementia might actually be avoided by changing one’s lifestyle. While some conditions are genetic or biological, researchers suggested that by being engaged with others and active, seniors could actually reduce their risk of dementia.

Financial Troubles Affect Prescription Orders

The hard economic times are hitting everyone, including our nation’s seniors. A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health shows that seniors cut back their medications by about 14 percent as a result of financial hardships.
The study looked at about 11,000 elderly people who got their medication through the Part D Medicare Advantage prescription program.
The study, which is published in Health Affairs magazine, also included researchers from Harvard University. The way the Medicare Part D plan works is seniors have a $295 deductible for their prescription drugs. After that, they have a 25 percent co-pay until they have accumulated $2,700 worth of payments for their medication. After that $2,700 is met, though, seniors have to pay for 100 percent of their medication.
Then, once they surpassed $6,153, they are covered 95 percent. So, between $2,700 and $6,153, seniors have no help. The study found that about one-fourth of all seniors on the Part D plan fell into this gap, and therefore received little help. Many seniors stopped taking their medicine because they couldn’t afford them.

Potassium Combatant In Heart Disease

If you are a senior and have hypertension, consuming copious amounts of sodium is never a good idea. A new study may have found salt’s counterpart, though. A study from researchers at Loyola University Health System suggest potassium has the opposite effect of sodium and can go a long way in helping seniors fight hypertension. The study indicates adding potassium to your diet can help seniors counteract the negative effects of sodium. Research shows that about one in three adults in the United States suffers from high blood pressure.
That’s where potassium can come in to play, researchers said.
To come to their conclusions, researchers tracked almost 3,000 elderly participants. They recorded their sodium and potassium levels through urine tests. They collected urine samples over an 18- or 36-month period to gauge their levels. The participants were then followed for 10 to 15 years to see if they developed cardiovascular disease. Their results proved that sodium had a negative effect and potassium did the opposite. The elderly who had the highest levels of sodium in their urine were found to have a 20 percent increased likelihood of heart attacks, cardiovascular disease and strokes. However, when researchers broke the levels down by potassium to sodium ratio, the results were even more astounding.
They found the people who had the best potassium to sodium ratio — or the elderly who had high amounts of potassium and low amounts of sodium — were 50 percent less likely to have hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This was the first major study of its kind that tracked levels of sodium and potassium. Previous studies simply asked respondents to recall what they ate and then conclusions were drawn from there.

Seniors Encouraged To Drink Moderately

Young people are often encouraged not to drink. Seniors, on the other hand, may be encouraged to start hitting the bottle.
A recent study by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles suggests that seniors who consume a light to moderate amount of alcohol can fight off age-related pains that would otherwise hinder everyday movement. Some of the debilitating conditions include having trouble walking, getting dressed, gripping things or even doing chores. To come to this conclusion, researchers tracked more than 4,300 people in the quarter-century-long study. Over the course of the study, researchers monitored their diet and their general health.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that moderate drinkers had about a 3 percent decreased risk of developing a debilitating disorder compared to heavy drinkers.
The moderate group actually had a 7.5 percent decreased risk of debilitating medical conditions than nondrinkers.
The study defined moderate drinking as someone who didn’t have more than 15 drinks a week or more than five drinks a day. Heavy drinkers were categorized as having either more than 15 drinks per week or more than five drinks per day. A 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine or 1 ounce of hard alcohol was classified as a drink.

Seniors could benefit from a substance that bodybuilders and athletes use, according to recent research.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma recently released a study that showed elderly men and women were able to improve their fitness by using beta-alanine, which is a dietary supplement. The study’s authors said this could be an important discovery because it can add to seniors’ overall quality of health and could prevent falls.
To come to this conclusion, researchers split the elderly participants into two groups. One group received a 90-day dosage of the BA supplement, while the other group received placebos. To gauge their progress, the participants’ fitness levels were tested before, during and after the treatment.
Over the course of the study, the group who used the supplement saw a 67 percent increase in their overall fitness measurements while the placebo group only saw an increase of about 22 percent. The study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just affect the elderly people who suffer from it.
A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine says that about 25 percent of the people who care for their loved ones who have Alzheimer’s eventually become hospitalized themselves because of high stress levels.
The study, which was led by researchers from the University of Indiana, detailed that about one in four caregivers either were hospitalized or made a trip to the emergency room every six months because of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. The study’s authors noted that their research should change what is defined as the patient.
Not only should it be categorized as the person with Alzheimer’s, but they say the caregiver should also be considered a patient. The study is also the first to officially recognize the correlation between caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and the actual stress it includes. To come to these conclusions, researchers looked at more than 360 people. Half had Alzheimer’s and the other half were their caretakers.
Aside from the one-in-four caregivers being hospitalized, researchers found that the average age of a caregiver is about
60 years old.
The number of people in Arkansas
65 years old and older with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to reach 60,000 by 2010, according to a report by the Alzheimer’s Association.
The study also showed in 2007 the state contained 110,789 Alzheimer’s and
dementia caregivers.

Bone strength
If your bones are becoming frail, you might benefit from popping an
MK-677 pill. A University of Virginia Health System report suggests that taking one of those pills can help seniors in the fight against weakening bones. The study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that the
MK-677 pill helped seniors regain about 20 percent of muscle mass loss compared with those who did not take the pill.
Also, the study’s authors note there have been no serious recorded side effects, which they say is important. Because of this, they hope the supplement can help older adults live independently longer. Because of frail bones, many elderly people cannot live unassisted into their 80s. The study was paid for by the National Institutes of Health and it lasted for two years. It involved 65 men and women who were between 60 and 81 years old.
Half of the participants were given the MK-677 pill, while the other half was
given a placebo.

Heart failure
There are more medicines and more advanced treatments. That, however, hasn’t stopped the rate at which seniors are experiencing heart failure. A recent study by researchers at Drexel University School of Public Health suggests that elderly people are having heart failure at alarmingly high rates. The study, which tracks heart failure hospitalization data over a 27-year period, shows a drastic increase in the number of heart failure-related hospitalizations.
The study looks at data from people who are at least 65 years old, which includes more than 2.2 million cases. The study broke down the cases into three different groups. One group consisted of patients between the ages of 65-74, the other tracked 75-year-olds through age 84, and the last covered patients 85 years and older. The research found staggering increases across the board in all age groups.
Overall, there were 131 percent more reported cases in 2006 than in 1980, the first year of the study. In 1980, there were about 348,000 cases. In 2006, that number skyrocketed to about 807,000. Aside from getting worse over the years, the research found heart failure hospitalizations also worsened the older a person was.
People in the 85 and older age group were 400 percent more likely to find themselves in the hospital because of heart failure than the group of people between the ages of 65 and 74.

Muscle growth
Elderly women packing on muscle doesn’t necessarily relate to a decrease number of falls, a recent study found. A University of New Hampshire study showed that older women can gain muscle in the same way that younger women can, but the muscle gain doesn’t give them any more leniency in preventing falls. To come to this conclusion, researchers studied two groups of women.
There was an older group of women, and a younger group. Heading into the study, all participants were relatively inactive. Then, the elderly and younger women participated in an eight-week training program aimed at helping them improve their fitness and gain muscle.
The good news for women was they gained strength at about the same pace as the younger women did. However, the elderly group did not increase their power as quickly. Elderly women saw only about a 10 percent increase in their power gains while the younger group saw a 50 percent increase. Power is associated with preventing falls, the study’s authors said.
About 50 women participated in the study. The older group was comprised of women between the ages of 65 and 84 while the younger group was made up of women between ages 18 and 33. They participated in exercises such as stair climbing and resistance training.

The Morning News’ correspondent Antoinette Grajeda contributed to this report.