Sexual Health
Women ’s sexual health is a frequently ignored area of geriatric medicine. There are clearly defined criteria for sexual dysfunction that are organized by phase of sexual function, including desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain. The menopause transition and comorbid medical conditions (as well as their tre atments) can contribute to alterations in sexual function. The partner must be included and involved in the evaluation and management to achieve a better intimate relationship in an established couple. A variety of effective and evidence-based treatments are available to women for sexual concerns in the geriatric populati...
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 24, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Catherine G. Hoeppner, Sarah T. Cigna, Jenna Perkins, Nancy D. Gaba Source Type: research
Cardiovascular Disease in Older Women
Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in women. Older women remain at risk for coronary artery disease/cardiovascular disease, but risk-modifying behavior can improve outcomes. Women have a different symptom profile and have been underdiagnosed and undertreated as compared with men. Although older women are underrepresented in trials, clinicians should be more attuned to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease in older women. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 24, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Essraa Bayoumi, Pamela Karasik Source Type: research
Sleep Disorders and Aging in Women
This article reviews sleep disorders including insomnia, circadian sleep-wake rhythm disorders, restless legs syndrome, disorders of hypersomnia, and sleep-disordered breathing in women aged 65 and older; prevalence of these disorders; and recommended treatment options. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 24, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Wahida Akberzie, Lynn Kataria Source Type: research
Minority Women
Perceptions of illness, pain, and death are not static. They vary among populations according to their cultural and biological characteristics. Older black and Hispanic/Latinx women are unique in their approach to health care with respect to mentation, mobility, medication adherence, and what matters to them. It is the complexity of these components, which affect the ability of these women to age gracefully. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 24, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Renee Hickson, Monica Pernia Marin, Marisa Dunn Source Type: research
Diabetes Mellitus in Older Women
Gestational diabetes mellitus and prediabetes are 2 features with research evidence for association with development of diabetes in older women. What matters to older women determines goals of management, lifestyle interventions, and medications. A dearth of palliative guidelines for management of diabetes at the end of life makes management challenging. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 24, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tahira I. Lodhi Source Type: research
Alcohol, Drugs, and Baby Boomers
There were 703 million persons aged 65 years or over in the world in 2019. The number of older persons is projected to double to 1.5 billion in 2050.1 (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 24, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Rita Khoury, George T. Grossberg Tags: Preface Source Type: research
Bone Health
The gold standard for diagnosis of osteoporosis is measurement of an individual ’s bone mineral density on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan. If this value is less than or equal to 2.5 standard deviations less than that of an adult female reference population, a person is said to have osteoporosis, with this risk increasing as a person ages. Female gender is a large risk factor in developing osteoporosis, regardless of ethnic or racial group. Frailty is another key factor in determining likelihood to develop osteoporotic fractures. Bisphosphonates are the first line agents for treatment of osteoporosis. (Source: Clin...
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - August 23, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Ivy Akid, Danielle J. Doberman Source Type: research
Issues in the Lives of Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Queer Women
Health care providers in all settings are likely to have the opportunity to care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) persons. It is important to understand and respect the histories and experiences of these persons and the impacts in their later years. Attention must be paid to their unique psychological, social, and medical needs —not only the challenges but also the positive aspects that help develop resilience and establish a strong, if not traditional, community of care. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - July 30, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Joy A. Laramie Source Type: research
Brain Health
This article describes the healthy aging brain and theories about how to maintain brain health through later life. The role of gender in brain health and whether women are at incr eased risk of neurodegenerative disorders leading to dementia are discussed. Important factors that contribute to brain health, including nutrition, exercise, chronic disease management, and others, also are discussed. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - July 30, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tania Alchalabi, Christina Prather Source Type: research
Breast Cancer in Women Over 65 years- a Review of Screening and Treatment Options
Breast cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent in the women greater than 65 years of age. Most tumors are hormone receptor-positive in this group. Breast cancer screening recommendations for older women should be tailored based on life expectancy. Early stage breast cancer should be treated with conservative surgery followed by adjuvant endocrine therapy in HR+ patients. Primary endocrine therapy is a low-risk option for those with limited life expectancy. Adjuvant radiation therapy can be avoided in early stage, low-risk cancers. Evaluation should include comprehensive geriatric assessment. Treatment with less cytotox...
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - July 30, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Parth Desai, Anita Aggarwal Source Type: research
Advance Care Planning
The overall rate of advance care planning (ACP) in the general population remains low. ACP is a dynamic process that needs to be refined over time. ACP documentation includes the naming of a health care proxy, preferences regarding life-sustaining treatment interventions, and other, more disease-specific, interventions, such as chemotherapy, hemodialysis, and surgeries. The process should start early in someone ’s adult life, with a broad scope of defining what matters most for that person. Over time, the initial ACP could be refined to include more specific limitations of certain medical procedures. ACP documents achiev...
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - July 30, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Anca Dinescu Source Type: research
Exercise as Medicine for Older Women
This article discusses how exercise affects disease and prevents functional decline. It also clarifies why exercise is not a generic cure-all but is instead a tool physicians can use with precision to affect a myriad of health issues. Specifics will be provided regarding physical fitness assessments and comprehensive treatments and how physicians can be more involved in using physical fitness to keep their older female patients healthy. (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - July 23, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carole B. Lewis, Molly Laflin, Debra L. Gray Source Type: research
Geriatrics Clinic in Women ’s Health
Older women comprise a diverse population of enormous complexity and opportunity. Recent discovery that many diseases, medications, and exposures affect women differently than men drives the current transformation in the research community to incorporate both female sex as a biological variable and female gender (culturally assigned attitudes, feelings, and behaviors) into all types of biomedical research from the laboratory bench to the patient ’s bedside to community-based health initiatives. A variety of contemporary health issues appear to be influenced by both sex and gender, including neurodegenerative diseases, hy...
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - July 2, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Karen A. Blackstone, Elizabeth L. Cobbs Tags: Preface Source Type: research
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
There is a strong association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and cognitive dysfunction. Executive function, attention, verbal/visual long-term memory, visuospatial/constructional ability, and information processing are more likely to be affected, whereas language, psychomotor function, and short-term memory are less likely to be affected. Increased accumulation of A ß2-amyloid in the brain, episodic hypoxemia, oxidative stress, vascular inflammation, and systemic comorbidities may contribute to the pathogenesis. Patients with OSA should have cognitive screening or formal testing, and patients with cognitive decline...
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - June 29, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Arpan Patel, Derek J. Chong Source Type: research
Sleep in the Elderly
CLINICS IN GERIATRIC MEDICINE (Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine)
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - June 29, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Margarita Oks, Steven H. Feinsilver Source Type: research
