On Aging

Yes, It Is Possible To Get Your Flu Shot Too Soon

3:49pm September 15, 2016

by Julie Appleby

The vaccine is already showing up in drugstores, but maybe wait until Halloween to get the shot, doctors say, especially if you're over 65 and want to be protected against flu this winter.

Seeing A Mother's Alzheimer's As A Time Of Healing And Magic

7:12am September 10, 2016

by Meredith Rizzo

Dana Walrath used her skills as an artist and medical anthropologist to chronicle her mother's final years with dementia. The process helped her see beyond the loss and embrace the moment.

William Chambers, 9, with his mom, Ceceley, on a recent visit with StoryCorps.

Health & Safety

In Visit With Seniors, This Boy Learned Lessons That Go Beyond The Classroom

11:59am September 02, 2016

by NPR Staff

As a chaplain, Ceceley Chambers often visits with seniors. Still, she was nervous the first time she brought along her 9-year-old son. But William says the visit left him changed — for the better.

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Experimental drugs that clear clumps of proteins from the brains of Alzheimer's patients haven't panned out yet.

Test Of Experimental Alzheimer's Drug Finds Progress Against Brain Plaques

6:31pm August 31, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers have failed repeatedly in their efforts to slow or halt Alzheimer's disease. But there are hints that an experimental drug can do what previous medicines could not.

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Careful audits of a representative sampling of bills from 37 Medicare Advantage Programs in 2007 have revealed some consistent patterns in the way they overbill, a Center for Public Integrity investigation finds.

Audits Of Some Medicare Advantage Plans Reveal Pervasive Overcharging

5:00am August 29, 2016

by Fred Schulte

Federal audits of 37 Medicare Advantage health plans cited 35 for overbilling the government. Many plans, for example, claimed patients with depression or diabetes were sicker than they actually were.

Life, Death And Remembering Those Bright College Years

7:28am August 28, 2016

by John Henning Schumann

We think of college reunions as a time of fond memories. But as the years pass, those memories increasingly are of friends gone too soon. The lesson now is to learn to meet loss with grace.

Nenosuke Yamamoto, 80, stands in the shed where he repairs bicycles in Tokyo. "I feel that if I keep on working, I might not age as much," he says. "I might not have dementia or other sorts of aging issues."

For Some Older Adults In Japan, A Chance To Stay In The Workforce

3:29pm August 25, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

As Japan's population shrinks and ages, the government wants older adults to remain employed. The traditional retirement age is 60, but a few companies are welcoming those who want to keep working.

Hiroyuko Yamamoto, a crossing guard in Matsudo, Japan, has been trained in how to recognize and gently approach people who are wandering, or have other signs of dementia, in ways that won't frighten them.

Japanese City Takes Community Approach To Dealing With Dementia

4:47pm August 23, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Japan expects 7 million cases of dementia among its long-lived residents by 2025. It has started training pharmacists, bankers and postal workers in how to recognize the signs and be supportive.

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This Lawson convenience store in Kowaguchi, Japan, sells a selection of prepared meals and fresh vegetables and meats, along with products aimed at the elderly. Many of the store's older customers find it hard to get to the supermarket, the store's manage

Beyond Slurpees: Many Japanese Mini-Marts Now Cater To Elders

2:02pm August 23, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Convenience is in the eye of the generation. Increasingly, corner markets in Japan target the 27 percent of residents over 65 — offering nursing care advice and home delivery of meals and groceries.

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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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