Amyloid deposits not associated with depression in the elderly

Researchers have suspected that amyloid beta deposits might also underlie the cognitive decline seen in older people with depression, however a new study has found that abnormal amyloid beta deposits were actually found in fewer older adults with major depression compared to non-depressed control subjects.  Click here to read further. 

Impact of COVID-19 on loneliness, mental health, and health service utilisation: a prospective cohort study of older adults with multimorbidity in primary care, BJGP

Study (n=583 ≥60 years) reports psychosocial health of older patients with multimorbidity markedly deteriorated and missed medical appointments substantially increased after the COVID-19 outbreak.  Click here for further details. 

Learning Several New Things Simultaneously Boosts Older Adults’ Cognitive Abilities

A new study finds that learning multiple things at the same time increases cognitive abilities in older adults. One important way to avoid cognitive decline as we age is to learn new skills as a child would, according to University of California Riverside psychologist Rachel Wu.  Click here to read further.

Calorie Restriction May Help Prevent Age-Related Diseases

A new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism shows that cutting caloric intake by just 15 percent for two years has the ability to slow aging and metabolism and protect against age-related diseases.  Click here for news item.

The Ageing Process And Health

This briefing summarises the evidence on the biological basis of ageing and outlines the ways in which public health policy can support better health in later life. Click here to view Kings Fund blog

Age-related macular degeneration [NG 82]

New:  NICE guideline

1.1 Classifying age-related macular degeneration

1.2 Information and support

1.3 Risk factors

1.4 Diagnosis and referral

1.5 Pharmacological management of AMD

1.6 Non-pharmacological management of AMD

1.7 Monitoring AMD

Terms used in this guideline

NIHR Signal Multiple illnesses and end-of-life care drive high healthcare costs in old age

Ageing on its own does not drive healthcare costs. Instead, this research found that the increasing number of health conditions and age-related impairments along with the proximity to death are more strongly linked to healthcare costs than age alone.

This UK study investigated healthcare costs in people over 80 years old. Costs increased to the mid-90s before declining again. Proximity to death was the strongest predictor of cost, which was higher for people aged 80-84: £10,027 per year versus £7,021 per year for those over 100. Multiple illnesses also had a strong influence, with each additional health complaint progressively increasing costs.

From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

NIHR Signal Older people with acute coronary syndromes may benefit from routine invasive therapy

Routine invasive therapy for people aged over 75 with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes reduced the risk of dying, having a heart attack or stroke, and need for further intervention. However, there was a higher risk of major bleeding compared to treating people with medication.


This is the largest review to date to gather the evidence on treatments for older people with smaller heart attacks or severe angina (chest pain). NICE recommend treating these “non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes” either with stents, to open narrowed arteries, or with medication depending on the person’s risk. These treatments are quite commonly used in younger people, but older people are less likely to receive them and these researchers wanted to see if there was evidence that they are missing out on the benefits.


The findings suggest that age is not a barrier to invasive therapy, but greater clarity is needed around the balance of risks and benefits for this group of people.


From NIHR Dissemination Centre

Supporting the ageing agenda

Representatives from NHS trusts, local government, the academic sector, third sector and small and medium-sized businesses gathered yesterday (17 July) at a collaborative, regional event to discuss new ways of working to support happier, healthier ageing across the East of England. Click here for further details

Depression, Anxiety Biggest Risks to Well-Being Later in Life

It’s called the “age paradox.” Why do some people report high levels of subjective well-being as they age in spite of age-related ailments and the social losses of aging?

“Aging itself is not inevitably associated with a decline in mood and quality of life,” said Professor Karl-Heinz Ladwig, the head of the Mental Health Research Group at the Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, and a professor of psychosomatic medicine at the TUM University Hospital.

“It is rather the case that psychosocial factors, such as depression or anxiety, impair subjective well-being. And in the case of women, living alone also plays an important role.”

Read more HERE.

Brain Health Food Guide for Older Adults

Canadian scientists have developed a food guide to help adults over 50 preserve their thinking and memory skills as they age.

“There is increasing evidence in scientific literature that healthy eating is associated with retention of cognitive function, but there is also a lot of misinformation out there,” says Dr. Carol Greenwood, co-author of the Brain Health Food Guide.

Call for political parties to address the increasing demands of an ageing healthcare workforce

The single biggest challenge facing the NHS is to respond to the vastly increased demands of an ageing patient population and workforce, says an editorial accompanying a new report, Age and the Anaesthetist to be presented today at the AAGBI’s Annual Congress meeting in Birmingham, by the report’s working party Chair, Professor Peter Hutton.