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The Confinement Conundrum
By Craig CoxThe COVID-19 pandemic is forcing millions of elderly Americans to stay at home, where they’re forced to confront another major health challenge: loneliness.
Department: Pumping Irony
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PUMPING IRONY: Life, Death, and Language
By Craig CoxWords matter when you’re facing a serious illness, and the traditional “risk-versus-benefit” approach to treatment options doesn’t always lead to the healthiest choices.
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Drink to Your (Brain) Health?
By Craig CoxRecent research suggesting that poor hydration may be impairing cognitive function in older women has me wondering why thirst-averse geezers like me are somehow spared.
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PUMPING IRONY: Medicare Mischief
By Craig CoxA recent shift in Medicare reimbursement policies is roiling the home-healthcare industry. It should give pause to folks banking on a single-payer solution to our busted system.
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PUMPING IRONY: Life Everlasting?
By Craig CoxA renowned genetics pioneer argues that medical advances will someday allow humans to live well past 100 years. I can’t help wondering what would be lost in the process.
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PUMPING IRONY: Short-Circuited
By Craig CoxDanish researchers suggest that my diminutive stature as a youth makes it more likely I’ll develop dementia. I think they may be short-sighted.
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PUMPING IRONY: The Perils of Pedaling
By Craig CoxNew Zealand researchers have found that bicycling to work may enhance your longevity. My own experience suggests they may be ignoring the possibility of fatal collisions.
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PUMPING IRONY: Strong Medicine
By Craig CoxNew research on muscle mass and heart disease reminds me of a harsh lesson my dad taught me long ago: Never assume anything.
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PUMPING IRONY: Is There a Nurse in the House?
By Craig CoxThe nation is facing an unprecedented nursing shortage just as new evidence suggests that a nurse-led approach may improve the care of our elders.
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PUMPING IRONY: Time for a Tune-Up?
By Craig CoxResults of a new study threaten to upend decades of longevity research and perhaps require physicians to act more like car mechanics.
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PUMPING IRONY: Stuff Happens
By Craig CoxMysterious aches and pain are always going to erupt as we grow older; it doesn’t mean we’re doomed to a future of frailty.
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PUMPING IRONY: A Working Hypothesis
By Craig CoxMy path to retirement has long been littered with financial obstacles. Recent research suggests that may not be such a bad thing.
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PUMPING IRONY: “Oh, You Shouldn’t Have!”
By Craig CoxWe were determined not to exchange Christmas gifts this year. Then reality intervened.
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PUMPING IRONY: Pick Your Poison
By Craig CoxJust as new research warns heart-healthy older folks that taking aspirin to prevent a heart attack could be fatal, another study suggests regular doses could fend off cancer. I just wish it would work when I get a headache.
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PUMPING IRONY: Live Long and Suffer?
By Craig CoxBecause we’re all living longer lives, longevity visionaries suggest we need to rethink societal norms around aging. I have my doubts that social engineering is the answer.
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Fumbled Friendships
By Craig CoxRobust social connections are key to our well-being as we age, so should I worry that my circle of friends has been narrowing for years? Not so much.
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PUMPING IRONY: Don’t Move!
By Craig CoxGovernment attempts to curb falls in the hospital have limited mobility so much that elderly patients often head home in worse shape than when they arrived.
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PUMPING IRONY: Not OK, Boomers
By Craig CoxWhile some of my geezer contemporaries are taking offense at Generation Z’s campaign to blame us for the state of the world, I say bring it on.
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PUMPING IRONY: Hear No Evil
By Craig CoxThere’s plenty of evidence showing that hearing loss can damage our quality of life as we grow older, but the senior set — including my brother — seems immune to the warnings.
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PUMPING IRONY: Don’t Give It Another Thought
By Craig CoxConventional wisdom suggests that my lazy brain offers few benefits, but Harvard researchers believe it may be the key to a long life.
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PUMPING IRONY: Money Keeps You Young?
By Craig CoxRecent research suggests that frequent bouts of poverty prior to middle age may contribute to premature aging. If that’s the case, I should be sitting on death’s doorstep by now.