(This article appeared previously in Kaiser Health News.) PORTLAND, Ore. — After nearly 40 years as an internist, Dr. Ron Naito knew what the sky-high results of his blood test meant. And it wasn’t good. But when he turned to his doctors last summer to… Continue reading
(This article appeared previously in Kaiser Health News.) PORTLAND, Ore. — After nearly 40 years as an internist, Dr. Ron Naito knew what the sky-high results of his blood test meant. And it wasn’t good. But when he turned to his doctors last summer to… Continue reading
Medicare covers most health care services, including preventative care. But as new users of the federal health insurance program soon find out, it typically does not cover routine dental, vision and hearing care. Medicare may cover some of these servic… Continue reading
Medicare covers most health care services, including preventative care. But as new users of the federal health insurance program soon find out, it typically does not cover routine dental, vision and hearing care. Medicare may cover some of these servic… Continue reading
Medicare paid for Betty Gordon’s knee replacement surgery in March, but the 72-year-old former high school teacher needed a nursing home stay and care at home to recover. Yet Medicare wouldn’t pay for that. So Gordon is stuck with a $7,000 bill she can… Continue reading
As people get older, they’re more likely to need medications on a regular basis to manage one or more chronic conditions. Some of these medications fall into a class known as anticholinergics and may not be ideal to take for long periods because they c… Continue reading
I am 69. I ran my first triathlon when I was 59, and as of August 2019, I will have competed in 50 triathlons. (A triathlon typically consists of running, cycling and swimming.) My first running race, the Hudson Relay, was in 1972 during my senior year… Continue reading
Why would a 20-year-old want to hang out with an 80-something? It’s not as strange as you may think. Maybe the older man reminds a college sophomore of her grandfather. Or, there’s a connection between the elderly woman with dementia and a grad student… Continue reading
For years, menopause was a taboo subject. “Most women did not openly discuss it,” nor were they likely to discuss the problems commonly associated with menopause, like hot flashes, night sweats and disrupted sleep, says Dr. JoAnn Manson, professor of m… Continue reading
There’s still several weeks of summer left, and what’s better than cooling off at the beach or pool on a hot day? Yet, as we’ve seen in the national news in recent months, your refreshing dip could actually make you sick. There are 90 million cases of … Continue reading