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Increasing greenery in urban areas may reduce mortality of all causes, study reveals

A new analysis on greenery and mortality found that between 34,000-38,000 deaths could have been reduced with local increases in green vegetation in US metropolitan areas.

19 May 2022

‘That’s just part of aging’: Long covid symptoms are often overlooked in seniors

Nearly 18 months after getting covid-19 and spending weeks in the hospital, Terry Bell struggles with hanging up his shirts and pants after doing the laundry.

18 May 2022

After the pandemic hit nursing homes hard, California lawmakers push to tighten licensing rules

When Johanna Trenerry found a nursing home for her husband after his stroke, she expected his stay would be temporary.

16 May 2022

UCF researchers developing new tool to help protect the elderly from scammers

UCF researchers are developing a tool for primary care providers that could help them protect senior citizens from scammers who steal everything from the elderly's life's savings to their identity.

13 May 2022

Antibiotic use could explain the growth in inflammatory bowel disease in older people

The more antibiotics prescribed to patients 60 and older, the more likely they were to develop inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting antibiotic use could explain some of the growth in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in older people, according to a review of 2.3 million patient records in a study selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2022.

13 May 2022

Medicare surprise: Drug plan prices touted during open enrollment can rise within a month

Something strange happened between the time Linda Griffith signed up for a new Medicare prescription drug plan during last fall's enrollment period and when she tried to fill her first prescription in January.

3 May 2022

Einstein researchers receive $4.2 million NIH grant to detect behavioral markers for Alzheimer's

Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease can be a complex and time-consuming process, requiring evaluations ranging from brain scans to cognitive and lab tests to reviews of medical history and symptoms.

27 Apr 2022

How the test-to-treat pillar of the US covid strategy is failing patients

The federal "test-to-treat" program, announced in March, is meant to reduce covid hospitalizations and deaths by quickly getting antiviral pills to people who test positive. But even as cases rise again, many Americans don't have access to the program.

15 Apr 2022

Private equity ownership of nursing homes triggers Capitol Hill questions — and a GAO probe

In his State of the Union address last month, President Joe Biden focused attention on how private equity ownership of nursing homes can affect residents' health.

13 Apr 2022

Report: Depression and loneliness have increased among older adults during COVID-19 pandemic

Rates of depression and loneliness have increased among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a need for more coordinated efforts to address the issue going forward, according to a new report on social isolation among older Canadians.

11 Apr 2022

Refurbished walkers and wheelchairs fill gaps created by supply chain problems

Michele Lujan needed a wheelchair for her 52-year-old husband who had been hospitalized with covid-19. But she had lost her job, and money was tight.

11 Apr 2022

Why Black and Hispanic seniors are left with a less powerful flu vaccine

At Whitman-Walker Health, Dr. David Fessler and his staff administer high-dose influenza vaccine to all HIV-positive and senior patients.

6 Apr 2022

Patients’ perilous months-long waiting for Medicaid coverage is a sign of what’s to come

Korra Elliott has tried to avoid seeing a doctor while waiting to get on Medicaid. She worries she can't afford more bills without any insurance coverage. But in early March — five months, she said, after applying and with still no decision about her application — a suspected case of the flu sent her blood pressure soaring and landed her in the emergency room.

4 Apr 2022

Study: More than 20% of older adults in the U.S. experience food insufficiency

More than 20% of older adults in the United States will experience food insufficiency at some point in their 60s and 70s, according to a University of Michigan study.

29 Mar 2022

Excessive daytime napping among older people may foreshadow dementia

Daytime napping among older people is a normal part of aging – but it may also foreshadow Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

18 Mar 2022

Medicare Advantage plans send pals to seniors’ homes for companionship — and profits

Widowed and usually living alone, Gloria Bailey walks with a cane after two knee replacement surgeries and needs help with housekeeping.

15 Mar 2022

Patients divided over Alzheimer’s drug: Is it a ‘risk I’m willing to take’ or just a ‘magic pill’?

If you listen to the nation's largest Alzheimer's disease advocacy organizations, you might think everyone living with Alzheimer's wants unfettered access to Aduhelm, a controversial new treatment.

7 Mar 2022

Charts paint a grim picture 2 years into the coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is now stretching into its third year, a grim milestone that calls for another look at the human toll of covid-19, and the unsteady progress in containing it.

7 Mar 2022

Alcohol consumption may be a modifiable risk factor for age-related macular degeneration

Even though Dry January is over, new research suggests you may want to consider keeping the no-alcohol challenge going all year, especially if you're among the nearly 2 million Americans who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a sight-threatening eye condition.

28 Feb 2022

Watch: Seniors share how they’ve made it through the pandemic

Too often the voices of older people are not heard. Judith Graham, KHN’s Navigating Aging columnist, invited nine seniors from across the country to talk candidly about their highs and lows as they enter Year 3 of the pandemic, with lives reordered by risk and restriction.

24 Feb 2022