When Lorraine Griggs’ 86-year-old father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he was treated with 35 rounds of radiation, though he had a long list of other serious medical issues, including diabetes, kidney disease and high blood pressure. The treatment left him frailer, Griggs recalls. A few years later, when his …
The majority of Americans living alone are at risk of not being able to pay for basic needs. That’s according to new estimates of financial insecurity among Americans 65 and older from the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “As an increasing number of baby boomers retire, we’ll see more …
A new poll delivers good and bad news: Half of American seniors report taking antibiotics in the last two years, but many also say they have misused them. As many as 1 in 5 say they take leftover antibiotics without checking with their doctor, and 2 in 5 expect doctors …
Demography may be the Chinese economy’s biggest challenge Shortly after 9am the neighbourhood care centre for the elderly shuffles to life. One man belts out a folk song. A centenarian sits by his Chinese chessboard, awaiting an opponent. A virtual-reality machine, which lets users experience such exotic adventures as grocery shopping …
Daily exposure to blue light from sources such as smartphones, computers and household fixtures could speed your aging, even if it doesn’t reach your eyes, research in animals suggests. Blue wavelengths produced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) may damage cells in your brain as well as your retinas, according to the …
Dorothy Twigg was living on her own, cooking and walking without help until a dizzy spell landed her in the emergency room. She spent three days confined to a hospital bed, allowed to get up only to use a bedside commode. Twigg, who was in her 80s, was livid about …
We know that aging can affect us physically in a variety of ways — arthritis, neuropathy, joint pain, hair loss among them — but one condition is less discussed, perhaps because it involves the potentially embarrassing subject of urination. Not only may you have to urinate frequently, sometimes you don’t …
Bob Orozco barks out instructions like a drill sergeant. The 40 or so older adults in this class follow his lead, stretching and bending and marching in place. It goes like this for nearly an hour, with 89-year-old Orozco doing every move he asks of his class. He does that …
THE WORLD’s population is getting older and in some places — especially Taiwan — at a relatively quick pace. Nine percent of the world’s population is over 65 years old. In East and Southeast Asia, that figure jumps to 11 percent. In Taiwan, 14 percent of the population is over …
Are elderly people with diabetes being overtreated? A new study suggests that’s so: Older, sicker patients tend to be the ones most likely to still be using insulin to manage their blood sugar, despite guidelines that suggest it’s often safer to lower diabetes treatment intensity with age. The study found …
As Hurricane Dorian continues to churn up the east coast of Florida, a new poll shows that many older Americans aren’t fully prepared to cope with natural disasters or severe storms. The poll of more than 2,200 adults, ages 50 to 80, found that less than one-third have an emergency …
The assisted living industry is booming, by tapping into the fantasy that we can all be self-sufficient until we die. Assisted living seems like the solution to everyone’s worries about old age. It’s built on the dream that we can grow old while being self-reliant and live that way until we …
