Aging Archives

Patients with dementia saw big increase in telehealth use during pandemic

July 24, 2024

Many patients with dementia have continued to use phone and video visits for their primary care following the COVID-19 pandemic according to new analysis.

Food insecurity linked to severe low blood sugar in older patients with diabetes

May 20, 2024

New Kaiser Permanente study highlights the need to ask patients about both economic and physical food insecurity.

Study of dementia and healthy brain aging in Black Americans extended for 5 years

January 18, 2024

The Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR) will be funded for another 5 years by the National Institute on Aging, with a $24 million grant.

Atrial fibrillation may increase risk for dementia

March 8, 2023

Large Kaiser Permanente study finds a 13% greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia after a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, with stronger associations seen in younger, healthier people.

State-level educational quality linked to risk of dementia

February 13, 2023

People attending schools in states with higher state-level educational quality are less likely to develop dementia in late life, according to a new Kaiser Permanente analysis published in JAMA Neurology.

Cancer diagnosis hastens aging in women

January 19, 2023

Kaiser Permanente study finds postmenopausal women with cancer report a greater decline in physical function than women who have not had cancer.

Benefit of dialysis unclear for older people with chronic kidney disease and heart failure

January 31, 2022

Kaiser Permanente study highlights the need for more research on the best patient-centered care for people managing both conditions.

Higher risk of dementia for older adults living with HIV

December 1, 2021

A study reviewing 16 years of patient data found nearly double the rate of dementia among people with HIV compared with those without HIV. The rate of dementia decreased over time for both groups but remained higher for those with HIV, reported research published in the journal AIDS.

Gaining insight into medically complex patients

December 11, 2020

New Kaiser Permanente study aims to help providers improve the health of patients most likely to sustain high medical costs, frequently use the emergency department, or need to be hospitalized.

Kaiser Permanente to study statins’ effect on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

December 7, 2020

The potential for statins — a widely prescribed class of cholesterol-lowering medication — to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will be explored in a 4-year study led by Division of Research investigator Catherine Schaefer, PhD.

Telehealth appointments improve follow-up care in patients with heart failure

September 24, 2020

Kaiser Permanente study is the first to compare early telehealth approach to early in-person follow-up to prevent hospital readmissions.

New virtual, innovative clinical trial for adults at high risk for respiratory illnesses

August 7, 2020

Kaiser Permanente researchers will see if a drug used to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke can also prevent or reduce complications from viral respiratory illnesses in older adults with heart disease.

5 Questions for… Stephen Van Den Eeden

June 24, 2020

Research scientist Stephen Van Den Eeden, PhD, is a co-founder of the California Men’s Health Study, one of the largest and longest-running cohort studies of men in the world.

5 Questions for… Paola Gilsanz

April 22, 2020

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research staff scientist Paola Gilsanz, ScD, is exploring the reasons for the unequal distribution of dementia risk among genders and ethnic groups.

Personalizing care for older patients with diabetes

October 10, 2019

Kaiser Permanente investigator Andrew Karter and colleagues will receive $3.2 million over 5 years from the National Institute on Aging to study what older patients with diabetes want from their treatment.

Large study links genetic marker of aging to greater neighborhood deprivation

May 6, 2019

Genetics research suggests that longer telomeres — the “end caps” of DNA that keep strands of chromosomes from unraveling — mean more years of healthy life ahead.

PHOTOS: Kaiser Permanente Research Prominently Featured at AIDS 2018 conference

August 3, 2018

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research scientists recently presented new research on associations between hazardous drinking, heart failure and HIV at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.

Large Genome Study Reveals Record Number of DNA Loci Linked with Eye Pressure

December 15, 2017

Analysis of DNA from nearly 70,000 Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients uncovered 47 specific positions, or loci, in the genome that are associated with variations in pressure inside the eye. The findings could help clarify how elevated eye pressure leads to glaucoma.

Early Adversity, Birthplace Contribute to Lifelong Racial Disparities in Dementia Risk

September 28, 2017

Two studies presented by Kaiser Permanente researchers Rachel Whitmer, PhD, and Paola Gilsanz, ScD, at an Alzheimer’s conference in July found that early life adversity and birthplace contribute to racial disparities in dementia rates, and that these disparities persist even among the oldest of the elderly.

Major New Study to Demonstrate Value of PET Scans in Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

May 20, 2015

By Ann Wallace, Senior Communications Specialist, Division of Research A new, $100 million, four-year study will determine the clinical usefulness...

Happy 100th, Dr. Collen!

November 6, 2013

Morris Collen, MD, pioneer of computer-assisted health care, celebrates his centennial. Multimedia show: Dr. Morris Collen: A Remarkable Story In...

Grand Opportunity Creates Cutting-Edge Research Potential

August 7, 2013

By Ann Wallace, Senior Communications Specialist In 2009, the Research Program on Genes, Environment, and Health (RPGEH) received a Grand...

KP Surgeons Dramatically Reduce Cataract Infections

January 15, 2013

In a new video, Kaiser Permanente researchers explain how the Walnut Creek ophthalmology department virtually eliminated a rare, surgery-related infection....

RPGEH: A world-class genomics project studying disease causes and healthy aging

February 2, 2011

It’s not every day Division of Research staff members are briefed by a Nobel Prize winner. Recently, 100 employees of...

Voice of the RPGEH: Marcia Ewing and the phone/survey team

January 30, 2011

It’s simply a case of cause and effect. To recruit 500,000 Northern California Kaiser Permanente members for a research project,...

RPGEH: Fast facts

January 29, 2011

Goal is database with 500,000 participants 430,000 have completed a health survey 170,000 gave saliva samples Future participants will be...

Breaking the mold: CARDIA changes cardiovascular disease research

January 25, 2011

Until the 1980s, all that was known about the leading cause of death among Americans — cardiovascular disease — had...

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