NEW DELHI, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Eighty-seven-year-old Indrani Warner sits in her room at one of India's new homes for the elderly surrounded by the mementos of a lifetime.

Western-style old age homes are new to India, where children have long been known for revering and caring for elderly parents in a extended family system.

But the elderly are increasingly regarded as a burden as nuclear families become the norm against the backdrop of economic development that is rapidly breaking down traditions.

PARIS, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - Cancer researchers warned Monday that the number of elderly cancer patients would likely double from 2000 to 2030, creating 'huge challenges' to healthcare systems worldwide.

Aging societies, especially in rich countries, and improved diagnosis and treatment are boosting both the absolute number of older cancer patients as well as their proportion of all victims of the disease.

PARIS, Aug 24, 2007 (AFP) - Calcium supplements can reduce the risk of bone fractures by 24 percent in the elderly, according to a study published Friday in the British journal The Lancet.

The study was based on a sampling of 4,500 men and women over the age of 50.

Even when patients failed to take the full doses prescribed, the bone-building element -- often coupled with vitamin D -- cut the risk by 12 percent, according to the research which examined the results of 17 other studies covering 52,625 people.