An excerpt from Honest Aging: An Insider’s Guide to the Second Half of Life. Copyright 2023. Published with permission of Johns Hopkins University Press. The key to aging well lies within you, the attitudes and responses you have to growing older…
A fine line between DNR and denied treatment for the elderly [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we welcome Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, to discuss the issue of autonomy and treatment for elderly patients. He shares his experiences in the long-te…
Geriatric foot care 101: How shoes can help reduce the risk of falls
If you did not know all that I know about feet, you would think geriatricians (doctors for patients 65+ years old) have a foot fetish. We are obsessed with feet, but in a good way. You see, feet play a big role in balance and preventing falls. We reall…
When the doctor’s advice isn’t enough: a caregiver’s perspective [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, Nancie Wiseman Attwater discusses her husband Bill’s struggle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Despite the doctor’s advice to change his diet, Nancie realize…
Care aides in long-term care were traumatized during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on long-term care in Canada. During the first two waves in 2020, over 80 percent of all Canadian COVID-19 deaths happened in long-term care homes. While vaccination and policy changes have helped to reduce the number…
HIV Outbreak Persists as Officials Push Back Against Containment Efforts
Research shows offering clean syringes to people who misuse IV drugs is effective in combating the spread of HIV. But an epidemiologist and advocates say state and local officials in West Virginia, home to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent years, have taken measures that render syringe exchange less accessible.
Start walking to improve health and well-being
I just walked 120 km over five days on the South Downs Way along the southeast coast of the United Kingdom. It was a beautiful walk through the pastoral English countryside, culminating in the dramatic chalk cliffs near the coastal town of Eastbourne. …
The slow progression of aging: Let compassion reign
There is one guarantee in life: you will age, no matter how hard you try not to. Some age with more grace than others, and some age so quickly it’s astonishing. Aging can come quickly or slowly, it is not necessarily determined by your age but th…
We need trauma-informed care in long-term care homes
Canada needs trauma-informed aged care, training, and strategies in long-term care homes across the country. “Trauma” is a heavy word, but it’s the right word. “Trauma” describes what has been happening in long-term care f…
Activity is good. Exercise is better.
An excerpt from Man Overboard!: A Medical Lifeline for the Aging Male. OK, you don’t consider yourself an exerciser. It’s just not you. You hate running. You don’t have the social temperament or the body image to show up in a gym. You…
