When Caring For A Sick Spouse Shakes A Marriage To The Core
A long illness creates a real risk: that the relationship will be undermined and essential emotional connections lost.
Judith Graham
Judith Graham was a contributing columnist for KFF Health News until January 2025.
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Drumbeat Builds For A Peace Corps Of Caregivers
The notion of a national program to tend to the day-to-day needs of a booming older population has circulated for years. Now, there are grants ― and grit ― behind it.
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The Delicate Issue Of Taking Away A Senior’s Smartphone
Knowing when — and how — to limit a loved one’s access to digital devices is akin to taking their car keys.
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In Search Of Age-Friendly Health Care, Finding Room For Improvement
Simple alterations — like better signs, seating, parking or door design — can make it easier for older patients to navigate health care facilities. Here are several changes doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals could make.
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Feds Pave The Way To Expand Home Dialysis — But Patients Hit Roadblocks
What changes are needed to bring home dialysis to more patients — especially older adults, the fastest-growing group of patients with serious, irreversible kidney disease? We asked nephrologists, patient advocates and dialysis company officials for their thoughts.
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What The Trump Home Dialysis Plan Would Really Look Like
It takes more than an executive order to shift kidney disease patients from dialysis centers to home care. These patients show it takes discipline, skill, will and support.
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The Talk Seniors Need To Have With Doctors Before Surgery
Surgeons are rethinking the old notions of "informed consent." With older patients especially, a push is on to talk candidly about what a surgery will do, its risks and how it will affect their quality of life.
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Common Medications Can Masquerade As Dementia In Seniors
A wide variety of medications used to treat allergies, insomnia, leaky bladders, diarrhea, dizziness, motion sickness, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and psychiatric disorders can interfere with cognition in older patients.
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More Seniors Are Dying In Falls. Doctors Could Do More To Reduce The Risk.
Doctors should assess older adults for the risk of falling, come up with individualized plans and refer seniors to physical therapists, occupational therapists and evidence-based programs.
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Why So Many Older Americans Rate Their Health As Good Or Even Excellent
As people advance in age, the expectations for what constitutes good health change. People focus on positive emotions and satisfaction with life, while physical ailments play a less important role.
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A Doctor Speaks Out About Ageism In Medicine
A frank conversation with geriatrician and author Dr. Louise Aronson about medicine’s biased treatment of older adults and what needs to change.
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How To Find And Use New Federal Ratings For Rehab Services At Nursing Homes
For the first time, the federal government is measuring the quality of rehab services in nursing homes for the millions of older adults who need post-hospitalization care.
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Even Doctors Can’t Navigate Our ‘Broken Health Care System’
A physician’s frustration navigating a medical emergency with his elderly father reveals a complex, dysfunctional system.
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Researchers Seek Sage Advice Of Elders On Aging Issues
The Bureau of Sages, a group of frail, older adults, gives feedback to researchers about what matters to older adults.
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Making Smarter Decisions About Where To Recover After Hospitalization
Older adults — and their families — often find it challenging and stressful to find the best facility. And they often end up in the wrong spot, new research shows.
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More Older Adults With Joint Replacements Recover At Home, Not Rehab
Research shows that going home after elective hip and knee replacements is a safe alternative for many patients.
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Understanding Loneliness In Older Adults — And Tailoring A Solution
New research shows that older adults want close relationships with the people they care about and meaningful social roles.
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Listening To Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis
Older adults with advanced kidney disease sometimes want to stop dialysis but often meet resistance from doctors, new research shows. We explore options available to these patients, including conservative care.
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Seniors Aging In Place Turn To Devices And Helpers, But Unmet Needs Are Common
A new study examines how seniors with deteriorating strength and other physical functions deal with such challenges as taking a shower or getting dressed in the morning.
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Frail Seniors Find Ways To Live Independently
A pilot program for frail low-income seniors provides much-needed help in dealing with “daily activities” and offers practical solutions.
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