‘Oh, My Aging Feet’
Addressing foot problems in older adults Our feet take a pounding every day. But for many older adults, aging feet can quickly become aching feet. “Our feet change as we get older. For example, the tissues stretch out, losing strength and support,” says Lowell Weil Jr., DPM, chief executive officer of the Weil Foot & […]
Vulnerable Adults
These 4 risk factors make older people more prone to Covid-19 complications Shortly after a visit to New York in April, John Troy was diagnosed with Covid-19. Troy, 71, of Skokie, was hospitalized for 12 days due to the illness. “Before they even got the results from my Covid-19 test, they hospitalized me,” he says. […]
‘More Than Physical Health’: Gym Helps 91-Year-Old Battle Isolation
Above photo: Art Ballard, 91, is a retired jeweler in Monrovia, California, who relies on a gym — which he calls “the club” — for his physical and mental health. “If I hit 100 years old, I would like to be taken up to the club on my birthday,” Ballard says. (Heidi de Marco/KHN) MONROVIA, […]
Misinformation Campaigns Hamper Coronavirus Response
Regina Fargis didn’t know what to do. Fargis runs Summit Hills — a health and retirement community in Spartanburg, South Carolina, that offers skilled nursing, activities and communal meals for its residents, most of whom are over 60, the highest-risk category for coronavirus complications. In South Carolina, more than a hundred new cases were emerging […]
How to Participate in a Clinical Trial
All his life, Steve Sultanoff, 66, had high cholesterol, a problem that runs in his family. When he was younger and didn’t have great health insurance, he decided to participate in clinical trials to get better health care and help discover new medicine that would benefit him. He was put on statins, but those gave […]
A Caregiver’s Role: Running to a Crisis
In the middle of April, a few weeks into Illinois’ stay-at-home order, we finally got the call we were anxiously anticipating. A local assisted living facility asked if Right at Home could provide one-on-one care for a woman with dementia who tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, when others asked if we would take care of […]
‘No Intubation’: Seniors Fearful of COVID-19 Are Changing Their Advance Directives
Last month, Minna Buck revised a document specifying her wishes should she become critically ill. “No intubation,” she wrote in large letters on the form, making sure to include the date and her initials. Buck, 91, had been following the news about COVID-19. She knew her chances of surviving a serious bout of the illness […]
Healthy Eating for Older Adults
Eating right can help keep your body and mind healthy and extend your quality of life. But some older Americans may face barriers to getting enough nutrients or calories. Many ways aging can affect appetite Physiological changes that come with aging can result in reduced calorie needs, which can lead to decreased food intake and […]
Ask the Harvard Experts: For COVID-19, Defining ‘Older’ and ‘Chronic Disease’
Q: I keep hearing about how older adults and those with chronic diseases have a higher risk from COVID-19. What is “older” and a “chronic disease”? A: Indeed, older adults and those with chronic health problems who get COVID-19 are more likely to require hospitalization and admission to an intensive care unit. “Older” is more […]
Does Everyone Over 60 Need to Take the Same Coronavirus Precautions?
She knew it wasn’t a good idea and her daughter would disapprove. Nonetheless, Barbara Figge Fox, 79, recently went to four stores in Princeton, New Jersey, to shop for canned goods, paper towels, fresh fruit, yogurt and other items. “I was in panic mode,” says Fox, who admitted she’s been feeling both agonizing fear and […]
Amid Pandemic, Programs Struggle to Reach Vulnerable Seniors Living at Home
Close down group meals for seniors. Cancel social gatherings. The directive, from the Illinois Department on Aging, sent shock waves through senior service organizations late last week. Overnight, Area Agencies on Aging had to figure out how to help people in their homes instead of at sites where they mingle and get various types of […]
Stroke Rates Increasing in Those Under 55
Stroke is not a disease that’s exclusive to the elderly. Fans were shocked and saddened when Luke Perry, former teen heartthrob and star of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale, died of a massive stroke at 52. And sadly, Perry’s death is reflective of a trend that health professionals have been noting for years: an increase […]
Suicide Watch
Know the Warning Signs in Older Adults A recent study in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging revealed a shocking truth: The risk of suicide increases with age, with rates as high as 48.7 per 100,000 for older white men over age 65 — more than four times the age-adjusted average. Depression is a common […]
End-of-Life Care
Talking about death can help you live better at the end Gerry Mathy learned she had late-stage pancreatic cancer in 2009. The 75-year-old Wisconsin woman had witnessed her late husband’s grueling lung cancer treatment and didn’t want the same for herself. No chemo, no radiation, no thank you. At the urging of her sons, she […]
Downsizing Dilemmas
Easing seniors’ transition to a smaller space Dorothy Beatty was an anomaly when it came to downsizing, says her son, Stanley Beatty. Dorothy, from Kansas City, Missouri, took her time making the decision to downsize from the home she lived in with her husband and children to an apartment in a senior community. But once […]
This Old Body
I’ve always enjoyed birthdays. Mine falls around Memorial Day, near the birthdays of several family members and friends. With the long weekend, the warmer weather and numerous celebrations, getting older was always a lot of fun. But now I’m 38. I can see 40 breaking over the horizon, and things don’t look so good. Always […]
10 Things You Need to Know About Hiring an In-Home Caregiver
When caring for a loved one at home, most family caregivers reach a point where they realize they need some assistance. Hiring an in-home caregiver can ease the workload, providing help with tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, companionship and supervision. The caregiving industry is growing alongside the aging baby boomer population. With so many […]
Encouraging Innovation in Technology that Helps Older Adults
Less than a decade ago, the field of aging was a sleepy sector of innovation. Now, with the recent rise of advances in medical technology, coupled with the surge of baby boomers, aging is ripe for innovation. An estimated 3.6 million Americans will turn 65 every year until 2029. That fact has awakened the market […]
Seniors in the Center
Changing the way older adults access healthcare Above: At Northwestern Medicine, Anne Seltzer, social worker with the division of geriatrics, and geriatrician Sara Bradley, MD, work with patient Kareemeh Simon and her daughter, Mary. Courtesy of Northwestern Medicine. Photo by Laura Brown You know them as parents. Neighbors. The cashier at your local supermarket. Maybe even the usher at […]
POLST Orders Help Patients Advocate for Their End-of-Life Care
My grandfather did not want to die. From hospital to home, back to hospital and finally to hospice, he angrily fought against the realities of the cancer that would eventually end his life. Many years before his battle with cancer, I remember sitting in the car with him, discussing assisted deaths. I was home for […]
5 tips for eating to age well
Environmental Nutrition Newsletter If you want to keep a sharp mind and able body as you age, it takes a bit of effort. Here are our five key dietary strategies: 1. Consume EPA and DHA omega-3s. These fish oils support heart health, brain function and memory during aging. That’s not all. A July 2015 American […]
What People Really Want to Know About Medicare
By Janet Bodnar, Kiplinger Personal Finance The likelihood that high-income recipients will see a major hike in their Part B premiums in 2016 is adding to the general angst and confusion that often goes along with enrolling in Medicare. Contributing editor Kim Lankford, our insurance specialist and author of our Ask Kim column, says she […]
End-of-Life Care: The Conversation That Can’t Wait
By Heidi Lading Kiec Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” This quote, found in many leadership books, is applicable to a host of situations, but it’s especially relevant to individuals and their loved ones facing end-of-life […]
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Presbyopia a normal part of aging, but regular eye exams are recommended
By Michael Mahr, M.D., Tribune Content Agency DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m 43 and have started having trouble with my vision while reading. I know this is common for someone my age. I do have “readers” that I sometimes use, but am hoping to put off regular glasses as long as possible. Am I doing harm […]
Alzheimer’s patients can craft their own care plans
By Eleanor Laise, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report Caring for someone with dementia can present a host of difficult questions. When should the patient be moved to a long-term-care facility? Would she want to participate in experimental drug trials? Under what circumstances would she want life-sustaining treatments? A growing array of advance-planning documents are helping seniors facing […]
Knowing When to Decide
Aging in a New Home By Megy Karydes LaManda Joy comes across a tiny wooden box in the back of a drawer and realizes it contains flowers from her parents’ wedding in June 1945. Her mother’s home is like a time capsule, she says, and moving her from it to a long-term care situation has […]
Silver Palate
Retirement communities dishing up creative meals for senior ‘foodies’ By Nancy Maes Pictured above: Octopus at The Clare. Photo by Chef Hagop Hagopian Not too long ago, the stereotypical meal in a retirement home might have included nondescript meat, vegetables from a can and bright-colored Jell-O offered in a dreary setting. But as the culinary […]
What Your Body Is Telling You In Your 30s and 40s
By Morgan Lord When we women leave our 20s and enter our 30s and 40s, we finally peak—comfortable in our skin, we exude confidence. But although our minds, like whiskey and leather boots, become better with age, our bodies are working in reverse—bone mass declines, our metabolism slows, and we’re more susceptible to a slew […]
Time to Grow Old
Through the good and the bad, it’s by grace that we age We’re all getting older, and fast. By the time you finish this sentence, you’ll be one moment closer to your last. But, you’ll have gained another moment, too. You see, we think of aging in relative terms: “I’m old enough for this.” “I’m […]
Old Arthur Itis
Are the effects of arthritis just something we have to deal with as we age? By Karen Schwartz Ah, getting older… You wake up each morning, and that back pain makes it hard to get out of bed. Or perhaps you jogged around your neighborhood, and it feels like you’ve run a marathon. Should you […]
More than Bridge and Bingo
Retirement communities are no longer homes for the old folks By Karen Schwartz Walk into the independent living apartments of The Admiral at the Lake continuing care retirement community (CCRC) on the North Side of Chicago, and you’ll see beautifully appointed one-, two- and three-bedroom units, some with an expansive view of Lake Michigan. The […]
