Historic Numbers of Americans Live by Themselves as They Age
Longer life spans, rising rates of divorce, widowhood, and childlessness, and smaller, far-flung families are fueling a 鈥済ray revolution鈥 in older adults鈥 living arrangements. It can have profound health consequences.
Lack of Affordability Tops Older Americans鈥 List of Health Care Worries
Rising health care costs are fueling anxiety among older Americans covered by Medicare. They鈥檙e right to be concerned.
Older Women Are Different Than Older Men. Their Health Is Woefully Understudied.
The White House has launched an initiative on women鈥檚 health. Studying the health of older women, a largely neglected group in medical research, should be a priority.
New Help for Dealing With Aggression in People With Dementia
A sedative shouldn鈥檛 be the first thing tried to help people with dementia who exhibit distressing behaviors. A new website is a comprehensive, free resource that offers guidance to caregivers.
Stranded in the ER, Seniors Await Hospital Care and Suffer Avoidable Harm
Many older adults who need hospital care are getting stuck in emergency room limbo 鈥 sometimes for more than a day. The long ER waits for seniors who are frail, with multiple medical issues, lead to a host of additional medical problems.
The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients
It鈥檚 estimated that an older patient can spend three weeks of the year getting care 鈥 and that doesn鈥檛 count the time it takes to arrange appointments or deal with insurance companies.
Adultos mayores, agotados por tener que organizar tanta atenci贸n m茅dica
Un nuevo estudio revela que los pacientes de Medicare dedican aproximadamente tres semanas al a帽o a hacerse pruebas m茅dicas, ver a doctores, someterse a tratamientos o procedimientos m茅dicos, o pasar tiempo en el hospital o en centros de rehabilitaci贸n.
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
Hearing loss is more than a nuisance. It also raises the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression, and social isolation.
Do We Simply Not Care About Old People?
Recently, thousands of older Americans have been dying weekly of covid. But most Americans aren鈥檛 wearing masks in public, a move that could prevent infections. Many at-risk seniors aren鈥檛 getting antiviral therapies, and older adults in nursing homes aren鈥檛 getting vaccines. Why?
Preparing to Hang Up the Car Keys as We Age
As cognitive skills erode with age, driving skills weaken, but an aging driver may not recognize that. Advance directives on driving are one way to handle this challenge.
America鈥檚 Health System Isn鈥檛 Ready for the Surge of Seniors With Disabilities
More than a third of older adults have a disability. Many find it difficult to get the medical care they need. New federal regulations would address that problem.
Coping with disability 鈥 and the cost of coping with disability 鈥 is an enormously important issue for older adults. Nora Super, an expert on aging, shares her personal story.
Who Will Care for Older Adults? We鈥檝e Plenty of Know-How but Too Few Specialists
The principles and practices of geriatrics are being widely disseminated. And we understand much more now about how to improve older adults鈥 care. Yet we don鈥檛 have enough geriatricians to meet the growing demand.
Medicare Expands the Roster of Available Mental Health Professionals
Medicare is expanding access to mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists come Jan. 1. But the belief that seniors who suffer from mental health problems should just grin and bear it remains a troubling barrier to care.
Doubts Abound About a New Alzheimer鈥檚 Blood Test
Quest Diagnostics is selling a blood test online to consumers. But results may not be reliable or easy to interpret. And it isn鈥檛 covered by insurance.
Let鈥檚 Have an Honest Conversation About What to Expect as You Age
A leading geriatrician says a lot of health information for older adults isn鈥檛 as useful as it should be. No person鈥檚 aging process looks exactly like another鈥檚. So she鈥檚 written a guidebook.
Una charla necesaria: qu茅 le ocurre al cuerpo y la mente a medida que se envejece
El envejecimiento altera a las personas por d茅cadas, un largo per铆odo influenciado por circunstancias sociales y econ贸micas, conductas, el lugar en donde se vive, y otros factores. E impacta en la fisiolog铆a, pero no de manera uniforme para todos.
A New Medicare Proposal Would Cover Training for Family Caregivers
The federal government is proposing having Medicare pay professionals to train family caregivers how to perform tasks like bathing and dressing their loved ones, and properly use medical equipment.
New Alzheimer鈥檚 Drug Raises Hopes 鈥 Along With Questions
Clinics serving Alzheimer鈥檚 patients are working out the details of who will get treated with the new drug Leqembi. It won鈥檛 be for everyone with memory-loss symptoms.
New Weight Loss Drugs Carry High Price Tags and Lots of Questions for Seniors
Although nearly 40% of Americans 60 and older are obese, Medicare doesn鈥檛 cover weight loss medications. Meanwhile, studies haven鈥檛 thoroughly examined new drugs鈥 impact on older adults.
