An alarming percentage of seniors are shuttled between hospitals and nursing homes and back again, complicating their recovery. And government policies may be making the situation worse.
Why we should greet every medical breakthrough with skepticism.
Visits from our grandson force us to get down on the floor — and up again — more spontaneously than we’d prefer, but research tells us that he’s actually doing us a favor.
An alarming percentage of seniors rely on sedatives to make it through the night, risking serious side effects. Public-health efforts to wean them from the drugs have yielded mixed results.
When critical illness strikes, elderly patients often have less control over their treatment options than they would prefer. Recent research — and my own experience — suggests that better communication could create better outcomes.
Barbara Ehrenreich’s new book has me marveling at the capricious nature of the dystopian body.
At a certain age, ambition can be counterproductive. But how do you stop striving without losing a sense of purpose? An ancient Chinese sage offers a practical path.
Will simple absent-mindedness soon be classified as pre-Alzheimer’s?
Recent research suggests that a personal financial disaster in middle age or later greases the skids to an early grave, but my own experience argues for a more nuanced view.
The labor-saving revolution I recall from my post-WWII childhood has morphed into an identity-sapping movement that threatens to strip meaning from our lives. The elderly, however, may be immune to its allure.
The latest in a series of studies suggesting that cutting calories will extend your lifespan has this geezer heading back to the kitchen for seconds.
There are plenty of reasons why geezers like me have not embraced the online life, but none of them should encourage tech firms to ignore us.
As geezers continue flocking to providers of knee-replacement surgery, recent research suggests those covered by Medicare may be taking more risks than their privately insured peers.
Outpatient services are pushing the modern hospital to the margins of the healthcare industry, a trend that offers both benefits and challenges to the Medicare set.
Even a little physical activity can go a long way toward extending your lifespan, according to several recent studies. Just be careful crossing the street.
When we’re laid low by some malady, what would happen if we welcomed the pain rather than trying to escape from it? My recent attempts produced rather mixed results.
Recent research links negative perceptions of aging to dementia, but that’s not the only reason to stay upbeat as you grow old.
A new study reveals a fragmented and inefficient longevity industry. I’m not the only one who hopes it stays that way.
With the long-term-care industry collapsing, forcing millions of elderly Americans to choose between higher premiums or a loss of coverage, I’m reminded how little control we have over our futures.
New research suggests that poor oral hygiene may contribute to cancer, a conundrum few geezers can afford to address.
Like many geezers, I’m determined to avoid institutional housing when I’m too old to fend completely for myself. To do so, however, I may have to become more sociable.