Special Report

Raising the bar at the YMCA

Citing rising demand for services, nonprofit boosts fundraising goal by 10 percent

March 14, 2013

The YMCA of the Inland Northwest relies on donations to provide community services regardless of a person's ability to pay, and because of increasing need, the nonprofit has raised its fundraising goal this year by nearly 10 percent, its top annual

Study says thigh fat slows seniors, leads to health risks

Preventing weight gain said to be as crucial as keeping muscle strength

February 28, 2013

News Wise

A new study from Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that an increase in fat throughout the thigh is predictive of mobility loss in otherwise healthy older adults.Lead author Kristen Beavers and colleagues at Wake

Researchers claim to find new Alzheimer's indicator

Cerebrovascular disease in small vessels might be second 'necessary factor'

February 28, 2013

News Wise

New findings by Columbia University researchers suggest that along with amyloid deposits, something called white matter hyperintensities, or WMHs, might be a second necessary factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease.Most current to on a

Expert says people over 60 should get shingles vaccine

Past chicken pox sufferers are especially vulnerable to the virus as they age

February 28, 2013

News Wise

Terry D. Connell knows a lot about the immune system: He's a University at Buffalo, N.Y., professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences who conducts research on new vaccines for such as

Gauging how much you can expect to spend in retirement

Researchers say method they've developed factors in uncertainties, risks

February 28, 2013

News Wise

University of VirginiaDarden School of Businessresearch shows new, more effective ways to plan for retirement, professors from the school contend.Every day, financial planners help future retirees determine how much they'll spend or "consume"

Inland Group sees rising demand for senior complexes

Developer spent almost $40 million to construct Spokane, Cd'A facilities

February 28, 2013

Jessica Valencia

Inland Group LLC, of Spokane Valley, is seeing demand from recently retired residents and others in the baby boomer generation for its newly developed senior living facilities operating under the Affinity name, says Cecil Rinker, director of for up

STA center now offering paratransit assessments

Agency adds new service at Plaza to check eligibility while also offering training

February 28, 2013

Treva Lind

Spokane Transit Authority has expanded services inside the STA Plaza downtown to include assessments of applicants' eligibility to use its paratransit services.Paratransit is a door-to-door public transportation service provided to people who of

Hearing loss may lead to cognitive decline, study finds

Memory, ability to think shown to worsen faster in analysis of older adults

February 28, 2013

News Wise

Older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop problems thinking and remembering than older adults whose hearing is normal, according to a new study by hearing experts at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.In the study, with six

GU study: Meal choices benefit seniors

System tested here lets nursing-home residents select food; healthy weight gain seen

February 28, 2013

Treva Lind

Senior residents of a nursing home who could rate meals and choose menu items showed healthy weight gain and other benefits under a food delivery system Gonzaga University researcher Neva Crogan has developed. The elderly residents participating

Minimizing inappropriate medications

Researchers find success changing doctor behavior, reducing potential errors

February 28, 2013

News Wise

Researchers at Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson School of Population Health, working with colleagues at the Parma Local Health Authority in Italy, say they significantly reduced the prescribing of dangerous medications for