thDay - MONDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- Noting that brain scans suggest that a new drug reduces plaque deposits in the brains of certain Alzheimer's patients by 25 percent compared to a placebo, researchers say the scans could become a useful tool to study treatments for the disease.

Reuters - Medicare should cut U.S. government payments to private insurers and home healthcare providers, an advisory panel said in nonbinding recommendations released on Monday.

Time.com - The weight of scientific evidence indicates that flu vaccines do not reduce mortality or infection rates in the elderly, according to British researchers. Why do we keep using them?

Reuters - New imaging technology suggests an experimental drug for Alzheimer's reduces clumps of plaque in the brain by around 25 percent, lifting hopes for a medicine that disappointed in clinical tests two years ago.

thDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Mirapex ER (pramipexole dihydrochloride extended-release) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a once-daily option to treat early Parkinson's disease, drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim said in a news release.

Time.com - About 10% to 15% of Americans, mostly elderly, suffer from chronic pain bad enough to interfere with daily life, but aren't they getting the medications they need?

thDay - TUESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly people who have been hospitalized have an increased risk of cognitive decline.

Reuters - Elderly adults with poor vision, particularly untreated vision problems, may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those with better vision, a new study suggests.

thDay - FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- After retiring from her job as a Salvation Army pastor, Elizabeth Reed felt she still had more to offer.

Reuters - U.S. states will get an extra $4.3 billion to pay for drugs for elderly or disabled people covered by Medicaid and Medicare, but at least two of the states with the biggest health plans said they need more cash.