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The measure would allow Medicare beneficiaries to visit an audiologist to get a hearing test to diagnose a hearing problem without first being referred by a physician or nurse practitioner.
Sixty-eight percent of those 65 and older take vitamin supplements. Much of what we once believed about the benefits is wrong.
Under new federal rules unveiled this week, these privately run alternatives to traditional Medicare might provide air conditioners, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals.
Supporters call it the strongest move yet to document a patient’s advance wishes in cases of severe dementia. Critics say it would deny basic care to society’s most vulnerable.
Treatment has been terminated for some seniors because therapists told them they weren’t making enough progress or that they had reached their annual limit. We examine the treatment benefits and the barriers under Medicare’s coverage rules for therapy.
Families and nursing homes say Trump administration policies threaten to drive immigrants away from caring for older and disabled patients, intensifying a shortage in these low-wage jobs.
Starting in April, new Medicare cards will be issued to the program’s 59 million enrollees. The new cards address serious security concerns, yet there are growing “scams” linked to the rollout.
Last month’s budget deal means Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for physical and occupational therapy indefinitely. Plus, prescription drug costs will fall for more seniors.
Starting this spring, aspiring doctors at the Oregon Health & Science University must prove they can communicate about difficult subjects ranging from admitting medical mistakes to notifying families about a patient’s death.
Motion sensors, Alexa and other voice-assistive technologies give seniors the tools they need to live independently and safely.
Public health agencies are set up to regulate easily controlled sources of air pollution. Wildfire smoke presents a different set of expensive challenges.
Seniors face tough — often life-changing — events throughout their final years. But this stage of life does not have to be limited to loss and deterioration.
Dr. Charles Emerick and his wife, Francie, died together last spring after both being diagnosed with terminal illnesses. First, they let their daughter turn on the camera.
California officials should have obtained federal approval before they cut reimbursement rates for dental hygienists who serve frail Californians living in nursing homes and board-and-care facilities, a judge has ruled.
“Edith + Eddie,” a documentary shortlisted for an Academy Award, is a gripping look at a couple in their 90s caught up in an intense family conflict. But more facts about the disputes involving a parent with dementia help to paint a complicated story about aging in America.
Nearly 1 in 3 Medicare patients undergo an operation in their final year of life.
The makers of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, say the test wasn’t meant for the masses. Now they’re working on a “mini-MoCA” that people who are worried about possible dementia can take online.
Listen and learn from this Kaiser Health News’ Facebook Live event. “Navigating Aging” columnist Judith Graham led a discussion about dementia, one of the most challenging chronic conditions for individuals and their families — which affects millions of American families.
Citing fears of losing federal funds, California is the latest state to require discharge of terminally ill residents from state veterans homes if they plan to end their lives with lethal drugs.
A new social movement in the U.S. tackles the stigma of living with Alzheimer’s.
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