Senior Spotlight: AARP Shares 3 Health Advances To Benefit Older Adults

‘Tis a season for blooms and bursts of color and apparently breakthroughs all around; AARP has just published an article that shares 3 impactful and upcoming medical advances for older adults. We wanted to share these hopeful health updates for 2024 so that you can keep your loved ones informed, apply them to your own care and use them as talking points to discuss with your own providers.

3 Health Advances Unveiled In 2024 

#1: Xenotransplantation. Transplanting a pig from a kidney to a patient just happened for the first time on March 16th! Kidneys are the most common organ needed for transplant and donor supply is limited; 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant. Nearly 808,000 people are living with end-stage kidney failure in the US and most transplant recipients are aged 45-65. Thus you can see why this noteworthy pig to patient kidney transplant is HUGE news for living longer & living better! 

#2: Blood tests for colon cancer. This year, the American Cancer Society reported that colon cancer rates are increasing while just over 50% of older adults are getting screened for the disease. While many patients avoid screening due to the need for a colonoscopy (the gold standard for colon cancer detection), there is a new blood test from Guardant that detects colon cancer in 83% of people who have it. This blood test is currently available but not covered by many insurance companies; it works by detecting certain cancer signals in DNA that’s been shed from a tumor. 

#3: Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease w/a skin biopsy. Some Parkinson’s disease cases are harder to diagnose than others, leading to frustration and delayed treatment for many patients. A new study revealed the use of a skin biopsy in identifying a mis-folded protein (alpha-synuclein - a hallmark of Parkinson’s) that proved 93% accurate in diagnosing confirmed patients. The utility of this test and a similar spinal fluid test will be even more important as Parkinson’s treatments are making their way through the development and approval pipeline. 

Advocating for your health is an ongoing task for us all – and one that becomes even more imperative with age. We hope these health advances empower you to stay proactive in dialogue with your own health care professionals. You know your mind and body best, and now you know what new advances can help you care for them! 

Resource Used: New Medical Breakthroughs Older Adults Need to Know About

Best wishes,

Bobbi 

Bobbi Decker
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