Geriatrics – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts: Recent Episodes
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Many many people take thyroid hormone, and a large number of them are taking too much, putting them at risk to develop dementia, a Johns Hopkins study shows. Jennifer Mammen, an endocrinologist and one of the study’s authors, says it … Do you really need to take thyroid hormone at all? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
People who are taking thyroid hormone don’t get their levels checked very often, and since many of them are taking too much, they’re at risk for dementia, a recent Johns Hopkins study found. Jennifer Mammen, an endocrinologist and one of … Why don’t people get thyroid hormone checked regularly? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
If you’re taking thyroid hormone, it’s important to both measure your level yearly and modify the dose as you age. That’s according to Jennifer Mammen, an endocrinologist and one author of a recent Johns Hopkins study showing that many people … What is the appropriate dose of thyroid hormone as you age? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
People who are taking thyroid hormone should get their blood tested once a year or so just to make sure they’re not taking too much, since a recent Johns Hopkins study shows that’s associated with an increased risk for dementia. … Is getting your thyroid hormone measured once a year as you age enough? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Thyroid hormone is one of the most commonly prescribed medicines to older people, but a Johns Hopkins study shows that some people have levels that are too high, and this puts them at risk for dementia. Jennifer Mammen, an endocrinologist … How are thyroid hormone levels assessed? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Almost all stereotypes of older people are negative, and their impact on the health of elders is also negative. Now a new study attempts to counteract ageism by exposing people to more positive views of becoming older, and Colleen Christmas, … How can the health impact of ageism be overcome? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
People aged 50 to 80 years report experiencing ageism in their lives, a recent study found. Colleen Christmas, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, reveals the findings. Christmas: Experiencing ageism is almost universal. Nearly everybody says Oh yeah I've experienced … Can older people recall age-related bias? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Ageism refers to prejudicial views on older people that are pervasive and damaging. Studies examining the impact of ageism demonstrate that it exerts a negative influence on all concerned, not just older people. And it begins as societal norms and … What is ageism and how might it be affecting your health? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Higher levels of DNA found circulating in the blood of older people were associated with a higher risk for dementia and frailty, a Johns Hopkins study shows. Peter Abadir, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins and one author of the … If cell free DNA is associated with dementia risk, would removing it help? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Pinpointing someone’s risk to develop dementia or frailty may rely on a blood test looking for cell free DNA, a Johns Hopkins study finds. Lolita Nidadavolu, a geriatrics expert and researcher, says this type of DNA provokes a reaction in … Cell free DNA in someone’s blood could have many consequences, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Levels of DNA found in the blood known as cell free DNA may be able to predict an older person’s risk for developing dementia and frailty, a Johns Hopkins study shows. Lolita Nidadavolu, a geriatrics expert and researcher, says this … Can a single blood test for cell free DNA reliably predict dementia risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Higher levels of DNA found circulating in the blood of older people put them at increased risk of developing both frailty, with loss of muscle mass and risk for falls, and dementia, a Johns Hopkins study has found. Peter Abadir, … What does freely circulating DNA in the blood have to do with dementia? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
DNA found circulating freely in the blood may point to an increased risk for frailty and dementia in older people, a Johns Hopkins study led by Peter Abadir, a geriatrics expert, has found. The study enrolled participants without any signs … Can small amounts of DNA in the blood predict an older person’s risk of frailty and dementia? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Ultraprocessed foods are getting a lot of attention these days as dietary don’ts. Now a new study looks at their role in cardiovascular disease and cancer. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, says this study … What is an ultraprocessed food and does it increase your risk for cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
DNA found freely circulating in the blood is increasingly important clinically. Now a Johns Hopkins study has found that so-called ‘cell free DNA’ may be helpful in identifying risk for frailty and dementia in older folks. Clinician and researcher Lolita … Can DNA in the blood indicate someone’s risk for frailty and dementia? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Giving Covid vaccines to adults aged 75 and older has shown that while they do respond with antibodies, that response lasts a much shorter time than in younger people. Johns Hopkins geriatrics expert Sean Leng says the study also found … Older men don’t respond as well to vaccination as older women, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Vaccination against Covid-19 in a group of adults older than 75 years of age has shown that while they do produce antibodies in response, they differ from what is seen in younger people. That’s according to Sean Leng, a geriatrics … How do vaccine responses compare among older and younger people? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
People older than 75 experience a robust antibody response to Covid vaccines but it fades quickly, research by Sean Leng, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, has shown. Leng: Now the good news is when those same individuals got the … Older adults may need Covid boosters more often, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
We know that Covid viruses bind to a cell surface protein known as ACE2, and that antibodies can block the virus at this location as well bind directly to the virus, so called neutralizing antibodies. Research by Johns Hopkins geriatrics … Specific types of immune responses fade quickly in older people immunized against Covid-19, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
More than 300 people a day are still dying of Covid infection, the most recent data indicate, and the majority of them are older people. Sean Leng, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, says his recent study looking at how … What are the dynamics of Covid vaccination in older adults? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Deprescribing is an effort underway among primary care physicians to completely assess all medicines a person is taking, including vitamins, supplements and over the counter medicines, and reduce that number to the fewest possible while still achieving therapeutic goals. Caleb Alexander, an internal medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, explains. Alexander: It does take time, but […]
If you’re taking a number of medicines your physician may bring up the idea of ‘deprescribing’ to you. That’s the idea that many of these medicines may no longer be needed, may not be providing enough benefit versus their potential for harm, or may be substituted with a simpler regimen. Caleb Alexander, an internal medicine […]
Anchor lead: Should you choose a hospital with a hospital at home program? Elizabeth Tracey reports Hospital at home, where hospital level care is delivered to people in their own home, is burgeoning nationally. Bruce Leff, a gerontologist at Johns Hopkins and hospital at home expert, says the data are compelling. Leff: In terms of […]
Anchor lead: Hospital level care at home is getting a boost across the country, Elizabeth Tracey reports Let’s say you needed to be hospitalized but you were given the option to receive your care at home rather than a hospital. So-called ‘hospital at home’ programs are growing by leaps and bounds nationally. Bruce Leff, a […]
Anchor lead: How can a program called CAPABLE help elders age in place? Elizabeth Tracey reports CAPABLE is the name of an intervention that helps older people remain in their homes as they age, and it’s a win-win, a recent study found. Sarah Szanton, one of the program’s developers and authors of the study, describes […]
Anchor lead: Can a program called CAPABLE help elders age in place? Elizabeth Tracey reports Older people overwhelmingly say they want to remain in their own homes as they age, and a program called CAPABLE, developed by Sarah Szanton in the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and colleagues, helps them do just that. And Szanton […]
Anchor lead: Are statins useful even as we age? Elizabeth Tracey reports Statins are used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Now a new study shows that even as people get older there are still good reasons to take a statin. That’s according to Seth Martin, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins. […]
Anchor lead: Social isolation may have much to do will poor health in older people, Elizabeth Tracey reports Having few social interactions is increasingly associated with poor health outcomes, many studies are reporting, and the problem is especially acute for older people. Patricia Davidson, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, says there are […]
Anchor lead: Can exercising in polluted air actually be harmful? Elizabeth Tracey reports If you’re an older adult, when is exercise actually worse than remaining sedentary? When you exercise in an area that has a lot of air pollution, a recent study in the Lancet concluded. Corinne Keet, an asthma and allergy expert at Johns […]
Anchor lead: Keeping people with heart failure out of the hospital may not be a good choice, Elizabeth Tracey reports People with heart failure whose hospitals took measures to keep them from being readmitted died at higher rates than those who came back to the hospital, a recent study in the Journal of the American […]