Listen: Mayo Clinic Radio 11/16/19

On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Ericka Tung, a Mayo Clinic internist and geriatrician, discusses safety for older adults, both on the road and in their homes. Also on the podcast, you'll learn about Mayo Clinic Connect, an online patient community. Colleen Young, community director, and Rosemary Huckleberry, a volunteer mentor for Mayo Clinic Connect, share how patients use the platform. And Dr. Steve Ommen, director for Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care, explains how digital medicine is changing health care.

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On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Ericka Tung, a Mayo Clinic internist and geriatrician, will discuss safety for older adults. Also on the program, you'll learn about Mayo Clinic Connect, an online patient community. Colleen Young, community director, and Rosemary Huckleberry, a volunteer mentor for Mayo Clinic Connect, will share how patients use the platform. And Dr. Steve Ommen, director for Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care, will explain how digital medicine is changing health care. 

Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Keeping older adults safe on the road and in their homes: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

As the baby boomer generation ages, there are more senior drivers on the road than ever before. And it’s a difficult conversation to have when it’s no longer safe for them to drive. “Driving retirement” is a normal part of aging, but how do you know when it’s time to take away the keys? And what other steps should you take to keep your loved ones safe, not only on the road but also in their homes? 

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Ericka Tung, a Mayo Clinic internist and geriatrician, will discuss safety for older adults. Also on the program, you'll learn about Mayo Clinic Connect, an online patient community. Colleen Young, community director, and Rosemary Huckleberry, a volunteer mentor for Mayo Clinic Connect, will share how patients use the platform. And Dr. Steve Ommen, director for Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care, will explain how digital medicine is changing health care. 

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Keeping older adults safe on the road and in their homes appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Ericka Tung, a Mayo Clinic internist and geriatrician, will discuss safety for older adults. Also on the program, you'll learn about Mayo Clinic Connect, an online patient community. Colleen Young, community director, and Rosemary Huckleberry, a volunteer mentor for Mayo Clinic Connect, will share how patients use the platform. And Dr. Steve Ommen, director for Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care, will explain how digital medicine is changing health care.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show? Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Safety tips for older adults / Mayo Clinic Connect / digital medicine appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Eventually all drivers will face the day when they need to put their driving days in the rearview mirror.

"On average, people will spend six to 10 years of their life retired from driving," explains Dr. Tung. "So it's a better thing if we can make that choice on our own terms rather than waiting for a traffic violation or an accident to make that decision for us."

Dr. Tung says physicians are in the position to help their older patients determine whether it's safe to keep driving.

"We really have that privilege of getting to know our patients. We know their health conditions. We know the challenges they're having. We know their preferences and goals for the future. So we can really look at the entire patient and help them make good decisions."

Dr. Tung encourages seniors to be open to the discussion and view "driving retirement" as a normal part of aging.

"As a physician, my primary goal — my only goal — is to help my patients stay well and stay healthy. So first thing is just normalize it. It's just one of those topics that has to be covered," says Dr. Tung.

Related posts:

• Expert Alert: Tips for driving safely into your golden years

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: The road to safe driving for older Americans appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — With more senior drivers on the road than in years past, the importance of assessing driver fitness has increased. In the latest issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers look at this topic along with tools that clinicians can use to determine if patients are able to safely operate a vehicle.

"Driving retirement is a normal part of aging, and should be carefully considered and discussed openly," says Ericka Tung, M.D., a Mayo Clinic internist and geriatrician, and lead study author. "Primary care providers are uniquely poised to counsel patients about driving safety because they understand their patients' health conditions, capacities, challenges and goals."

While there isn't a single one-size-fits-all test that can be performed, providers can look at several areas of functioning to assess driving fitness. These areas include:

• Cognition, including changes in memory, attention or language.
• Vision, including visual fields and depth perception.
• Mobility and physical function, including functional range of motion, and coordination of the neck, upper body and lower body.
• Health conditions, including underlying conditions that could affect the ability to safely operate a vehicle
• Medications (A medication list should be reviewed to verify that there is no drug interaction that could impair driving alertness.)

Equally important in a patient's workup is the input of family members or care partners. The authors note that recorded observations of a loved one's driving performance, his or her ability in completing basic tasks of life, or a history of falls can be useful in determining when it's time to stop driving. Depending on clinical findings, driving rehabilitation or alternative transportation may be warranted.

Since driving provides a sense of independence and control for many seniors, it is important that that any decision be communicated clearly and with compassion.

When determining if it's time to stop driving, it is critical that a conversation with a patient's primary care provider occurs, so that patient can retire from driving at the appropriate time — rather than waiting for an accident.

"Open dialogue is encouraged between patients, families and primary care teams to ensure safety on the road," says Dr. Tung.

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing. Learn more about Mayo Clinic. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network. 

Media contact:

• Emily Blahnik, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Expert Alert: Tips for driving safely into your golden years appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My father, who is 79 years old and in good health, has become quite forgetful. He seems to recognize that it’s happening, but laughs it off and chalks it up to old age. I know memory problems are common as people get older, but I’m worried. Should I have him see his doctor?

ANSWER: Although memory lapses are a normal part of aging, they can be a sign of an underlying medical problem. In older adults, memory problems are of concern when they affect information that is particularly important or familiar, when the lapses become more frequent, or when difficulty with memory interferes with daily activities. If your father’s situation falls into any of these categories, it would be a good idea for him to see his doctor.

As we grow older, our brains undergo numerous aging-related changes that can make it harder to learn new things or remember familiar words. Older adults may have difficulty coming up with names of acquaintances, for example, or they may have trouble finding reading glasses or car keys. In most cases, these memory lapses do not signal a problem.

The type of forgetfulness that is worrisome involves forgetting information that a person formerly would always have remembered. For example, a favorite social event gets missed, like a tee time for a weekly golf game. Or, a calendar item that an individual would usually make a priority, such as a doctor’s appointment, goes unnoticed. If this happens once in a while, it probably isn’t a problem. If a person starts to have trouble making these connections regularly, then it’s time to see a doctor.

A medical evaluation also is in order if memory lapses lead to problems in a person’s day-to-day life or if someone begins to have trouble with mental tasks. Examples include becoming overwhelmed or confused when faced with decisions, having a hard time driving, getting irritated or upset when mental concentration is required to complete a task, getting lost on the way to a familiar location, or having trouble following step-by-step instructions.

If your father goes to his doctor, an evaluation likely would include a review of his medical history and a physical exam. In addition, tests that measure cognitive function — attention, memory, language and spatial skills, among others — may be part of the assessment. In some cases, a neurological evaluation and brain scans also may be useful. The doctor may want to talk with you or other family members about your perspective on your father’s cognitive skills, functional abilities and daily behaviors, and how they have changed over time.

The purpose of this evaluation would be to screen for signs and symptoms of dementia. The doctor also will rule out reversible causes of memory loss. Keep in mind that dementia isn’t a specific disease; it’s a clinical syndrome. That means it’s a term used to describe a group of symptoms, such as memory loss, difficulty reasoning, inability to learn or remember new information, personality changes or inappropriate behavior, that affect a person’s intellectual and social abilities enough to make it hard to perform daily activities.

Dementia has a variety of possible causes, including progressive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Other conditions also can mimic the symptoms of dementia, such as depression, thyroid abnormalities, infections, immune disorders and nutritional deficiencies, among many others. Prompt evaluation of a symptom such as persistent forgetfulness that could point to dementia is important for early diagnosis and identifying management strategies.

It is possible, too, that your father’s memory lapses may be just what he thinks they are: a normal part of aging. If they seem to be problematic, though, encourage him to see his doctor. A thorough assessment should be able to identify if there is a need for concern. — Dr. Ericka Tung, Primary Care Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Memory lapses — normal aging? Or is it time to see your doctor? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Listen: Mayo Clinic Radio podcast 04-02-16

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the number of people age 65 and older will almost double over the next 35 years. That increase is expected to be accompanied by a rise in cases of dementia. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio, geriatrician Dr. Ericka Tung explains what causes dementia and how it's treated. Also on the program, adults aren't the only ones who get kidney cancer. Children can get it, too. Pediatric urologist Dr. Candace Granberg discusses kidney cancer in children. And, clinical psychologist and certified sex therapist Dr. Jordan Rullo reviews a new study about flibanserin (ADDYI), a drug used to treat low sex drive in women.

The post In Case You Missed the Show: #MayoClinicRadio Podcast, April 2, 2016 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

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Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Dementia isn't a specific disease. Rather, it describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities.

Listen to the program on Saturday, April 2, at 9:05 a.m. CDT, and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

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Access archived shows.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Dementia/Kidney Cancer in Children/Low Sex Drive in Women appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.