On Aging

Number of providers by state who wrote at least 3,000 prescriptions for Schedule 2 controlled substances in 2012 in Medicare Part D.

Health & Safety

Prolific Prescribers Of Controlled Substances Face Medicare Scrutiny

4:11pm January 04, 2015

In the face of abuse concerns, Medicare covered more prescriptions for potent controlled substances in 2012 than in 2011. Top prescribers often have faced disciplinary action or criminal charges.

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Health & Safety

Can I Keep My Marketplace Insurance If I Enroll In Medicare?

10:31am December 23, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

While you can keep your private plan after you join Medicare, it may not make much sense financially. For one thing, you'd be disqualified from receiving marketplace premium subsidies.

More than a quarter of the victims of financial fraud are over 60.

Services Offer A Means To Foil Widespread 'Elder Fraud'

5:50pm December 22, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

The holidays are a time for giving — and for scams that prey on altruism, particularly among older adults. But several products on the market are designed to help fight fraud that targets seniors.

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Nursing Homes Rarely Penalized For Oversedating Patients

6:26pm December 10, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

An NPR probe finds many nursing homes are still prescribing schizophrenia drugs to calm dementia patients — despite FDA warnings — but only 2 percent of excessive-medication cases result in penalties.

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This Nursing Home Calms Troubling Behavior Without Risky Drugs

5:34pm December 10, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

The staff's goal was to reduce the prescription of antipsychotic drugs by 20 percent. In the first year, they cut use by 97 percent. How? By addressing the real reasons for agitation and aggression.

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New evidence on the effectiveness of medical treatments can take a long time to influence medical practice.

Doctors Are Slow To Adopt Changes In Breast Cancer Treatment

4:58pm December 09, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

There's not much evidence that radiation increases survival in older women with early-stage breast cancer, but doctors are still prescribing it. It can be hard to get doctors to change protocols.

Bob Smithson, 79, can now hold his head upright and breathe on his own, thanks to a medication for myasthenia gravis.

Medicine's Subtle Art Gives A Man The Chance To Breathe Again

4:57pm December 09, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

When Bob Smithson could no longer breathe on his own and surgeons wanted to operate, his doctor decided to take a chance on a different treatment. That decision gave Bob another chance at life.

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Joyce Powell, 80, attends an exercise class at UT-Arlington with her husband, Thomas (right). Powell says she feels more confident in getting around and traveling since taking the classes.

Broken Hips: Preventing A Fall Can Save Your Life

6:02pm December 02, 2014

by Lauren Silverman

Twenty percent of people who fall and break a hip after age 50 die within a year, and women are at greatest risk. But you can reduce the odds of falling. Here's how.

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People use energy less efficiently as they age. Running seems to help prevent that slowdown.

To Stay Energy Efficient As You Age, Keep On Running

3:14pm November 21, 2014

by Katherine Hobson

People in their 60s who run for exercise use energy as efficiently as much younger people. That wasn't true for older people who walked instead.

A man who breaks a wrist after age 50 is more likely to die prematurely than a woman with the same injury.

Have You Broken A Wrist? Men Are At Risk Of Osteoporosis, Too

5:45pm November 06, 2014

by Nancy Shute

A broken wrist may not seem like much, but it can be the first sign that you're headed for a broken hip or spinal fracture. Men often don't realize they are at risk of osteoporosis as they age.