Aging

Kristin Armstrong won Olympic gold in the cycling time trial the day before she turned 43.

Olympic Athletes Prove That Older Doesn't Have To Mean Slower

6:45pm August 16, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Cyclist Kristin Armstrong, who won Olympic gold at age 42, is one of many athletes saying that high-level sports aren't just for the young. And scientists say exercise reduces aging's toll for us all.

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How Weight Training Can Help Women Stay Strong

1:38pm August 11, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

The government recommends that adults engage in two sessions a week of resistance training to maintain muscle and prevent injury. Most of us aren't getting close to that, but it's easy to catch up.

Nurse specialist Annelie Nilsson checks on patient Janet Prochazka during her stay at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, after Prochazka took a bad fall in March.

Hospital Units Tailored To Older Patients Can Help Prevent Decline

8:05pm August 09, 2016

by Anna Gorman

Elderly hospital patients often arrive sick and leave worse off. But some hospitals are preventing these sharp declines by treating the elderly in units that minimize bedrest and spur mobility.

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An inspection found that at one Los Angeles nursing home an employee took video of a co-worker "passing gas" on the face of a resident and posted it on Instagram.

Federal Officials Seek To Stop Social Media Abuse Of Nursing Home Residents

2:41pm August 08, 2016

After ProPublica identified dozens of cases of dehumanizing photos posted on social media sites, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled a plan to increase oversight.

Josephine Rudolph, 99, says she couldn't afford to live at the Joyce Eisenberg Keefer Medical Center Skilled Nursing Facility in Reseda, Calif., without Medi-Cal assistance.

Medicaid Safety Net Stretched To Pay For Seniors' Long-Term Care

9:01am August 03, 2016

Medicaid was never intended to cover long-term care for everyone. Now it pays for nearly 40 percent of the nation's long-term care expenses, and the share is growing.

Mary Mullens, age 93, in her room at Edgewood Summit Retirement Community in Charleston, W.Va. Mullens is a patient of Dr. Todd Goldberg, one of only 36 geriatricians in the state.

Few Young Doctors Are Training To Care For U.S. Elderly

5:02pm July 03, 2016

by Kara Lofton

Only about half of geriatric fellowships for medical residents in the U.S. are filled each year. Some students blame overwhelming medical school debt, which grows with every extra year of training.

An independent commission recommended changes to Medicare Part D, including reducing or waiving copayments for generic drugs for low-income enrollees.

More Generics And Negotiating Leverage Could Slow Medicare Drug Spending

6:20pm June 16, 2016

by Julie Appleby

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission told Congress that rising drug costs helped push Medicare Part D spending up nearly 60 percent between 2007 and 2014. There are options to contain spending.

When it comes to the end of life, hospital stays are more intensive and more expensive than alternatives.

Health & Safety

Dying In A Hospital Means More Procedures, Tests And Costs

1:25pm June 15, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Hospital deaths are more expensive and intrusive than deaths at home, in hospice care or even in nursing homes. Financial incentives favor more care, even when it's not always wanted.

Trump pauses with supporters after speaking at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Jan. 2, 2016, in Biloxi, Miss.

It's Trump's Birthday. If He Wins, He'd Be The Oldest President Ever To Take Office

8:31pm June 14, 2016

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Donald Trump is 70 today. If he were elected, he'd be the first newly inaugurated, over-70 president. But Hillary Clinton isn't far behind.

Lonny Shavelson has studied America's experiments with aid in dying. He's now helping patients and doctors in California come to grips with the state's new law.

This Doctor Wants To Help California Figure Out Aid-In-Dying

8:27am June 11, 2016

by Lisa Aliferis

It's now legal for doctors to prescribe lethal medications to terminally ill patients who want them. But many doctors say they feel queasy about it. Lonny Shavelson wants to help them with that.