The fascinating world of seniors

It’s not only here in the U.S. — researchers are studying seniors around the globe. We must be fascinating!

Amsterdam: Researchers studied whether interventions after discharge from the hospital could keep chronically ill patients from being readmitted in the short, intermediate and long term. They looked at studies from 1980 to 2013, so they had plenty of information. Results: Intermediate and long-term readmissions saw a reduction with general transitional care, but short-term readmissions were reduced only with high-intensity interventions. Those include a home visit within three days after discharge, plus care coordination by a nurse.

Europe: Researchers discovered that those over age 70 who assessed themselves as having ill health did so more in countries that assigned a lower “value” to seniors. Across various European cultures, the higher the status of the elderly, the better the seniors claimed they felt.

United Kingdom: It used to be that vitamin D was thought to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Now, after five years of study, researchers say that it won’t prevent heart attack or stroke. They suspect that low vitamin D levels are due to a sedentary lifestyle. More research is needed, they say.

Canada: There is no benefit to arthroscopic knee surgery for age-related tears. In mild osteoarthritis, doctors need to weigh the costs versus benefits of surgery, and opt for non-operative interventions first.

Taiwan: In a long study of married couples, it was learned that a husband’s health impacts the health of the wife. When a husband’s health declined, the wife’s glucose levels increase. But when a wife’s health declined, the husband’s glucose levels remained the same. Possible reasons: A wife may feel isolated and depressed, and an inadequate diet (from being so busy) can raise the glucose levels — and the risk of diabetes.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to [email protected]