Wednesday, February 29, 2012

New Study Finds Hearing Loss Triples the Risk of Falling

HealthDay News is reporting the results of a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers connecting hearing loss to a higher risk of incidents of falling.

Johns Hopkins researchers analyzed data from more than 2,000 people ages 40 to 69 who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2004. The participants had their hearing tested and answered questions about whether they had had a fall in the past year.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Essential Tremor and Parkinson's disease: What's the Difference?

ElderStore kindly invited the International Essential Tremor Foundation (IETF) to contribute guest posts to this blog. The organization appreciates the opportunity to share information about essential tremor and to reach this audience. 

ElderStore's motto - Aging with Grace and Dignity - is both apt and important to keep in mind as we grow older and tend to our needs as human beings. The IETF will certainly honor that motto in our posts.  

To begin, I'd like to share basic information about essential tremor (ET), a neurological condition that causes shaking of the head, hands, and voice. Also known as familial tremor, benign essential tremor or hereditary tremor, ET is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease (PD) and dystonia.

Actually, ET is eight times more common than PD and affects 10 million people in the United States. It is the most common movement disorder; however, because of stereotypes and a lack of awareness, many people with ET never seek medical care though most would benefit from treatment.
  
How does ET differ from PD? Members of the IETF Medical Advisory Board created a simple reference guide that lists basic distinctions between ET and PD signs and symptoms. 


To learn more about ET, visit our website or call us toll-free at 888.387.3667 for information about the condition, treatment, support groups, research and more.

Pete Dulin
Editor
International Essential Tremor Foundation