How Rural Hospitals Are Preparing for Coronavirus

In the DC Comics town of Metropolis, the townsfolk had Superman to protect them from villains like Lex Luthor, Brainiac and Darkseid. But in real-life Metropolis, Ill. (pop. 6,133), there is no larger-than-life superhero. There’s a 15-foot-tall statue … Continue reading

Funeral Planning in the Time of COVID-19

The death of Dave Kerpen’s mother could not have come at a worse time. It was March 17, 2020, the day after the White House advised people to avoid groups of more than 10. The family was scattered: Kerpen’s mother, Rayni Joan, 79, died in Santa Monica,… Continue reading

You Can Still See a Doctor, Through Telemedicine

Social distancing and stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis have led many health care providers to conduct visits with patients through telemedicine — providing medical and mental health care using the internet and telecommunicat… Continue reading

How Being a Cancer Survivor Helps Me Cope With Coronavirus Fears

When you’re diagnosed with cancer, one of the worst things about it, aside from the obvious countless physical ramifications, is the emotional upheaval it causes. The raw feelings of vulnerability. The absolute terror of knowing that your body has betr… Continue reading

Easing the Isolation During the Coronavirus Crisis

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has much of the world sheltering in place. While it may be frustrating and challenging for many of us, this increased isolation is especially hard on the mental and physical health of older adults — the same group mo… Continue reading

COVID-19 in Your Home: How to Protect Yourself and Others

About three-quarters of Americans have been ordered to stay home during this global pandemic, and that number grows weekly. In particular, people 60 and older, who are at greater risk of serious illness from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), are urged … Continue reading

Are Older Lives Less Worthy in a Pandemic?

(This piece was originally published by the Association of Health Care Journalists and is being republished with permission.) You may have heard the comments from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last week, when he said that older adults should be willing to… Continue reading

How Much News Is Too Much News These Days?

If you regularly watch, listen to or read the news, you’re being inundated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis right now. But even before the pandemic dominated the media, there was always plenty of anxiety-inducing content — crime, political division… Continue reading

New Tools Help Document Care Wishes for Advanced-Stage Dementia

Karen Gallant, 72, of Soquel, Calif., has seen Alzheimer’s disease up close. Her sister, Coille Hooven, 80, is in an advanced stage of dementia. This has led Gallant to consider the complexities of what she’d want for herself or her husband, if one of … Continue reading

Coping With Mental Health Issues During the Coronavirus Crisis

Roxanne Hawn, 52, of Boulder, Colo., jokes that she came out of the womb anxious, so she’s had a lot of time to deal with anxiety. “I always said that being anxious makes me exceptional in an emergency, because I’m used to functioning while feeling lik… Continue reading