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Intimidated by Smartphones or Tablets? Help Is Available December 8, 2021 by Judith Graham - Six months ago, Cindy Sanders, 68, bought a computer so she could learn how to email and have Zoom chats with her great-grandchildren.
What Happens When a Geriatrician Becomes a Caregiver? July 27, 2021 by Judith Graham - The loss of a husband. The death of a sister. Taking in an elderly mother with dementia.
Crafting: A Way to Cope during the Pandemic June 9, 2021 by Mary Jacobs - When KathLynne Lauterback, 64, retired in January 2020, she and her husband planned to move to a new place and to travel. But just a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. A health crisis sent her husband to the…
Why Technology Matters So Much for Older People during a Pandemic May 19, 2021 by Judith Graham - Family gatherings on Zoom and FaceTime. Online orders from grocery stores and pharmacies. Telehealth appointments with physicians.
His Medical Crisis Took Us by Surprise April 21, 2021 by Judith Graham - Earlier this month, my husband picked up the phone and learned his 92-year-old father had been taken to the hospital that morning, feeling sick and short of breath.
The Doctor Is In (Virtually) December 9, 2020 by Mary Jacobs - As a retired registered nurse, Donna Bening, 81, has known for decades that telemedicine was coming. Her expectations have been realized this year. Bening had two virtual visits via videoconference: first with her primary care physician for a routine checkup,…
Bob Blancato: Fighting Elder Abuse through Politics November 11, 2020 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - In 1981, a US Senate committee released the first congressional report on a problem that was gradually coming to light—one that was “shameful” and “alien to the American spirit.” It was being called elder abuse. 
Patient Advocates: Pathfinders in the Complex World of Medicine June 11, 2020 by Mary Jacobs - When a life-threatening staph infection sent Dominick Buttiglieri, 64, to the hospital, his situation quickly worsened—and his wife, Deborah, soon felt overwhelmed. “His organs were shutting down, and the doctors weren’t giving us much hope,” she said. Dominick was in…
Parenting Your Aging Parents May 27, 2020 by Judith Graham - David Solie’s 89-year-old mother, Carol, was unyielding. “No, I will not move,” she told her son every time he suggested that she leave her home and relocate to a senior-living residence.
Where Should You Go to Recover after a Hospitalization? April 7, 2020 by Judith Graham - Every year, nearly two million people on Medicare—most of them older adults—go to a skilled nursing facility to recover after a hospitalization. But choosing the facility can be daunting, according to an emerging body of research.
Researchers Seek Sage Advice of Elders on Aging Issues December 10, 2019 by Judith Graham - Rachel O’Conor booted up her slides and began posing questions to six older adults sitting around a table: How should primary care physicians support patients and caregivers after a diagnosis of dementia? And what stands in the way of getting adequate support?
What If You Don’t Want Dialysis? July 10, 2019 by Judith Graham - Susan Wong, MD, sat down with an 84-year-old patient in the hospital, where he’d been admitted with a flare-up of a serious auto-immune condition and deteriorating kidney function.
‘Elder Orphans’ Need Fallback Plans May 15, 2019 by Judith Graham - It was a memorable place to have an “aha” moment about aging.
Peter Sperry had taken his 82-year-old father, who’d had a stroke and used a wheelchair, to Disney World.
Breaking the Age Barrier May 3, 2019 by Mary Jacobs - Art Russell, 60, counts at least a dozen 20-somethings as friends: the guys he fences with; a 26-year-old colleague at work; and several people who attend his church. Although he also has many friends his own age, Russell values those…
New Challenges for Grandparents March 5, 2019 by Mary Jacobs - As a divorced, single mom, Karen Spencer thought she was done raising children when her son and two daughters grew up and left home. It didn’t work out that way.
The Doctor Will See You Now—Online November 28, 2018 by Steven Findlay - Tucked into the federal budget law Congress passed in February [2018] was a provision that significantly expands the use of telemedicine—long a hyped, health care reform, and now poised to go mainstream within five to 10 years.
Everything You Need to Know about the New Medicare Cards September 28, 2018 by Judith Graham - In April, the government [started] sending out new Medicare cards, launching a massive, yearlong effort to alter how 59 million people enrolled in the federal health insurance program are identified.
Love to Travel? Don’t Let Aging or a Disability Stop You July 11, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - As a cultural attaché for the US Department of State, Teresa Wilkin lived abroad and traveled the world, and she kept traveling, extensively, after retiring in 2004. But it wasn’t until last year that Wilkin, 69, had what she wryly…
How to Save Yourself and Those You Love During a Disaster April 20, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - When Hurricane Harvey struck his neighborhood on August 28, 2017, the Rev. John Stephens of Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston helped launch a “boat ministry.” He and several men in the church navigated privately owned boats into the rising…
Aging Boomers May Need a Little Help from Their Friends March 11, 2018 by Lois Collins - Family members already form an invisible work force that cares for America's frail elders. But changes in policy and family structure—from later-life divorce to smaller families—suggest that friends and extended family will play even more important roles as caregivers in coming years.
How to Preplan Your Own Funeral - When Amy Martin’s mother-in-law died last year at the age of 96, the funeral arrangements were easy. Her mother-in-law had discussed her wishes with her two adult children. 
Is the Term ‘Senior Abuse Prevention’ Ageist? - I hardly ever cross-post questions from my Yo, Is This Ageist blog. I’m making an exception because the question below occasioned such a meaty discussion during this week’s Old School’s Office Hours meetup. It also helped me understand why the phrase…