Age and Ageing

It is a commonly accepted principle that demand for healthcare always outstrips resources, and so in the UK’s publicly funded health system, it is important to look at how and where costs are being incurred to make sure we are making the best use of limited resources.

Geriatricians play a key role in Stroke Medicine. Alongside neurologists and rehabilitation physicians, geriatricians bring a vital skill to the management of stroke; an understanding of frailty.

A study has found that among people whose HbA1c was greater than or equal to 7.5 at baseline, those who achieved the glycemic target within a year were associated with higher incidence of dementia in 6 years.

We examined whether poor early life circumstances lead to an increased risk of becoming frail in older age. We studied over 6,000 older Chinese men and women (at least 60 years) who were not frail; they were voluntary participants in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Getting older and having dementia increases the risk of health problems and can make it hard for people to keep their mouth and teeth clean. As a result, more oral health problems occur. 

I stared through the window at the propellor whirring not much more than 8 feet from my head and wondered what makes the difference between safety and disaster on an aeroplane. Evidence from the airline industry would suggest that the biggest single factor is the human factor - the so called nontechnical skills.

What is the leading cause of death in the UK? Cancer? Heart disease? Nope, it is dementia. Much value has been placed on dying in the place of one’s wishes however those with dementia seem to have been excluded from this focus. Why is it so hard to research wishes around death in those with dementia? Is it because we still forget it is a terminal disease?

As the population ages, increasing numbers of older people are presenting for elective and / or emergency surgical intervention. This group is at higher risk of adverse postoperative outcome, likely due to underlying comorbidity and frailty, increasing vulnerability to decompensation after surgery. 

With increasing age, blood pressure rises as a consequence of arterial stiffness, caused by the biological process of ageing and arteries becoming clogged with fatty substances, otherwise known as arteriosclerosis.