Geriatrics News

Patients with chronic pain and insomnia who frequently used medicinal cannabis to relieve those symptoms said the substance helped them maintain their sleep in the short term, researchers reported in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. However, over longer periods of time, these same patients appeared to develop a tolerance to the drug’s sleep-inducing properties.

Using routinely collected patient characteristics, researchers said they were able to predict the life expectancy of patients with dementia with “good accuracy.”

Screening for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in primary care settings did not result in any harm as measured by patient-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms, according to findings of a randomized controlled trial published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. However, the researchers did not find any benefit from screening in increasing advance care planning or reducing ED hospitalizations and visits.

Hydromethylthionine, a potent tau aggregation inhibitor, showed pharmacological activity on brain structure and function as both monotherapy and as an add-on to symptomatic treatment in certain patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a post hoc pharmacokinetic analysis of phase 3 study results.

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease who use antipsychotic medications may be at an increased risk for head injuries and traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, according to findings of a nationwide register-based cohort study conducted in Finland and published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Patients with delirium may benefit from taking ramelteon or Belsomra, according to results of a prospective observational study published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Grandparents who are active in the lives of their grandchildren may have a decreased risk for loneliness and social isolation, according to results of a cross-sectional study conducted in Germany and published in BMJ Open.

Cognitive performance declined over the two decades following first hospitalization for patients with psychotic disorders, according to study results published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The presence of and search for meaning in life may impact health and well-being, with a significant difference in this association for adults younger than vs. older than age 60 years, according to cross-sectional data published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

A pair of studies published in Psychology and Aging found that among older Americans, claims of a “loneliness epidemic” reflect the overall increase in the aging population. However, researchers noted that today’s older generations are likely not any lonelier than their counterparts from previous generations.