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Laura Mosqueda, a geriatrician, wants to train new doctors to better care for elderly people as the country鈥檚 population ages. She will face a big challenge as USC reels from drug and sexual misconduct scandals that have enraged students and landed the university in legal hot water.
End-of-life documents express your preferences for care but may not be binding medical orders. Here鈥檚 how to better prepare for the unexpected 鈥 that your last wishes won鈥檛 be carried out.
One in 5 Medicare patients who leave the hospital for a nursing home end up back in the hospital. To discourage this, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon give bonuses and penalties to facilities based on their rehospitalization rates.
Doctors have stopped writing lethal prescriptions and pharmacists have stopped filling them after a court fight over how the law was enacted.
With the motto 鈥淲here Heroes Meet Angels,鈥 a small Veterans Affairs effort pairs vets in need of nursing home care with caregivers willing to share their homes. Medical foster homes save money, but it鈥檚 difficult to find enough spaces for all those who could benefit.
With longer lives and lower rates of dementia, most seniors are enjoying more years of life with good cognition 鈥 a welcome trend.
Older adults often feel invisible as their interactions with younger people dwindle and hardly anyone seems to seek their advice. To make matters worse, studies link loneliness to weaker immune systems and poorer physical health.
Why older couples in supportive, loving, long-term relationships decide to live apart and not get married.
More than six months ago, Hurricane Maria upended routines and shuttered services on the island leading to a sense of despair and isolation, especially among older people.
Across the country, community groups, hospitals and government agencies are stepping in to support the estimated 42 million family caregivers.
On April 1, Medicare launched a major initiative 鈥 a diabetes prevention program for seniors and people with serious disabilities鈥 that is available in only a few cities.
The former first lady鈥檚 announcement 鈥渘ot to seek additional medical treatment鈥 and to focus on 鈥渃omfort care鈥 shone a light on end-of-life choices.
Barbara Bush鈥檚 case highlights that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 鈥 a disease linked to long-term smoking and traditionally considered a men鈥檚 disease 鈥 is now more prevalent among women.
Memory problems and trouble multitasking are among the symptoms of POCD, a little-known condition that affects a substantial number of older adults after surgery.
Suffering Americans seek medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids and other powerful pharmaceuticals. Though legal in 29 states, some doctors say the lack of strong data makes it hard to recommend.
Our experts track the signs of normal aging from ages 50 to 100 鈥 and there are some surprises.
The measure would allow Medicare beneficiaries to visit an audiologist to get a hearing test to diagnose a hearing problem without first being referred by a physician or nurse practitioner.
Sixty-eight percent of those 65 and older take vitamin supplements. Much of what we once believed about the benefits is wrong.
Under new federal rules unveiled this week, these privately run alternatives to traditional Medicare might provide air conditioners, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals.
Supporters call it the strongest move yet to document a patient鈥檚 advance wishes in cases of severe dementia. Critics say it would deny basic care to society鈥檚 most vulnerable.
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