Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse
Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this.
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Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this.
In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.
Death rates for older adults with asthma run five times higher than younger people, and serious complications are far more common.
A long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients’ brains for study.
The market for wound care products booms among a growing older and diabetic patient pool, but many treatments are untested and funding for research falls short.
Tighter Medicaid budgets could jeopardize states’ home-based services that help older adults and disabled people live in their homes instead of more expensive nursing homes.
The majority of older adults receive long-term care at home and need help covering these services with affordable insurance policies. The long-term insurance industry needs to focus on home care.
An end-of life-planning website can encourage patients to tackle that difficult topic before they become too ill to communicate, according to a new study. But they may be more likely to make concrete plans with help from a doctor or social worker.
In a head-to-head comparison, several of the cheaper devices performed nearly as well as the expensive hearing aids. The study lends credence to lawmakers’ efforts to get the FDA to set standards for over-the-counter versions.
Recent research shows that controlling blood pressure, exercising and cognitive training around middle age could help prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease.
From slick videos to digital “time capsules,” folks have new ways to “stay alive” long after they die.
Of the 528 nursing homes that graduated from special focus status before 2014 and are still operating, more than half — 52 percent — have harmed patients or operated in a way that put patients in serious jeopardy within the past three years, a KHN analysis finds.
Medicare Advantage plans offer good value and aim to keep patients healthy but sicker people are far more likely to quit because they can’t get the care they need.
Among hurdles: Older adults may have multiple illnesses that could complicate research or they might be unable to manage the commute.
As we get older, it helps to tickle the noggin with trivia. Here's a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of Kaiser Health News.
Medicaid pays for two-thirds of nursing home residents, but some recipients don’t even know they’re on it.
Living a vital, active life well into your 90s requires positive thinking and activity.
Almost 30 percent of patients leaving the hospital don’t want home health care services, which often leads to readmissions and other health issues.
At least 500 terminally ill Californians have asked for the medicine that allows them to end their lives, and nearly 500 health organizations have signed on to help.
People who were using marketplace plans instead of Medicare may qualify for the reprieve. They have until Sept. 30 to apply.
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