Skip to content
Skip to main menu
Ministrokes Can Have Major Consequences October 13, 2025 by Paula Span - The symptoms of a TIA can be so mild that it’s tempting to ignore them. Journalist Paula Span describes the symptoms and reports on the latest research on ministrokes and the consequences of ignoring them. KFF Health News posted her…
The Beers Criteria: What Patients Need to Know October 1, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - Before she landed in the hospital, Wilma Jones (not her real name) was living independently and generally managing well, despite some mild cognitive impairment. But one day, when an insurance assessor came to her home, Jones answered in her underwear,…
Programs That Provide Rehab at Home Are Making a Difference September 26, 2025 by SCF-Editor - What can a hospital do when patients don’t need more hospital care but aren’t yet well enough to go home, and there’s no place else to send them? Too often, the patients are simply stuck in the hospital. Some programs…
Does Using Cannabis Become Riskier in Later Life? September 19, 2025 by Paula Span - It’s not clear what benefits cannabis offers, but there’s evidence that it can be harmful, journalist Paula Span reports in this wide-ranging column. Many older people assume it’s safer than smoking, but studies suggest that’s not true. KFF Health News …
Aging Voices September 3, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - For the past 14 years, Darrell Rodenbaugh has played the lead in Scrooge – The Musical, an annual production by North Texas Performing Arts in Plano. The role is a marathon for 62-year-old Rodenbaugh: the company performs more than a…
Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils of Elderspeak August 28, 2025 by Paula Span - Elderspeak is a kind of baby talk sometimes used when speaking to older people, especially those living with dementia. Elderspeak is common and it’s alienating. Journalist Paula Span reports that in one study, nursing home staff used elderspeak in 84…
Millions of Aging Americans Are Facing Dementia by Themselves August 5, 2025 by Judith Graham - Sociologist Elena Portacolone was taken aback. Many of the older adults in San Francisco she visited at home for a research project were confused when she came to the door.
Most Nursing Home Residents Aren’t Getting COVID Vaccines July 26, 2025 by Sarah Boden - It seems no one is taking COVID-19 seriously anymore, said Mollee Loveland, a nursing home aide who lives outside Pittsburgh.
Time, Fast and Slow July 15, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - When she graduated in 1996, Amy Forbus’ four years at Hendrix College felt like a miniature lifetime. College had been the biggest undertaking of her life thus far. But when she returned to the same liberal arts school in Arkansas…
Cameras Are Popping Up in Long Term Care Facilities July 12, 2025 by Paula Span - The assisted living facility in Edina, MN, where Jean Peters and her siblings moved their mother in 2011, looked lovely. 
Facing the Uncertainties of Aging June 29, 2025 by Judith Graham - Facing her own retirement, journalist Judith Graham contemplates the uncertainties we all face in later life and draws on what she’s learned in four decades as a journalist and more than the eight years writing the “Navigating Aging” column for…
A Centenarian Thrives, Living Alone in a Big City June 13, 2025 by Judith Graham - “The future is here,” the email announced. Hilda Jaffe, then 88, was letting her children know she planned to sell the family home in Verona, NJ. 
Know Your Numbers June 3, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - Every year, millions of older adults roll up their sleeves for an annual physical. Blood is drawn, a cuff tightens around the arm, and a stethoscope taps against the chest. A few days later, a patient portal pings with test…
Resources Are Expanding for Older Adults Who Live Alone May 28, 2025 by Judith Graham - Jeff Kromrey, 69, will sit down with his daughter the next time she visits and show her how to access his online accounts if he has an unexpected health crisis.
Older Venezuelans in the United States Are Struggling May 16, 2025 by Clavel Rangel Jimenez - Mariela Sucre, a Venezuelan asylum seeker, has spent the past few weeks feeling utterly overwhelmed. There’s too much on her plate: working, caring for her 86-year-old mother (who has dementia) and waiting on an asylum case that hasn’t moved in…
For Homeless Seniors, Getting into Stable Housing Takes a Village—and a Lot of Luck May 14, 2025 by Aaron Bolton - Over two years ago, Kim Hilton and his partner walked out of their home for the final time. The house had sold, and the new landlord raised the rent.
Are You Losing Your Sense of Taste or Smell? May 2, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - Whenever real estate agent Nancy Watkins, 65, considers listing a home, she always brings along a colleague for the first visit. Because if the house is stinky—a big turnoff for prospective buyers—she can’t tell. Watkins (not her real name) has…
Homebound Seniors Living Alone Often Slip Through Health System’s Cracks April 23, 2025 by Judith Graham - Carolyn Dickens, 76, was sitting at her dining room table, struggling to catch her breath as her physician looked on with concern.
How to Lower the Risk That You’ll Be Hospitalized or Die April 11, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - In 2006, Carmen Emery endured a bad case of shingles—just before the vaccine became available. She spent months in agonizing pain. Afterward, she got the shot as soon as she could and encouraged family and friends to get theirs too. …
It Takes a Network to Support a Senior Who Lives Alone March 18, 2025 by Judith Graham - Donald Hammen, 80, and his longtime next-door neighbor in south Minneapolis, Julie McMahon, have an understanding.
Time, Fast and Slow - When she graduated in 1996, Amy Forbus’ four years at Hendrix College felt like a miniature lifetime. College had been the biggest undertaking of her life thus far. But when she returned to the same liberal arts school in Arkansas…
Tough Break - My long-time friend of over three decades is an avid exerciser and has been as long as I have known her. She has a gym membership (maybe two) and attends classes daily. Her reasoning was not to look good in…