Although it’s not normal, clinical depression in the elderly is common. How is this mental illness in the elderly different from that in younger adults? It impacts older people differently and often occurs with other medical illnesses and disabilities.

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, more people than you would think are becoming vulnerable to the Holiday Blues. Many people’s anticipation and excitement turn into depression for others with symptoms including headaches, insomnia, uneasiness, anxiety, sadness and unnecessary conflicts with friends and family.

Regular visits to the dentist, along with daily tooth brushing and water fluoridation, have all contributed to improvements in oral health. In the first half of the 20th century, by the time people reached their 30s or 40s many had already lost all their teeth, Helgeson said.

Nursing homes and other senior facilities nationwide are using a controversial technique called doll therapy to ease anxiety among their residents with dementia. Senior care providers and experts say the dolls are an alternative to medication and help draw in elderly people who are no longer able to participate in many activities.

Lying about your age may be the very thing that helps you live a longer life. If you truly believe that you are younger than you really are, a new study shows that you are among a group of people with a lower death rate compared to those who felt their age or older.

The wheelchair you see in the above pictures, called the iBOT, hit the market just 13 years ago. This machine allowed paralyzed people to stand up by rising to eye level and can even climb stairs! Unfortunately, despite the love the device received from its users, the iBOT was discontinued by Johnson & Johnson and went out of production in 2009. However, the iBOT may be making a return…

Toyota announced just this year that it is bankrolling a reboot of the iBOT which is likely to include some improvements.

Diabetes Overview:

In the last decade, the number of people afflicted with diabetes has increased by almost 50%. More than 29 million Americans suffer from this disease. It affects more than 380 million people worldwide and the World Health Organization is estimating that this number will more than double by 2030.

Currently, diabetes is deadlier than AIDS and breast cancer combined as it is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart failure and stroke.

Senior Driving: Treating health problems to improve function can help older adults drive safely. Age alone shouldn’t be a reason to quit driving… Instead, the focus should be directed towards the individual's functionality. To increase the awareness of safer senior driving options that exist, AARP Driver Safety offers a variety of programs to educate older drivers.

When one thinks of drug addiction, it is unlikely that the first thing coming to mind is the elderly. The assumption is that one may think of illegal drug use and the disease of a young person. Truthfully, there is a growing epidemic of addiction to prescription drugs among the senior population.

Keep moving to halve the risk of Alzheimer's

To dramatically reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer's, grab your gear and get down to the gym, out into the garden or even down to the local dance spot. A new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, finds that any kind of exercise can improve brain volume and cut the risk of the disease by 50%.

The Alzheimer's Association estimate that Alzheimer's disease currently affects 5.1 million Americans.