Your elder loved one is in the hospital in a bed but is she an inpatient or an outpatient under observation? It matters. One of the anomalies in our sprawling healthcare system can unexpectedly cost patients and their families thousands of dollars. Here’s how it...
Taking a tumble is no trivial matter for older adults, but falling is by no means an inevitable part of aging. The sheer numbers related to falling – which happens to more than one-third of Americans over age 65 each year – are terrifying: According to the U.S....
One unchangeable fact of life is that people never stop changing, no matter how old they get. Aging brings a cascade of physical and emotional changes, which can lead to a variety of behavioral changes that can baffle or worry an older adult’s loved ones.As America’s...
About half of Americans age 65 and older take five or more medications daily and many mix prescription and over-the-counter medications with vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements. With each additional medication or supplement, the risk of an adverse reaction...
We are living longer. The dramatic increase in life expectancy is one of the most notable achievements of the 20th century, with a ten-fold increase in the number of Americans over the age of 65. By 2060, people over 65 will number about 98 million, more than twice...
We in the elder care community have much work to do for culture change regarding elders in our country. As a Geriatrician providing house calls in the San Francisco Bay Area, I see many sad cases of elder abuse and many that are missed due to allowing the...
