Generations back issues from October 2006:
Correction
Oct 01, 2006; ... Correction: Thanks to Kenya Larson for her editorial assistance on the Spring ...
Our Guest Editor
Oct 01, 2006; ... GENERATIONS THE SUCCESS OF MODERN medicine at keeping more people alive into old age has led to new challenges in providing good care for the growing numbers of elders who live with chronic conditions. This issue's guest editor has been at the forefront of efforts to meet those ...
Introduction: Advances and Challenges in Care of Older People with Chronic Illness
Oct 01, 2006; ... This issue of Generations reviews the current approach to several common chronic medical illnesses in older adults and practice innovations to improve the care of older people with chronic illness. The ability of modem medical care to successfully treat acute infections, trauma, and other ...
Hypertension in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a significant condition among older adults. Two components characterize blood pressure: Systolic is the higher pressure transmitted throughout the arterial vascular tree when the aortic valve opens and blood is ejected from the heart's left ventricle ....
Coronary Artery Disease in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Coronary artery disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle (the coronary arteries) become hardened and narrowed. The arteries harden and narrow because of the buildup of plaque (atherosclerosis). PREVALENCE AND IMPORTANCE Over the past century, ...
Heart Failure in Older People
Oct 01, 2006; ... Heart failure is a chronic condition characterized by an inability of the heart to pump a sufficient supply of blood to meet the body's needs, especially under conditions of stress, such as illness or exercise (Ho et al., 1993). Heart failure is usually the end result of injury to the heart ...
Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two illnesses common in older individuals. They share many features because both diseases cause obstruction to airflow. Both diseases can lead to severe, life-threatening respiratory distress if not addressed. But for both, fortunately, ...
Diabetes Mellitus in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Diabetes is a disease that has been known since antiquity. In the seventh century, Chinese and Indian physicians observed the sugary taste of urine in some patients dying of a wasting, consumptive illness. This observation led to the hypothesis that diseased kidneys explained this mortal ...
Cancer in the Older Person
Oct 01, 2006; ... This article explores the challenges and opportunities related to the management of cancer in the older person. Cancer is a major cause of illness and mortality in older adults, and 50 percent of all tumors occur in the 12 percent of the population age 65 and over (Balducci and Ershler, 2005) ....
Prostate Disease in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... The prostate is a small gland the size of a walnut that is part of the male reproductive system. The gland's main function is to produce and secrete fluid to carry sperm. During sexual climax, the muscles of the prostate contract and push ejaculatory fluid into the urethra, joining the sperm ...
Parkinson's Disease in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Parkinson's disease was first described by Dr. James Parkinson in his 1817 monographylw Essay on the Shaking Palsy. His initial description of a "relentlessly progressive" disease characterized by tremor, gait disturbance, slowness of movement, and disturbed sleep remains valid today ...
Osteoporosis in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Many people reading this article have a dose family member who suffers the consequences of osteoporosis. In fact, half of all older women and 15 percent of older men will suffer a fracture related to osteoporosis. Many of those fractures will be vertebral fractures in the back that may not be ...
Chronic Oral Disease and Disability in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... The mix of dominant chronic oral conditions in late life has dramatically shifted in the past fifty years. The first national survey of adult oral health, published by the National Institutes of Health in 1957, revealed that over two-thirds of Americans over age 75 had no natural teeth. The ...
Chronic Pain in Later Life
Oct 01, 2006; ... Pain is a complex and unpleasant subjective sensory experience. Undertreated pain not only causes intrinsic suffering but also can affect the function, mood, and social life of an older person (Murray and Scely, 2002). Approximately 25 percent to 50 percent of older community dwellers and 45 ...
Collaborative Treatment Planning for Older Patients in Primary Care
Oct 01, 2006; ... With its emphasis on addressing symptoms and acute problems, primary care is not currently designed to provide comprehensive geriatric care (Bodenheimer, Wagner, and Grumbach, 2002). This situation is likely to lead to over-treatment (Wennberg et al., 2005), undertreatment (Wenger et al., 2003), ...
Transitional Care in Later Life: Improve the Move
Oct 01, 2006; ... Transitional care is the set of actions designed to ensure coordination and continuity of healthcare as patients transfer between different locations. Transitional care includes logistical arrangements, preparation of the patient and family for self-care, and coordination among the ...
PACE: A Model for Providing Comprehensive Healthcare for Frail Elders
Oct 01, 2006; ... Effective Healthcare management for older people is becoming increasingly important as the number of older adults requiring long-term care for chronic illnesses continues to grow. How can Healthcare providers best serve the needs of this frail elderly population? Models of care must incorporate ...
Living with Chronic Illness: Chronically Me
Oct 01, 2006; ... I had to learn to cope with a chronic illness at age 40. Two more chronic illnesses befell me over the next fifteen years. In each case, I was lucky: a daily regimen of pills, periodic levels checks, and an annual consult with my primary care physician or a specialist have kept the maladies ...