Falls can be dangerous to your health

More than half of elderly patients (age 65 and older) who visited an emergency department because of injuries sustained in a fall suffered adverse events - including additional falls, hospitalization, and death - within 6 months. 

The results of a study examining how risk factors predict recurrent falls and adverse events were published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

This study shows an even higher rate of adverse events than previous studies have, patients taking psychiatric and/or sedative medications had even more adverse events. This is concerning because these types of drugs are commonly prescribed for elderly patients in the community and residential care settings.

Of patients who visited the emergency department for injuries sustained in a fall, 7.7 percent developed adverse events within 7 days, 21.4 percent developed adverse events within 30 days and 50.3 percent developed adverse events within 6 months. Within 6 months, 22.6 percent had at least one additional fall, 42.6 percent revisited the emergency department, 31.1 percent had subsequent hospitalization and 2.6 percent had died.

Risk factors associated with adverse events within 6 months of an emergency department visit for a fall included diabetes, polypharmacy (five or more medications), and psychiatric and/or sedative medications.

"Emergency physicians have a tremendous opportunity to reduce the very high adverse event rate among older emergency patients who have fallen. Fall guidelines exist and work needs to be done to increase their implementation in emergency departments so patients can be educated on how not to fall again once they have been discharged from the emergency department.

Prostate cancer: PSA screening does lower death risk, says review

A few days ago I posted about PSA screening for Prostrate Cancer which recommended against using this particular screen. The information came from the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health. They do not recommend the PSA be used for screening for Prostate cancer. However, today I read a study that takes another position, so I thought I would share so you could make a more informed decision when you talk to your doctor about this test.

The PSA test is a blood test that is commonly used to detect possible prostate cancer. Elevated PSA levels may indicate the presence of prostate cancer, but can also be caused by other common non-cancer related conditions such as an enlarged prostate (also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) or inflammation of the prostate gland (also known as prostatitis) due to an infection or other cause.

The study authors note that the guidelines for PSA screening were largely based on the results of two studies: the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO).

While results from the ERSPC suggested that PSA screening is linked to a reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality, results from the PLCO showed that the screening offers no such benefit.

On reviewing these two studies with a mathematical model, however, the researchers found that they both demonstrated evidence of a significant reduction in prostate cancer death as a result of PSA screening.

For each study, the researchers compared the risk of prostate cancer death between men who did and did not undergo PSA screening.

Using their mathematical model, the team was able to account for differences in how each study was implemented, as well as any variations in practice settings.

When accounting for these differences, the researchers found that both studies showed that PSA screening is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death from prostate cancer.

Based on these findings, the team suggests that current guidelines advising against screening for prostate cancer should undergo review.

However, each of is unique and I would recommend that you talk to your doctor about this test.

 2. Why does the CTFPHC recommend against PSA screening for prostate cancer?

The CTFPHC recommends against PSA screening because they found that the potential harms of screening outweigh the benefits.

HARVEY RECOVERY: 5 WAYS YOU CAN HELP

The following is taken from Senior Planet and I think there are some important ideas below.

During the desperate days of flooding in Texas last week, much of the rescue effort was organized and carried out by regular citizens, many of them far from Houston, using simple digital tools. Official emergency phone lines were backed up, so Twitter became the place to cry for help—and across the country, people found ways to amplify and act on those tweets. A small group dubbed @HarveyRescue created an open database—a simple Google spreadsheet—and via social media mobilized an army of remote volunteers to enter details from the SOS messages that Texans were tweeting. Other volunteers helped to create a rescue map using the data in that spreadsheet. And those with access to boats used the online map, along with an app-based walkie-talkie system, to find folks who were trapped in their homes with the waters rising.

Now the recovery effort has started, and regular people are pitching in again. You may already have donated (see here for local, on-the-ground organizations that are funneling 100% of received funds to those in need). But there’s more you can do—including help with phase two of @HarveyRescue.

1. Use the Amazon Wishlist

Lysol disinfectant, large plastic totes, fruit leather—these are some of the items currently needed at shelters around the Houston area and for clean-up. To help with the logistics of getting the items to where they’re needed, the Red Cross and Amazon have created a wishlist. All you have to do is select one or more items, place them in your cart and check out. Amazon will deliver what you’ve bought directly to an operational center. The list is a work in progress, so you can check back frequently.

Click here to donate items via Amazon

2. Open Your Home

AirBnB is making it easy for people in areas of Texas and Louisiana to offer temporary shelter to evacuees—just a room or a whole home. The site is waiving service fees for anyone checking in by September 25 and has created a simple page with two buttons: I Need a Place to Stay and I Can Offer My Place for Free. More than 500 people have already posted their offers.

Click here to see which areas are covered. You’ll have to create an AirBnB account to get started.

3. Verify Information with @HarveyRecovery

If you have some spare time, you can make phone calls to verify the accuracy of information that’s being collected about available shelters, food distribution centers, hospitals, crisis lines and other resources for people who’ve been affected by Hurricane Harvey. The list is being created by @HarveyRelief—formerly known as @HarveyRescue, the group that created the open database during the flood. Like that spreadsheet, this list is open to anyone who has information to add, so your job is to make sure the info is correct before it’s mapped by other volunteers. The map is available to anyone who needs help.

Click here to access the list and read instructions. Note that you’ll need to know how to highlight text (it’s easy if you ask someone).

4. Use Aerial Images to Plot Damage

The catastrophic flooding in Texas downed bridges, flooded homes, blocked roads and created large piles of trash over a large area. Before the damage can be fixed, it has to be mapped. If you’re computer savvy and have a good eye, that’s where you come in. Tomnod is a crowdsourcing site that helps in post-disaster situations by presenting satellite imagery and relying on thousands of people around the world to search those images for specific signs. You’ll be shown what to look for; when you see it, you tag it using your mouse and keyboard. Then you move on to another square in the satellite image grid.

Click here to access Tomnod for Harvey

5. Be a FEMA Reservist

If you’re able to travel and have experience in any of a number of specialized occupations (for example: customer service, media relations, insurance, data entry) consider this on-call opportunity to help. FEMA will train you and call you when your services are needed on the ground in Houston; some tasks may be remote. This is a paid gig.

Click here for more information

If you know of other ways to help, please add them in the comments section below.

In retirement exercise regime drops off

Major life transitions such as retirement may lead to changes in physical activity levels. Remaining physically active after retirement can help promote physical health and wellness and help prevent chronic disease. Remaining healthy is a priority for most of us when we retire, however a study found that retirees are not that good at keeping up our exercise regime after about a year of retirement.

The review included 21 randomized controlled trials with 10, 519 participants aged 55-70 years, and 15 of the trials were combined statistically. Interventions involved group education and a standard goal of 150 min of physical activity per week, with some interventions being tailored to the participants. Physical activity was measured either by self-report or devices such as pedometers. Those exposed to physical activity interventions were compared to those who received either no intervention or minimal intervention, and activity levels were measured from 12 months to up to 24 months after the intervention.

When measured using a pedometer, step counts were significantly higher at 12 months, among those who received the intervention compared to those not exposed. When measured by self-report, physical activity levels were significantly higher at 12 months among those who received the intervention compared to those not exposed. In the longer term however (18-24 months) these positive effects were not maintained. The optimal number of intervention sessions appeared to be 11.

In adults of retirement age, physical activity interventions are effective at increasing step count and physical activity levels at 12 months but not 24 months after the intervention. The number of contacts beyond 11 does not result in ongoing increases in physical activity levels.