Richard W. Besdine, MD, on Preventing and Treating Stroke

Although it is the third most common cause of death in America, stroke is commonly misunderstood. In his latest blog post, AFAR Medical Officer Richard W. Besdine, MD, dispels common myths and shares valuable but little-known information about stroke risk, prevention—both through lifestyle and medication—and treatment. Dr. Besdine also discusses conditions, atrial fibrillation and hypertension, that increase the risk of stroke but are often undertreated in the elderly. This is the ninth post in Dr. Besdine's series on health care and aging on the AOL Healthy Living site. Read all of his articles here.

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2012 AFAR Grantee Conference

Recent AFAR grantees gathered from June 3-5 in Santa Barbara, CA, to share their research and meet other scientists in the field of aging research at AFAR’s 25th annual grantee conference. Jan van Deursen, PhD, leader of a study on senescent cells and diseases of aging at Mayo Clinic, delivered the keynote address on his groundbreaking work. Recipients of the Julie Martin Mid-Career and Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Awards also presented their AFAR-funded projects, which spanned a broad range of topics in aging research. A highlight of the meeting was the small group poster session, which gave grantees…

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Grantees in the News: Randall Bateman, MD, and Alzheimer’s Therapy Trials

A June 7 story in The New York Times Magazine featured Randall Bateman, MD, and his work in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN). DIAN is an international study of volunteers who have a rare form of inherited Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to analyze the progression of AD in the brain in the years before AD is typically diagnosed. Based on the changes they have observed in these participants’ brains, Dr. Bateman and DIAN researchers have determined that the best time to begin treating AD is likely to be fifteen years before symptoms are usually identified. Dr. Bateman is…

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AFAR Media Briefing on Stroke Prevention Thursday, April 5

Recent developments in stroke prevention techniques represent the possibility of revolutionizing stroke prevention and treatment, particularly for older adults with atrial fibrillation (AF), which raises the risk of stroke fivefold. AFAR, with support from an education grant from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, will be holding a media briefing on April 5th to on new stroke prevention techniques. Please join Richard W. Besdine, MD, Medical Officer, American Federation for Aging Research and Professor of Medicine and Professor of Health Services Policy & Practice, Brown University, and Daniel Singer, MD, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health,…

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Richard Besdine, MD, on the Fear of Falling

AFAR Medical Officer Richard Besdine's, MD, latest blog post sounds the alarm about the danger of falling in older adults. Falls are the leading cause of injury for people over 65, resulting in 20,000 deaths each year in the U.S. Even the fear of falling significantly disrupts the well-being of many older adults. Dr. Besdine explores the latest guidelines on prevention and care  in this important area of research. This is the eighth post in Dr. Besdine's series on health care and aging on the AOL Healthy Living site. Read all of his articles here.  

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