HEALTH & AGING

Have you ever wondered what it means to be an “engaged patient,” or an engaged caregiver? This is a hot topic right now within healthcare. The basic idea is simple: people…

Dear Dr. K, I live with my wife, who has Alzheimer’s. I don’t argue or try to correct my wife when she misremembers or confabulates but this makes for two different…

“What’s your biggest frustration with helping aging parents, or aging loved ones?” This was the question that I emailed last month to the readers subscribed to Geriatrics for Caregivers. I asked…

All family caregivers want their older loved ones to get the right medical care. But doctors are often lacking key medical information at the time they see your aging relative. The…

In this post —  the last in a 4-part series on better planning for health crises and end-of-life care — I want to tell you about a document that I wish more families…

Living wills. Advance directives. Powers of attorney for healthcare. Making your wishes known. Many older adults have never gotten around to addressing these issues. Others are overdue for a review. After…

This month I am featuring a series of posts about aging, health crises, and (possible) end-of-life situations. Earlier this week, I shared the story of Mrs. F, a very ill older…

How might we help a sick older person have a better end-of-life experience? Planning for future health crises and end-of-life situations — a process known as advance care planning — is certainly…

Last week, I wrote about the first Choosing Wisely list of 5 treatments that older adults and their doctors should question. In this post, I’ll cover the 2014 Choosing Wisely list…

Here are 5 common healthcare treatments that the American Geriatrics Society says older adults & caregivers should question, and probably avoid. Choosing Wisely is a health education campaign meant to help…