MedOptions Blog

A recent study examining potential links between sustained cessation from cigarette smoking and risk for developing dementia, found compelling evidence that nonsmokers and long-time former smokers have a reduced risk for dementia compared to recent quitters or current smokers, relative to the length of time they have not smoked. The current study included over 46,000 […]

Episodes of depression can occur at any stage during the lifespan, and professional screenings for depressive symptoms are increasingly being incorporated into more settings – doctor’s offices, schools, community health fairs, etc. Recent research, however, suggests that there is plenty of work to be done to ensure that adults in the US are being screened […]

Aimed at speeding up the research and development of improved testing and treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease, a coalition of philanthropists announced their commitment earlier this week to providing more than $30 million over the next three years to a newly created initiative, the Diagnostics Accelerator. The goal for this initiative includes funding innovative, ground-breaking research […]

Avid music listeners may have a general sense that music plays an important role in their health and overall wellbeing, and new research is providing scientific evidence to support this idea, particularly for older Americans. A recent study reviewed data on 5,797 participants aged 50 or older who self-reported a number of measures including how […]

Tomorrow, Thursday the 21st, is the summer solstice. With the long stretch of daylight sandwiched between the earliest sunrise and latest sunset, it is marked as the longest day of the year. It is also the annual awareness and fundraising campaign led by the Alzheimer’s Association, meant to symbolize the long journey that millions of […]

Can Exercise Help Cognitive Function in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s? Exercise training is frequently recommended to older adults as a way to promote overall wellness and brain health. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides specific exercise recommendations regarding time and intensity for adults ages 65 and older, but these recommendations have been mostly […]

Hope for Sleeping in on the Weekends It has long been understood that not getting enough sleep each night is associated with higher mortality, and there is a long-held belief that attempting to “catch up” by sleeping in on the weekends is not actually enough to outweigh the effects of reduced sleep during the week. […]

Celebrating National Skilled Nursing Care Week Skilled nursing facilities around the country have been celebrated and recognized this week as part of the yearly National Skilled Nursing Care Week, and MedOptions would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to our many partners as this week comes to a close. Formerly known as National Nursing […]

Celebrating National Nurses Week Everybody knows it — the nurses in our lives make a world of difference. Whether we have nurses in our family or friend group, work alongside them, or have been taken care of by them personally, there is no question that the nursing profession is filled with some of the most […]

Celebrating Nurses and Nursing Centers: Close to our Hearts We are excited to have two full weeks to recognize nurses and skilled nursing facilities throughout the country, and celebrate the impact they make every day! This begins with National Nurses’ Week, which runs from May 6th to the 12th, and is followed by National Skilled Nursing […]

Fruits and Vegetables for Mental Health: Raw vs Processed A study recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology looked for differences in the mental health of people who eat raw fruits and vegetables, compared to people who eat processed (cooked or canned) fruits and vegetables. The results were clear: even after controlling for demographic, […]