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Homebound Seniors Living Alone Often Slip Through Health System’s Cracks February 19, 2025 by Judith Graham - Millions of older people are confined to their homes or can only get out with great difficulty. A surprising number live alone, and their situation can be precarious. For this article, written for KFF Health News, journalist Judith Graham visited…
We Age in Bursts February 4, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - In his early 40s, Vinny Minchillo noticed he needed to work harder in the gym just to maintain his usual level of strength. Then, when he turned 60 a few years ago, he noticed a big change in flexibility. “I…
When Older Men Live Alone, Their Connections to Others Often Wither January 28, 2025 by Judith Graham - At age 66, South Carolina physician Paul Rousseau, MD, decided to retire after tending for decades to the suffering of people who were seriously ill or dying.
When Less Is More: The Need for ‘Deprescribing’ January 7, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - Every time Jodie Pepin’s mother saw another physician, it seemed like she was prescribed yet another medication. Each time Pepin wondered, “Why are they giving her that? She already has dementia.” Pepin, clinical pharmacy program director at Harbor Health in…
Older Americans Are Living Alone in Historic Numbers December 27, 2024 by Judith Graham - Gerri Norington, 78, never wanted to be on her own as she grew old. But her first marriage ended in divorce, and her second husband died more than 30 years ago.
A Hidden Epidemic Threatens Older Adults: Malnutrition December 4, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - For most of her life, Jenny Anne Horst-Martz’s mother worked hard to stay slender. But now, at age 90, her mother struggles to keep enough weight on. The problem started a few years ago when her mother was injured in…
A New Form of Medical Tourism November 5, 2024 by Debby Waldman - To date, only 10 states and Washington, DC, allow doctors to help terminally ill people end their lives, and only two states allow it for nonresidents. Journalist Debby Waldman describes the situation and what it’s like to travel to one…
Their Biggest Worry Is the Cost of Health Care October 24, 2024 by Judith Graham - What weighs most heavily on older adults’ minds when it comes to health care? The cost of services and therapies, and their ability to pay.
What Makes Older Achievers Tick? October 7, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - In recent years, oncologist Philip Salem, MD, has done some of the best work of his career. Using new combinations of existing cancer therapies—personalized immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy—he’s getting remarkable results for patients with advanced lung, pancreatic and other…
Utilities Plunge Nursing Homes into Darkness September 23, 2024 by Kate Ruder - When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, CO, the state’s largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses
Senior Centers Are Evolving September 4, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - The first time Sue and Mike Miller visited their community’s senior center in Portage, MI, several years ago, they found a few people playing pool or bridge—and decided it wasn’t for them. But the couple tried again in 2022, when…
The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients August 13, 2024 by Judith Graham - Susanne Gilliam, 67, was walking down her driveway to get the mail in January when she slipped and fell on a patch of black ice.
Dementia: A Diagnosis Too Often Delayed August 9, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - Last year, a bank officer phoned Kelli Brown’s brother with a concern: a lot of money was going out of their 87-year-old father’s bank account. Their father, a retired accountant, lived alone in Cincinnati. He seemed to be functioning well…
Medical Research Is Shortchanging Older Women July 27, 2024 by Judith Graham - In the past, scientists assumed that males and females were so much alike that the results of studies done on men applied to women as well. They don’t. For this article, journalist Judith Graham asked top doctors and medical researchers…
How to Navigate Our Fragmented Medical System July 3, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - For three years, Lil Banchero’s 86-year-old mother struggled with pain due to advanced arthritis. She tried yoga. Doctors prescribed medications and tried injections. Nothing worked. The pain got worse, and her mother became depressed. “Months passed,” said Banchero. “Nobody was…
Poor Hearing Can Be Frustrating, but So Can Some Hearing Aids June 27, 2024 by Judith Graham - It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he’d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking.
Where Are All the Geriatricians? June 11, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - Even though he’s at retirement age, T.S. Dharmarajan, MD, continues to care for older patients as the clinical director of geriatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY. But he’s terrified of the possibility of becoming a patient himself one…
Health Risks Mount When Seniors Are Stranded in the ER June 4, 2024 by Judith Graham - It’s called “boarding” when patients who have come to an emergency room spend hours and hours, lying on a gurney in a hallway, waiting for a bed in the hospital. Studies show that seniors who have been boarded don’t do…
Are You Trapped in Your Medicare Advantage Plan? May 20, 2024 by Sarah Jane Tribble - In 2016, Richard Timmins went to a free informational seminar to learn more about Medicare coverage.
About 25 Percent of Older Adults in the United States Will Fall Within the Next Year May 1, 2024 by Mary Jacobs - At the end of each appointment, Jo Ann Battles’ cardiologist offers a “thought for the day.” Four years ago, it was this tongue-in-cheek advice: “Whatever you do, don’t fall.” Battles didn’t think much about it. At the time, she was…
What Makes Older Achievers Tick? - In recent years, oncologist Philip Salem, MD, has done some of the best work of his career. Using new combinations of existing cancer therapies—personalized immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy—he’s getting remarkable results for patients with advanced lung, pancreatic and other…
Nailed It! - When my doctor took me by the hand, I expected a comment about my age spots or cat scratches, but no. He was looking for signs of illness and explained that fingernails offer valuable insights into our overall health. A…