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Only 9% of older Americans vaccinated against RSV, study finds

A new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health found that only 9 percent of older Americans had been vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prior to this fall and winter, despite the threat of increased rates of hospitalization and deaths nationwide from the virus.

1 Mar 2024

Say that again: Using hearing aids can be frustrating for older adults, but necessary

It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he'd wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking.

28 Feb 2024

Without Medicare Part B’s shield, patient’s family owes $81,000 for a single air-ambulance flight

Debra Prichard was a retired factory worker who was careful with her money, including what she spent on medical care, said her daughter, Alicia Wieberg. "She was the kind of person who didn't go to the doctor for anything."

27 Feb 2024

Harvard study links PM2.5 air pollution to increased risk of cardiovascular hospitalization in seniors

Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) may increase seniors' risk of hospitalization for a variety of cardiovascular conditions, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

22 Feb 2024

In fight over Medicare payments, the hospital lobby shows its strength

In the battle to control health care costs, hospitals are deploying their political power to protect their bottom lines.

13 Feb 2024

Do we simply not care about old people?

The covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn't doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults.

9 Feb 2024

Senate probes the cost of assisted living and its burden on American families

A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday launched an examination of assisted living, holding its first hearing in two decades on the industry as leaders of both parties expressed concern about the high cost and mixed quality of the long-term care facilities.

25 Jan 2024

Preparing to hang up the car keys as we age

Lewis Morgenstern has made up his mind. When he turns 65 in four years, he's going to sign an advance directive for driving.

24 Jan 2024

What’s indoor air quality like in long-term care facilities during wildfires? Worse than you’d think.

Every year, wildfires across the western U.S. and Canada send plumes of smoke into the sky. When that smoke blows into southwestern Idaho’s Treasure Valley, it blankets Boise-area residents in dirty air.

23 Jan 2024

Study explores social and economic factors linked to withdrawal of life support after intracerebral hemorrhage

Living in a high-income neighborhood, having private health insurance, and being older are tied to an increased likelihood that life support will be withdrawn for people who have suffered severe bleeding in the brain, a new study shows.

18 Jan 2024

America’s health system isn’t ready for the surge of seniors with disabilities

The number of older adults with disabilities — difficulty with walking, seeing, hearing, memory, cognition, or performing daily tasks such as bathing or using the bathroom — will soar in the decades ahead, as baby boomers enter their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

17 Jan 2024

Binghamton University develops app to help study and prevent falls in older adults

Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York's Motion Analysis Research Laboratory have developed an app to help study and prevent falls in older adults.

16 Jan 2024

Migraine linked to increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease in new study

A nationwide cohort study reveals that individuals with migraine have a 1.3-fold higher risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), suggesting a significant connection between migraine and IBD.

15 Jan 2024

In New Year, all immigrants in California may qualify for Medicaid regardless of legal status

Milagro, a Peruvian immigrant in Riverside County, California, has had spotty access to health care in the two decades she's been in this country.

18 Dec 2023

‘Until it is fixed’: Congress ramps up action on Social Security clawbacks

The Senate Finance Committee is ramping up oversight of Social Security's overpayment problem and plans to meet with the agency every month "until it is fixed."

15 Dec 2023

Insects in your soup? Research shows growing interest in eco-friendly, protein-rich food sources

The acceptance level of various soups with insect flour.

12 Dec 2023

Balancing act: Less work, more social life key to happiness for seniors, study shows

A modified work-life balance (WLB) concept for older adults aged ≥ 55 years.

11 Dec 2023

Dodging the Medicare enrollment deadline can be costly

Angela M. Du Bois, a retired software tester in Durham, North Carolina, wasn't looking to replace her UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan. She wasn't concerned as the Dec. 7 deadline approached for choosing another of the privately run health insurance alternatives to original Medicare.

7 Dec 2023

Medicare Part D found to over-reimburse pharmacies for generic drugs

Medicare is the single largest provider of health insurance in the United States, serving 63.8 million senior citizens as of 2022.

5 Dec 2023

Uncle Sam wants you … to help stop insurers’ bogus Medicare Advantage sales tactics

After an unprecedented crackdown on misleading advertising claims by insurers selling private Medicare Advantage and drug plans, the Biden administration hopes to unleash a special weapon to make sure companies follow the new rules: you.

30 Nov 2023