Aging
Biden Administration Proposes New Standards to Boost Nursing Home Staffing
The nation’s most thinly staffed nursing homes would be required to hire more workers under new rules proposed on Friday by the Biden administration, the greatest change to federal nursing home regulations in three decades. The proposed standard was prompted by the industry’s troubled performance earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, when 200,000 nursing home residents […]
Exclusive: CMS Study Sabotages Efforts to Bolster Nursing Home Staffing, Advocates Say
The Biden administration last year promised to establish minimum staffing levels for the nation’s roughly 15,000 nursing homes. It was the centerpiece of an agenda to overhaul an industry the government said was rife with substandard care and failures to follow federal quality rules. But a research study the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
A New Medicare Proposal Would Cover Training for Family Caregivers
Even with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her hip. LaTurner, 71, had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia seven years before. For two years, she’d been living with LaFleur, who managed insulin injections for […]
New Alzheimer’s Drug Raises Hopes — Along With Questions
The FDA has approved Leqembi, the first disease-modifying treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s and a precursor condition, mild cognitive impairment. Medicare has said it will pay for the therapy. Medical centers across the country are scrambling to finalize policies and procedures for providing the medication to patients, possibly by summer’s end or early autumn. It’s a […]
The Real Costs of the New Alzheimer’s Drug, Most of Which Will Fall to Taxpayers
The first drug purporting to slow the advance of Alzheimer’s disease is likely to cost the U.S. health care system billions annually even as it remains out of reach for many of the lower-income seniors most likely to suffer from dementia. Medicare and Medicaid patients will make up 92% of the market for lecanemab, according […]
New Weight Loss Drugs Carry High Price Tags and Lots of Questions for Seniors
Corlee Morris has dieted throughout her adult life. After her weight began climbing in high school, she spent years losing 50 or 100 pounds then gaining it back. Morris, 78, was at her heaviest in her mid-40s, standing 5 feet 10½ inches and weighing 310 pounds. The Pittsburgh resident has had diabetes for more than […]
En las personas mayores, un poco de sobrepeso no es tan malo
Millones de personas llegan a la vejez con unas 10 o 15 libras de más, peso que han ganado tras tener hijos, desarrollar problemas articulares, volverse menos activas o convertir las comidas en el centro de su vida social. ¿Deberían perder este modesto peso extra para optimizar su salud? Esta pregunta surge ante la aparición […]
In Older Adults, a Little Excess Weight Isn’t Such a Bad Thing
Millions of people enter later life carrying an extra 10 to 15 pounds, weight they’ve gained after having children, developing joint problems, becoming less active, or making meals the center of their social lives. Should they lose this modest extra weight to optimize their health? This question has come to the fore with a new […]
Why the Next Big Hope for Alzheimer’s Might Not Help Most Black Patients
The FDA on Thursday gave full approval to what many scientists and doctors believe is the first drug to show promise of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. But while patient advocates are celebrating, critics see it as the unfortunate triumph of a flawed theory of the disease’s cause and predict the rollout of the […]
More States Drop Sales Tax on Disposable Diapers to Boost Affordability
Shirley Bloxom can’t forget the pride-swallowing shame she felt asking friends and church members for financial help. After surgery left her husband partially paralyzed, he needed to use disposable underwear at least three times a day, said Bloxom, 72. Living on a fixed income, the couple couldn’t afford them. Bloxom’s husband is among the estimated […]