Millions Of Older Americans Live In Counties With No ICU Beds As Pandemic Intensifies
A Kaiser Health News analysis shows that counties with ICUs average one ICU bed for every 1,300 older residents, those most at risk for needing hospitalization.
Aging
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Amid Pandemic, Programs Struggle To Reach Vulnerable Seniors Living At Home
Older adults are at serious risk during this pandemic and have been advised to avoid contact with others. Yet many still need essential services, and programs are scrambling to adapt.
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Look-Up: Check Out Infection Records Of 15,000 U.S. Nursing Homes
This online map shows which of the 15,000 nursing homes in the U.S. have been cited for infection-control violations and how serious those infractions are.
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How Well Does Your Nursing Home Fight Infections? Look It Up Here
More nursing homes have been faulted for failing to follow practices designed to prevent and control infections than for any other type of error. Such lapses have become matters of heightened concern with the spread of the coronavirus this spring, especially as the virus is a bigger threat to the elderly.
By Jordan Rau and Elizabeth Lucas -
Congress Approves Boost In Food Aid For Seniors But Funding Falls Short Of Growing Need
Congress passed legislation Wednesday reauthorizing the Older Americans Act, which provides for home-delivered and group meals. Although proposed funding increases are substantial, they still don’t keep up with the nation’s growing senior population.
By Laura Ungar -
The Startling Inequality Gap That Emerges After Age 65
The good news: Life expectancy for people who make it to 65 has increased. Yet, coastal and urban people fare better than those in rural and middle America.
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Dental Shock: Six Pulled Teeth And One Unexpected Bill
One woman's experience with the high cost of dental care and confusing Medicare coverage offers a teachable moment for other consumers. Her small church took up a collection, but the surprise bill — four times what she expected to pay — was sent to collections.
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Around The Corner: 3D Housing Designed For The Homeless And Needy Seniors
As homelessness among older adults increases, a movement is afoot to use a powerful 3D printer to construct affordable and durable housing.
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As Coronavirus Cases Grow, So Does Scrutiny Of Nursing Home Infection Plans
Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, calls on state and federal health inspectors to focus on how facilities keep infections from spreading, especially in areas that have reported coronavirus cases.
By Jordan Rau -
Coronavirus Stress Test: Many 5-Star Nursing Homes Have Infection-Control Lapses
Since the beginning of 2017, inspectors have cited more nursing homes for failing to ensure that all workers follow federal prevention and control protocols than for any other type of violation, according to federal records.
By Jordan Rau -
Postcard From Los Angeles
Corralling Hard-To-Reach Voters With Traveling Voting Machines
In advance of the Super Tuesday primary, California's Los Angeles County is rotating new touch-screen voting machines among 41 locations, including adult day care centers and jails, to increase voting among populations with historically low turnout.
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Nursing Home Outbreak Spotlights Coronavirus Risk In Elder Care Facilities
The spread of coronavirus disease to a skilled nursing facility in Washington state underscores the risk the deadly new virus poses in elder care facilities, where illnesses caused by more common pathogens, like seasonal influenza, often spread rapidly.
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Letters to the Editor
Readers And Tweeters Dive Into Debate Over ‘Medicare For All’
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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As The Coronavirus Spreads, Americans Lose Ground Against Other Health Threats
Health care experts thought the battle was won against heart disease, measles, smoking, STDs and other life-threatening conditions and behaviors. Better think again.
By Liz Szabo -
U.S. Medical Panel Thinks Twice About Pushing Cognitive Screening For Dementia
Because seniors are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, proponents say screening asymptomatic older adults is an important strategy to identify people who may be developing dementia and to improve their care. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cited insufficient evidence the tests are helpful.
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Getting To The Heart Of Presidential Fitness: How Much Do We Need To Know?
A recent cardiac health dust-up between former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Sen. Bernie Sanders, both vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, focuses attention on this question.
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Stalked By The Fear That Dementia Is Stalking You
For those worried they have an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, testing is an option. But words to the wise: It’s hardly foolproof and could even backfire by heightening your fear of memory loss.
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Photo Essay
Finding Connections And Comfort At The Local Cafe
For Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, social and emotional isolation is a threat. But hundreds of “Memory Cafes” around the country offer them a chance to be with others who understand, and to receive social and cognitive stimulation in the process.
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Wasted Kidneys
How Lifesaving Organs For Transplant Go Missing In Transit
Scores of organs — mostly kidneys — are trashed each year and many more become critically delayed while being shipped on commercial airliners, a new investigation finds.
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What To Do If Your Home Health Care Agency Ditches You
If you’re told Medicare’s home health benefits have changed, don’t believe it: Coverage rules haven’t been altered and people are still entitled to the same types of services. All that has changed is how Medicare pays agencies.