Geriatrics

If you've ever talked to an aging parent or friend about their health care and heard comments such as I can live with it, it's not that bad, it ain't broke don't fix it, or all I do is go to doctor appointments, it can be frustrating and even...

According to a news release from Sentara Healthcare, they are "donating $10 million to Eastern Virginia Medical School to support two initiatives that will build on EVMS’ strength in medical simulation and the treatment and safety of older patients....

Some 10 million American caregivers are juggling jobs along with households -- and looking after an aging relative was ranked as the No. 1 source of stress, according to a recent survey by Caring.com. As the ranks of the elderly grow at a record pace,...

Some drugs are so common that consumers -- at their peril -- don't think twice about them. But each drug, whether prescription or over-the-counter, poses risks. To highlight these risks, we offer up a few details on five of the most-prescribed...

If you want to live longer -- avoid heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer -- then pick and choose your foods with care to quiet down parts of your immune system. That's the principle promoted by the founders and followers of anti-inflammatory...

After my mom died, I temporarily moved back in with my 81-year-old dad. My parents had been married more than 50 years; the last five had been difficult. Mom had a host of serious problems, including dementia. Taking care of her had left my father with...

Baby boomers, and even their parents and adult children, are experiencing a new type of boom-in acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Why are STDs on the rise in the 45+ population, and what should we do about it? Reasons for the Increase A...

It could be said that Sheila Song's choice of career as a geriatric pharmacist is in herblood. For it is the close relationship the Carney resident has long shared with her grandmother, Cheng Soon Song, now 89, who had a major role in Song's upbringing,...

He's an 84-year-old diabetic with one lung that doesn't work. She's his 84-year-old wife, a survivor of a nearly fatal aortic aneurysm. About a dozen years ago, they stared old age in the face and made a decision. Instead of letting themselves go,...

The year was 1971, and a teenager named Martin Gorbien was working part-time for two physical therapists treating older people. Inclined to fondness for older people as a result of his interactions with his own older family members, Gorbien watched how...

The great health reform debate over alleged death panels has fizzled. Lawmakers guaranteed that by stripping provisions supporting end-of-life planning from legislation enacted. What remains is the status quo. It's left to individuals to decide if they...

There must be a reason, one that's beyond me, why so many people avoid filling out basic legal forms for end-of-life issues, like the durable power of attorney for finances and the advance directive for health care. The theory seems to be that if you...