Aging
Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System
Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. U.S. Health Care Is Harmful to One’s Health Thank you for publishing this research (“Hundreds of Hospitals Sue Patients or Threaten Their Credit, a KHN Investigation Finds. Does Yours?” Dec. 21). […]
Lo que necesitan saber los adultos mayores sobre covid y Paxlovid
Una nueva variante del coronavirus está circulando, la más transmisible hasta el momento, con hospitalizaciones en aumento. Y los adultos mayores representan casi el 90% de las muertes por covid-19 en Estados Unidos en los últimos meses, la porción más grande desde el comienzo de la pandemia. ¿Qué significa esto para las personas de 65 […]
What Older Americans Need to Know About Taking Paxlovid
A new coronavirus variant is circulating, the most transmissible one yet. Hospitalizations of infected patients are rising. And older adults represent nearly 90% of U.S. deaths from covid-19 in recent months, the largest portion since the start of the pandemic. What does that mean for people 65 and older catching covid for the first time […]
Ending Involuntary Commitments Would Shift Burden of Dementia Care to Strapped Communities
HELENA, Mont. — State lawmakers from both parties have shown support for a plan to stop the practice of committing people with Alzheimer’s disease, other types of dementia, or traumatic brain injuries without their consent to the troubled Montana State Hospital and instead direct them to treatment in their communities. But a budget estimate attached […]
Siete preguntas que una persona mayor debe hacer antes de someterse a una cirugía compleja
Larry McMahon, que este mes cumple 80 años, está evaluando someterse a una intervención quirúrgica mayor. En los últimos cinco años, su dolor de espalda se ha intensificado. La fisioterapia, los relajantes musculares y las inyecciones no lo alivian. “Es un dolor que apenas me deja hacer nada”, dijo. ¿Debería McMahon, policía estatal retirado de […]
Weighing Risks of a Major Surgery: 7 Questions Older Americans Should Ask Their Surgeon
Larry McMahon, who turned 80 in December, is weighing whether to undergo a major surgery. Over the past five years, his back pain has intensified. Physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and injections aren’t offering relief. “It’s a pain that leaves me hardly able to do anything,” he said. Should McMahon, a retired Virginia state trooper who […]
A Retiree Returns to Work After a Calamitous Year of Health Emergencies
“My stress was off the charts.” David Zipprich David Zipprich, 65, Fort Worth, Texas Approximate Medical Debt: More than $200,000 Medical Issue: Diabetes and covid-19 What Happened: David Zipprich, a Fort Worth businessman and grandfather, was forced out of retirement after a series of hospitalizations left him owing more than $200,000. Zipprich had spent a […]
Medicare Pay Cuts Will Hurt Seniors’ Care, Doctors Argue
[UPDATED at 11 a.m. ET for news developments.] Doctors are urging Congress to call off cuts scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1 in the reimbursements they receive from Medicare. In what has become an almost yearly ritual, physician groups are arguing that patients will have greater difficulty finding doctors who accept Medicare if lawmakers […]
Are You an Optimist? Could You Learn to Be? Your Health May Depend on It.
When you think about the future, do you expect good or bad things to happen? If you weigh in on the “good” side, you’re an optimist. And that has positive implications for your health in later life. Multiple studies show a strong association between higher levels of optimism and a reduced risk of conditions such […]
To Attract In-Home Caregivers, California Offers Paid Training — And Self-Care
One November afternoon, Chris Espedal asked a group of caregivers — all of whom work with people who have cognitive impairments, behavioral health issues, or complex physical needs — to describe what happens when their work becomes too much to bear. The participants, 13 caregivers from all over California, who had gathered in a Zoom […]