Got Long Covid? Medical Expertise Is Vital, and Seniors Should Prepare to Go Slow
Although identifying long covid in older adults can be tricky, experts say there are good strategies for getting medical advice and fighting the impact of the virus.
驴Eres mayor y tienes s铆ntomas de covid persistente? Esto es lo que deber铆as hacer
Pero hay que tener en cuenta que muchos m茅dicos de atenci贸n primaria no saben c贸mo identificar y tratar covid persistente. Si tu m茅dico no puede ayudarte, considera que te remita a un especialista que atienda a pacientes con covid a largo plazo. Adem谩s, 谩rmate de paciencia: las esperas para las citas son largas.
鈥楾hat鈥檚 Just Part of Aging鈥: Long Covid Symptoms Are Often Overlooked in Seniors
Millions of older adults are grappling with long covid, yet the impact on them has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to develop the poorly understood condition than younger or middle-aged adults.
Advance Care Planning for Guns: Owners Can Help Ensure Safe Use and Transfer of Weapons
Colorado researchers publish a tool to help gun owners and family members plan ahead for safe firearm use and transfers in the event of disability or death.
It鈥檚 Your Choice: You Can Change Your Views of Aging and Improve Your Life
Becca Levy of Yale University talks with 鈥淣avigating Aging鈥 columnist Judith Graham about how people can alter ingrained perceptions of aging 鈥 which are often formed unconsciously and are unrecognized.
To Families鈥 Dismay, Biden Nursing Home Reform Doesn鈥檛 View Them as Essential Caregivers
Relatives who often provide vital caregiving for nursing home residents say the lockdowns during the covid pandemic showed the need for family members to visit in person with their loved ones. About a dozen states have passed laws guaranteeing that right, and California is considering one.
Despite Seniors鈥 Strong Desire to Age in Place, the Village Model Remains a Boutique Option
Membership-based villages help arrange services for seniors 鈥 such as handyman help or transportation to appointments 鈥 and provide social connections through classes, leisure opportunities, or community events. Despite great promise, they have been slow to expand because of difficulties raising funding and keeping people interested.
Patients Divided Over Alzheimer鈥檚 Drug: Is It a 鈥楻isk I鈥檓 Willing to Take鈥 or Just a 鈥楳agic Pill鈥?
Medicare has proposed limiting coverage of Aduhelm, the costly new drug to treat Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, and several prominent groups representing patients and their families are pressing the program to make it more widely available. But among individuals facing the disease, the outlook is more nuanced.
As Covid Slogs On, Seniors Find Fortitude Waning and Malaise Growing
The spread of the omicron variant has dashed the hopes of many older adults that the country was exiting the worst of the pandemic, leaving them anxious while their patience wears thin.
Pandemic-Fueled Shortages of Home Health Workers Strand Patients Without Necessary Care
Home health and hospice agencies are experiencing extreme worker shortages, which means they can鈥檛 provide services to all the patients seeking care.
Families Complain as States Require Covid Testing for Nursing Home Visits
Relatives say it is important they be allowed to go into nursing homes because staff shortages are affecting care. And many are still upset about lengthy separations from loved ones during lockdowns earlier in the pandemic.
A New Paradigm Is Needed: Top Experts Question the Value of Advance Care Planning
Prominent researchers say the nationwide effort to get people to spell out how they want to be treated as they die is not improving patients鈥 care.
As Covid Hits Nursing Homes鈥 Finances, Town Residents Fight to Save Alzheimer鈥檚 Facility
Fear of covid has kept some adults from moving to nursing homes, and many facilities are in trouble financially. When Nevada, Missouri, officials announced they were planning to close a home specializing in dementia care, members of the community rose up in protest.
For Older Adults, Smelling the Roses May Be More Difficult
The loss of smell is a common issue for many seniors and is often overlooked. Yet it can have serious consequences.
It Takes a Team: A Doctor With Terminal Cancer Relies on a Close-Knit Group in Her Final Days
Dr. Susan Massad created a 鈥渉ealth team鈥 after learning she had metastatic breast cancer. These friends and family members help her make difficult decisions and lead the most fulfilling life possible.
鈥楥ovid Hit Us Over the Head With a Two-by-Four鈥: Addressing Ageism With Urgency
In light of the pandemic鈥檚 shocking death toll among seniors, organizations are trying new strategies to help older Americans get better care.
鈥楾hey Treat Me Like I鈥檓 Old and Stupid鈥: Seniors Decry Health Providers鈥 Age Bias
Ageism in health care settings, which can result in inappropriate or dangerous treatment, is getting new attention during the covid pandemic, which has killed more than half a million Americans age 65 and older.
A Wrenching Farewell: Bidding Adieu to My Primary Care Doctor After Nearly 30 Years
Long-term relationships between patients and doctors often enrich the quality of care and create deep emotional bonds. When the doctors retire or move on, saying goodbye can be hard.
Alzheimer鈥檚 Drug Targets People With Mild Cognitive Impairment. What Does That Mean?
The condition can be an early signal of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, but not always. Other health concerns could be causing thinking or memory problems, and the new drug, Aduhelm, would not be appropriate for those patients.
Minister for Seniors at Famed Church Confronts Ageism and the Shame It Brings
Lynn Casteel Harper, a minister at the interdenominational Riverside Church in New York City, discusses the spiritual dimension of aging.