elderly

Utility trucks move in Monday as the outer bands of Hurricane Dorian approach in Charleston, S.C. Residents in Charleston and many other coastal areas are under an evacuation order.

'They Just Panic': Elderly Residents Face Evacuation Challenges During Storms

11:20am September 05, 2019

by Rebecca Hersher

Evacuating away from a hurricane is difficult for elderly people who are ill, don't have access to transportation or live on a fixed income. Slow, rainy storms such as Dorian are particularly tough.

Queue Listen Now

Julia and Joel Helfman at their StoryCorps interview in Philadelphia, PA in 2019. The couple met in 1943 and were married six years later.

National

A Bronx Tale: Childhood Neighbors Celebrate Seven Decades Of Love

5:44pm July 23, 2019

Joel and Julia Helfman met in 1943. Married nearly 70 years, they're still utterly devoted. Says Julia: "How was I smart enough to know that this, this young man would always keep me happy?"

Geriatrics is a specialty that should adapt and change with each patient, says physician and author Louise Aronson. "I need to be a different sort of doctor for people at different ages and phases of old age."

A Clearer Map For Aging: 'Elderhood' Shows How Geriatricians Help Seniors Thrive

5:07pm June 17, 2019

by Terry Gross

Physician Louise Aronson treats patients who are in their 60s — as well as those who are older than 100. She writes about changing approaches to elder health care in her book Elderhood.

Queue Listen Now

Trump Administration Cuts The Size Of Fines For Health Violations In Nursing Homes

5:00am March 15, 2019

by Jordan Rau

Inspectors are citing facilities more often than during the Obama administration. But in response to industry prodding, the average fine is nearly a third lower, and the total assessed is down.

Jay McAbee, a bus driver with the Greenville, S.C., school district, waits by his bus in Charleston, S.C., in October of 2016, for word of when to start evacuating the city's residents in advance of Hurricane Matthew. Simply having enough buses to carry p

Safely Evacuating The Elderly In Any Emergency Takes Planning And Practice

5:00am December 28, 2018

by Rebecca Ellis

After three hurricanes, a big snow storm and an ice storm, residents and staff of a retirement community in Charleston are starting to view evacuations as the reality of growing old on the coast.

About a decade ago, the FDA started requiring drugmakers to add black box warnings to labels and prescribing information for Soroquel and other antipsychotic drugs. The agency made the change after the medications were linked to an increased risk of death

'Dear Doctor' Letters Use Peer Pressure, Government Warning To Stop Overprescribing

1:16pm August 07, 2018

by Ina Jaffe

Researchers found that a simple letter to doctors, focusing on their high prescribing rates, reduced their tendency to give risky antipsychotic drugs to their patients, including some with dementia.

Queue Listen Now

Nearly 90 former inmates are buried here on the grounds of the North Central Correctional Institution at Gardner. Before inmates, the state buried patients housed at what once was the Gardner State Colony for the "mentally disturbed."

National

Tempering The Cost Of Aging, Dying In Prison With The Demands Of Justice

5:00am August 01, 2018

Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of aging prisoners in the nation. A new law would allow parole for prisoners who can prove they are physically or cognitively incapacitated.

Unless you replenish fluids, just an hour's hike in the heat or a 30-minute run might be enough to get mildly dehydrated, scientists say.

Off Your Mental Game? You Could Be Mildly Dehydrated

10:20am July 30, 2018

by Allison Aubrey

Dehydration has long been known to slow physical performance. Now there's evidence that too little water can hurt cognitive performance, too, making complex thinking tasks harder.

Queue Listen Now

Lorena Bradford (left), head of accessible programs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., leads a session of the museum's Just Us program. The program gives adults with memory loss and their caregivers a chance to explore and discuss works o

Family Caregivers Finally Get A Break — And Some Coaching

5:00am April 27, 2018

by Mindy Fetterman

Across the U.S., community groups, hospitals and government agencies are stepping up to support the estimated 42 million stressed and strained family caregivers, who are often untrained and unpaid.

Scientists are keen to figure out how diet influences aging, including brain health. A five-year study of healthy seniors found those who ate a serving or two of daily greens had less cognitive decline.

Eating Leafy Greens Each Day Tied to Sharper Memory, Slower Decline

12:07pm February 05, 2018

by Allison Aubrey

Scientists are keen to figure out how diet influences aging, including brain health. A 5-year study of healthy seniors found those who ate a serving or two of daily greens had less cognitive decline.

Queue Listen Now