Skip to content
Skip to main menu
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.
They’re Not Well and They’re All Alone March 11, 2018 by Sharon Jayson - Phyllis Krantzman knows what she should do, but like many of her peers, the 71-year-old doesn’t know how to approach a casual acquaintance to ask who will take care of her when she needs it most.
Boomerang Seniors—They’re Moving to Be Near Mom or Dad March 7, 2018 by Sharon Jayson - Like many peers in their 70s, Lois and Richard Jones of Media, PA, sold their home and downsized, opting for an apartment in a nearby senior living community they had come to know well. For 13 years, they have visited Lois’ mother, Madge Wertzberger, there.
Save on Health Care at the Playground January 20, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - When Ronni Bennett discovered elder playgrounds online a few years ago, she immediately fell in love with the concept.
Aging and Addicted January 20, 2018 by Jenny Gold for Kaiser Health News - It took a lot of convincing for John Evard to go to rehab. Seven days into his stay at the Las Vegas Recovery Center, the nausea and aching muscles of opioid withdrawal were finally beginning to fade.
Chinese American Families: Stressed Out over Caregiving January 20, 2018 by Lotus Chau - Almost three in four Chinese American family caregivers say they feel the stress and burden of caring for their elderly parents, according to a recent study from Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.- The Opioid Balancing Act January 18, 2018 by Jenny Gold for Kaiser Health News - The national conversation about the opioid epidemic has mostly focused on young people who buy drugs illegally on the street. But the scrutiny of opioids has also changed the way doctors are prescribing medications to [older people] to ease their pain from arthritis, cancer, neurological diseases and other illnesses that become more common in later life.
What Happens When Someone Dies without a Will? - Years later, the story still haunts attorney Jennifer Cona. A man—in his 70s and in good health—retained her to draw up a will. He wanted to bequeath his sizable estate to his grandson and to a few charities. He did…
For the Umpteenth Time: ‘Too Old to Be President’ - Wondering how to respond when people equate a political candidate’s age with their fitness for office? You’ll find plenty of answers in “Biden is now America’s first octogenarian president,” which appeared in Salon. The writer reached out to experts like physician Louise…