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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. 
Sex after 65: Friskier but Riskier March 4, 2025 by Mary Jacobs - At 81, Hélène Bertrand, MD, and her 90-year-old husband continue to enjoy a fulfilling sex life. Once every week or two, they share intimate moments that lead to orgasm and, as Bertrand puts it, “a very good night’s sleep.” “Over…
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…
We Age in Bursts - 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…
On the Unsung Pleasures of Very Long Friendships - I made my first real friend when I was 11 and she was 12. Marsha moved in on the block. Soon after, her mother saw my mother in the backyard and said she had a daughter about my age. My…