US Seniors Face Higher Medicare Rates for 2003
Medicare's 40 million beneficiaries will pay higher premiums and deductibles next year, on top of a slim cost-of-living adjustment for 2003. Seniors' monthly premium for physician services will jump 8.7% to $58.70 in 2003, the federal government said on Friday. The deductible for hospital inpatient services will rise 3.5% to $840, it said.
( BY KAREN PALLARITO, Reuters, 10/21/2002 07:01 AM PDT)

'Alzheimer's Gene' Linked to Parkinson's, Too
A gene variant already known to increase the risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's disease now appears to increase the risk of Parkinson's disease as well, according to research presented Thursday at the American Society for Human Genetics annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 07:39 AM PDT)

Exercise, Moderate Drinking Keeps Seniors Active
Looking for a way to stay active and independent well past retirement age? A new study has found that while people with certain health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, seem to decline more as they age, seniors who exercise regularly and drink occasionally seem better able to maintain their abilities to carry out their daily activities.
( BY MERRITT MCKINNEY, Reuters, 10/18/2002 07:38 AM PDT)

Aging Population May Tax Blood Reserves
As the population of older folks increases, the amount of blood kept on reserve for transfusions may fall short of demand, according to a new UK report.
( BY KEITH MULVIHILL, Reuters, 10/17/2002 10:43 AM PDT)

'Catastrophe' Ahead if Medicare Pay Not Fixed-AMA
The health and well-being of more than 40 million Medicare beneficiaries could be threatened if the US Congress fails to act in the coming days to avert another cut in physician fees under the program, the American Medical Association warned Tuesday.
( BY JULIE ROVNER, Reuters, 10/16/2002 09:18 AM PDT)

Very Elderly Have Eluded Many Major Disease Killers
Those hardy individuals who make it to the 100-year mark have essentially "outlived" the major causes of death in the general population, including most of the diseases for which lifestyle plays a vital role, according to US researchers.
( Reuters, 10/16/2002 09:17 AM PDT)

Crime takes a toll with elderly citizens
Voices swirled above Mary Brown as she lay on concrete, dragged onto the sidewalk after a purse snatching. ``I was still,'' the 75-year-old grandmother and Tallmadge homemaker recalled. ``I didn't even turn my head.''
( By Kathy Spitz, Beacon Journal staff writer, 10/15/2002 07:05 AM PDT)

Beer, Wine May Influence Dementia Risk
They say you are what you eat, and new research suggests that how well your mind works into old age could also be influenced by what you drink. Dr. Thomas Truelsen of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen and his colleagues found that people who drank beer--even as infrequently as once per month--were more than twice as likely as non-beer drinkers to experience a deterioration in mental functioning, known as dementia, after age 65. In contrast, people who drank wine weekly were 70% less...
( BY ALISON MCCOOK, Reuters, 10/15/2002 08:29 AM PDT)

Treating High Blood Pressure May Stave Off Dementia
Medications to lower blood pressure may help stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease, two new studies show. One, a large European trial, found that anti-hypertensive medications reduced the risk of dementia by 55% among patients who initially had high blood pressure, according to the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
( BY LINDA CARROLL, Reuters, 10/15/2002 08:27 AM PDT)