Many people probably know that there are specific signs in the brain that indicate the presence of Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors look for telltale evidence in the form of deposits called plaques and nerve clusters called tangles – “the fingerprints of Alzheimer’s disease” – that, when discovered, should mean cognitive decline is imminent, if not already…
It’s hardly news that the U.S. is suffering from a shortage of geriatricians – physicians who are board-certified experts in the health care needs of seniors. We’ve been reporting on this problem on the AgingOptions blog for many years, as this 2016 article will attest. Now comes this recent New York Times article on the…
A study of more than 1 million women in Great Britain has shown a significant link between obesity in middle age and later development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. That’s according to this article from the HealthDay website published just a few weeks ago. The article, written by reporter Dennis Thompson, provides…
If you’ve listened to Rajiv Nagaich for any length of time, you’ve heard him talk about the need for preventive health care. “Most insurance plants do a pretty good job of caring for you once you’re sick,” he often states, “but most of them do a terrible job of keeping you from getting sick in…
Alzheimer’s disease remains the biggest fear many of us have about growing older, but for most people with dementia, the symptoms did not show up all at once. Instead they started appearing gradually, often in the form of what physicians refer to as MCI, or mild cognitive impairment. This condition, regarded as a precursor to…
It’s a respiratory condition that you may never have heard of. This condition is not especially common – about 200,000 cases per year – but once contracted, it can cause lasting lung damage unless treated. And while this condition does not specifically affect seniors more than younger people, knowing about it may explain why someone…
Last week we wrote here on the AgingOptions blog about the importance of preparing for your discharge from the hospital from the moment you arrive. Today we’re considering an important aspect of that preparation. When you’re in the hospital and the time for discharge approaches, there’s a rush of last-minute activity, gathering personal effects and…
In the arena of medical care, there are times when good intentions produce bad outcomes. That was our reaction when we read this important article published recently on the Kaiser Health News website. It’s called “‘Fear Of Falling’: How Hospitals Do Even More Harm By Keeping Patients In Bed,” and the premise is straightforward: in…
It’s an all too common scenario: an elderly loved one on Medicare is hospitalized, and the family expects the stay to last a certain length of time. Then suddenly, with little or no warning – and often days earlier than anticipated – the hospital tells the surprised family that the discharge date has been moved…
There are a number of important occurrences associated with the month of October. It’s the start of Medicare open enrollment. It’s the climactic month of the baseball playoffs. And it’s traditionally the month when every neighborhood pharmacy puts out the signs saying, “Flu Shots Available Here.” Yes, October marks the start of what is usually…