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A study, according to the Jerusalem cohort study, on the time course and nature of global sleep satisfaction (GSS) of older individuals and the potential risk factors associate with it, is described.

The e ffect of exercise on ease of performing activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, age 70- 77, has been investigated in The Jerusalem Longitudinal Study. It was found that subjects remained active and independent at age 77, but that e ase of performance went down. There were changes in function. Exercise at least four times a week at age 70 made it possible to maintain ease of performance at age 77 independent of influence of general self-assessed health or specific disease .

Background: During the siesta, blood pressure' declines like it does during night sleep. Because cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events cluster during the morning hours, when hemodynamic changes from nocturnal baseline are maximal, we hypothesized that an additional sleep period during the day (the siesta) may increase cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and thus mortality. Methods: A prospective population-based cohort study of 455 70-year-old residents of Jerusalem, Israel, using self-reported siesta at baseline and 6 1/2 years of total mortality data. Results The prevalence of the practice of the siesta was 60.7%. It was more prevalent among men than women (68% vs 51% P [is less than] .001) and in survivors of previous myocardial infarction than in those without previous myocardial infarction (78% vs 58%, P = .009). After 6 1/2 years of follow-up (1990-1996), 75 subjects died. For those who practiced the siesta, total mortality was 20 % vs 11% for those who did not (P = .01; risk odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.4). In a multiple logistic regression model that included several lifestyle descriptors, risk factors, and diseases, the siesta remained predictive of mortality (P = .03; risk odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.9). Conclusions: The siesta seems to be an independent predictor of mortality. It is still unknown whether this association is causal. Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:1582-1586

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01536.x Byline: Daniel Azoulay (*), Robert Hammerman-Rozenberg (*), Ron Cialic (*), Eliana Ein Mor (*), Jeremy M. Jacobs (*), Jochanan Stessman (*) Author Affiliation: (*)Department of Geriatrics and Rehabilitation, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

A pilot study by Bruce Leff et al. on home hospital care is discussed. A home hospitalization program started in Nov 1991 in Jerusalem is also described.