Alliance for Aging Research Warns Boomers to Watch for Signs of Elderly Depression: Symptoms Typically Ignored as Natural Part of Aging
[27 July 2004 - Alliance for Aging Research] The not-for-profit Alliance for Aging Research has launched a new campaign aimed to urgently inform Baby Boomers of the symptoms of elderly depression and how to approach this topic with an older parent. According to the Alliance, six million elderly suffer from some form of depression. Many times older Americans experiencing depression, and those closest to them, do not recognize the symptoms or seek the help necessary. The symptoms are often dismissed as an inevitable part of aging, when in fact it is a serious medical condition that can magnify disability and premature death.  When gone untreated, depression in the elderly can lead to suicide. Comprising only 13 percent of the U.S. population, individuals age 65 and older accounted for 18 percent of all suicide deaths in 2000. Astonishingly, several studies have found that many older adults who die by suicide -- up to 75 percent -- have visited a primary care physician within a month of their suicide. As part of the campaign, the Alliance offers an online resource guide (http://www.agingresearch.org/), as well as a free brochure for caregivers entitled "How to Talk to Your Elderly Parent About Depression" that includes the topics:

• What is depression?
• Facts about depression and getting older.
• How do you know your older parent is suffering from depression?
• Approaching the topic of depression with your parent.
• Things you can do.

The following person is also available for media interviews to discuss her first hand account of a parent with depression: Lea Jamieson* has been the vice president of more than one national mental health organization. Despite being well educated on the types of medication for depression, Jamieson did not detect depression in her elderly mother. After discovering her mother was suicidal, Jamieson and other family members formed a support system aimed at convincing healthcare professionals that their mother's condition was not just a part of aging.
If you would like more information on how to detect elderly parent depression or to order a copy of the brochure please call 202.293.2856 or visit our website at http://www.agingresearch.org. The campaign is supported by a grant from Eli Lilly and Company. Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interests of top scientists, public officials, business executives and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today's older generation.

Vital Visionaries Program: �Serious Fun� that Improves Medical Students Attitudes towards Older People
[27 July 2004 - National Institutes of Health] Creating art with older 'teammates' made first-year medical students more sensitive to older people, according to results of the Vital Visionaries Collaboration (VV), a pilot program developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore, MD. ...

Depression Major Cause for Death in the Elderly Living in the Community
[19 July 2004 - Medical News Today - UK] A new study which focused on depression in elderly people living in the community and not in assisted-living facilities or nursing homes found that depression and its symptoms have been shown to accelerate death in many elderly people. The study, involved 250 participants in a community health program. At the start of the study, researchers determined the presence of depression and then did so again at 18 months. At the beginning, 29 percent of the people had depression. Among those individuals, 26 percent died during the follow-up period compared with 17 percent of those with some lesser signs of depression. ...

Governors grapple with boosting care for elderly: Urge greater role of state governments
[19 July 2004 - Boston Globe] Gray hair is the least of it. Aging poses sharp challenges to those lucky enough to face it, from mobility to mental health and independence. As tens of millions of Americans approach age 65, the care and costs are increasingly critical to the nation. States can take the initiative in transforming the elderly experience by reshaping health care, social services, and tax codes to help the rapidly growing population of those 65 and older, governors agreed yesterday at the summer meeting of the National Governors Association. ...

The Not-So-High Cost of Aging
[15 July 2004 - BusinessWeek] If you heed the doomsayers, the graying of the U.S. population is a catastrophe. Look a little harder, and those fears are overblown. ...

Medicare Claims For Alzheimer's Disease Skyrocket 250 Pct; Studies Describe Devastating International Cost of Alzheimer's Disease
[19 July 2004 - Alzheimer's Association on U.S. Newswire] The rate of Medicare beneficiaries identified as having Alzheimer's disease rose 250 percent during the 1990s, according to a study reported at The 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ICAD), presented by the Alzheimer's Association. This and three other studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is the public health crisis of the 21st century as diagnosis and awareness of Alzheimer's disease increases. "Unless a prevention or cure is found soon, Alzheimer's disease will overwhelm our already stretched health care system and bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid," said Sheldon Goldberg, president and CEO, Alzheimer's Association. "Medicare expenditures for people with Alzheimer's are almost three times higher than the average for all beneficiaries. The cost to Medicare will rise 55 percent to $50 billion in less than 10 years and the cost to Medicaid will soar by 80 percent, to $33 billion." ...

An active mind can ease aging
[14 July 2004 - The Arizona Republic] A recent newspaper article talked about a form of early onset Alzheimer's disease. While the researchers found that the early onset was related to a particular gene, they did not recommend testing everyone since we have no cure. What can be done? In addition to more research, it is recommended that you keep your mind as active as possible. Even working crossword puzzles can help. ...

Not All Brain Connections Are the Same
[12 July 2004 - Forbes] Neural connections that form late in a person's brain are the first to degenerate, according to an article in the current issue of the Neurobiology of Aging. ... Myelin in the splenium -- a part of the brain where neural connections important to vision develop early -- degenerates at a slower rate than the myelin in the genu, a section of the brain that develops later and contains connections important to decision-making, memory, impulse control and other higher functions. The findings support the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease results from myelin breakdown, the researchers said. ...