Skip to content
KFF Health News KFF Health News KFF Health News KFF Health News
Donate
  • Donate
  • Connect With Us:
  • Contact
  • X
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Trump 2.0
    • Agency Watch
    • Medicaid Watch
    • State Watch
  • Public Health
  • Race & Health
  • Audio
    • KFF Health News Minute
    • What the Health
    • An Arm and a Leg
    • Silence in Sikeston
    • Epidemic
    • American Diagnosis
    • Where It Hurts
  • Investigations
    • Bill Of The Month
    • Dead Zone
    • Diagnosis: Debt
    • Overpayment Outrage
    • Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash
    • Systemic Sickness
    • The Injured
    • The Only Hospital in Town
    • ALL INVESTIGATIONS
  • More Topics
    • Abortion
    • Aging
    • Climate
    • COVID-19
    • Health Care Costs
    • Insurance
    • Medicaid
    • Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Pharma
    • Rural Health
    • Uninsured

Aging & Improving Care Of Older Adults

KFF Health News’ coverage related to aging and improving care of older adults is supported in part by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Con dibujos, cuidadores encuentran apoyo para atender a un ser querido

By Judith Graham September 21, 2017

Un proyecto con dibujos ayuda a los cuidadores a entender los lazos de afecto y apoyo que los rodean, lo que mejora la forma en que cuidan de un ser querido, y sus propias vidas.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Caregivers Draw Support By Mapping Their Relationships

By Judith Graham September 21, 2017

Innovative CareMaps tool helps caregivers understand their roles and take steps to improve their lives.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Nursing Home Disaster Plans Often Faulted As ‘Paper Tigers’

By Jordan Rau September 19, 2017

Too often enforcement of rules for dealing with crisis is lax, advocates for nursing home residents say.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

As Care Shifts From Hospital To Home, Guarding Against Infection Falls To Families

By Melissa Bailey September 19, 2017

Despite a lack of medical training, relatives increasingly are assigned complex, risky medical tasks at home, such as maintaining catheters. If done incorrectly, blood clots, infections, even death can result.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

This Gift Voucher Might Just Get You A Kidney 

By Fran Kritz September 15, 2017

A retired California judge came up with the idea of donating his kidney to a stranger now to maximize his grandson’s prospects for such a donation later. The idea caught on.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Quiz: How Well Are You Paying Attention?

September 11, 2017

To strengthen your core knowledge of health care policy, it helps to be a regular reader of Kaiser Health News. Here’s a pop quiz to gauge what you have learned.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

A Rare Dementia Gene Runs In The Family, But He’s Fine — So Far

By JoNel Aleccia September 11, 2017

A Washington state man inherited the mutated gene that stole his mother’s mind. He doesn’t have the disease, and doctors don’t know why.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’

By Judith Graham September 7, 2017

Hospice care often prompts fear and misunderstanding, but the services provided can lead to less pain and trauma at the end of life.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

The Secret To Chronic Happiness As You Age

By Bruce Horovitz September 5, 2017

Happy doesn’t always mean healthy. These older adults are still finding joy in spite of their physical challenges.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Algunos pacientes con cáncer de tiroides pueden retrasar la cirugía

By Liz Szabo August 31, 2017

Alrededor de un tercio de los pacientes con un tumor de tiroides de crecimiento lento, llamado cáncer de tiroides papilar, son elegibles para retrasar el tratamiento, según un nuevo estudio.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Some Thyroid Cancer Patients Can Safely Delay Surgery

By Liz Szabo August 31, 2017

Study suggests that many small tumors are sleepy, not deadly.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Soul Purpose: Seniors With Strong Reasons To Live Often Live Stronger

By Judith Graham August 31, 2017

New research bolsters evidence that older adults with a sense of purpose are less likely to see their health decline with age. The question is: How does one cultivate more meaning and motivation in life?

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Elder Abuse: ERs Learn How To Protect A Vulnerable Population

By Barbara Sadick August 28, 2017

An emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Hospital trains staff to recognize signs of elder abuse and help victims.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds

By Melissa Bailey August 22, 2017

As more patients receive hospice care at home, some of the powerful, addictive drugs they’re prescribed are ending up in the wrong hands.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse

By JoNel Aleccia August 21, 2017

Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Medicare Unveils ‘Skeletal’ Site For Hospice Comparison Shopping

By Melissa Bailey August 18, 2017

This is the first federal website designed to help families choose a hospice, but experts aren’t impressed.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Asthma, More Deadly With Age, Takes Heavy Toll On Older Adults

By Judith Graham August 10, 2017

Death rates for older adults with asthma run five times higher than younger people, and serious complications are far more common.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks

By Anna Gorman August 9, 2017

A long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients’ brains for study.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama

By Jordan Rau August 3, 2017

Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Cuando las heridas no sanan, las terapias pueden costar hasta $5 mil millones

By Marisa Taylor August 3, 2017

Cerca de 6,5 millones de personas en el país tienen heridas que tardan meses, y hasta años en sanar… si llegan a curarse. El costo, económico y psicológico, de estos padecimientos es astronómico.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Previous
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • Next

Take Our Quiz To Test Your Wits On Aging

KHN Quiz

Even the most exalted among us realize health care policy is complicated. Here’s a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of KFF Health News.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
View More

Video

observation care video still 770Watch KFF Health News’s video explainer to help Medicare patients receiving hospital observation care.

FAQ: Observation Care Can Be Costly For Patients

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Register For Newsletter

Get KFF Health News’ latest stories on Medicare and aging issues, delivered periodically to your inbox.

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Sign Up

Diagnosis: Unprepared

elderly-disability-1

Hospitals can be hazardous places for elderly patients as many facilities are ill-equipped to address their needs. In this series, KFF Health News reports on the extent of the problem and highlights possible solutions.

 

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Gaps In Care Persist During Transition From Hospital To Home
  • ‘America’s Other Drug Problem’: Copious Prescriptions For Hospitalized Elderly
  • Geriatric ERs Reduce Stress, Medical Risks For Elderly Patients
  • Elderly Patients In The Hospital Need To Keep Moving
  • Elderly Hospital Patients Arrive Sick, Often Leave Disabled

More From KFF Health News

A photo of an ambulance driving by in Washington, D.C. The rotunda of the U.S. Capitol is prominent in the background.

Republican Megabill Will Mean Higher Health Costs for Many Americans

A sign in front of a building reads "Covered California." Two people walk along the sidewalk in front of the sign.

States Brace for Reversal of Obamacare Coverage Gains Under Trump’s Budget Bill

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Trump’s Bill Reaches the Finish Line

A woman with brown hair and wearing an olive green t-shirt sits on a bench and looks at the young man with brown hair and a wearing a blue shirt with small palm trees sitting on the bench beside her. They are in a wooded area and there are trees in the background.

To Keep Medicaid, Mom Caring for Disabled Adult Son Faces Prospect of Proving She Works

KFF

© 2025 KFF. All rights reserved.

  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Staff
  • Republish Our Content
  • Email Sign-Up
  • X
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • RSS

Powered by WordPress VIP

Thank you for your interest in supporting Kaiser Health News (KHN), the nation’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on health and health policy. We distribute our journalism for free and without advertising through media partners of all sizes and in communities large and small. We appreciate all forms of engagement from our readers and listeners, and welcome your support.

KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). You can support KHN by making a contribution to KFF, a non-profit charitable organization that is not associated with Kaiser Permanente.

Click the button below to go to KFF’s donation page which will provide more information and FAQs. Thank you!

Continue