Tag Archives: aging

Frailty Debilitates and Kills

While frailty seems obvious enough, science lacks a universally agreed upon method of evaluating frailty. The Frailty Index (FI) is commonly used to evaluating frailty in a clinical setting. Researchers calculate FI as the number of deficits a patient exhibits divided by the total number of deficits considered. For example, if a doctor finds that a patient exhibits five of 20 deficits that older people often commonly have, the FI for that patient would be 5/20 = 0.25. Deficits include symptoms or signs of chronic diseases or disabilities or social problems based on a patient examination or laboratory data.
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Can You Stay Out of the Nursing Home?

What would you guess is the most feared condition for older people? According to a 2007 study, Aging in Place in America, seniors fear losing their independence and being confined to a nursing home more than they fear dying.
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Loneliness Can Kill You

Loneliness is a state of mind But loneliness also harms the body Loneliness is a condition in which persons see themselves to be socially isolated as a consequence of perceived inadequate social connections. Loneliness can have serious consequences for health and well-being, including increased risk of dying. Loneliness is a growing public health problem that…
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Do You Eat Enough Protein?

Official guidelines may be too low Increase protein at breakfast Science can be bothersome at times, providing contradictory guidelines for what we eat. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is expressed as number of grams of protein eaten per kilogram of body weight per day. For both adult men and adult women, experts proposed…
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