Aging
Let the positives outnumber the negatives
April 04, 2018Easy to list negatives. Easy to become reclusive. No matter when you leave a home. Or retire. No matter the time or age or gender. Be positive in setting the goal, rejoice on reaching it: in a retirement home, in your long-time home, in a new marriage, in a new grandchild — all a new rhythm. Be positive. Reach! Try! Strive! Age allows it.
Happy Long-Term Care Day!
November 17, 2017I had a birthday recently. OK, more than just recently. Tuesday. My long-term care colleagues were kind, supportive and treated me to an exquisite lunch. But the rest I've had to deal with on my own.
Lifestyle and the aging brain
June 01, 2015There's a growing body of evidence that shows that we do have some control over protecting ourselves from signs of dementia and cognitive decline—and even the physical damages of Alzheimer's on the brain—through lifestyle.
Most older adults OK with dementia screening by phone: Study
May 01, 2015People who believe in the benefits of catching medical problems early or have friends or loved ones with Alzheimer's disease tend to openly embrace advanced screening for dementia, according to new research.
Minnix: We have outdated beliefs about aging
April 29, 2015The focus of aging services over the next decade should be redefining age, improving practices, innovating solutions and transforming policy, the leader of a top senior care association declared Wednesday.
Coming out old
March 12, 2015Growing old is a choice. I realize that now. But it took some straight talk from neurosurgeon and likely Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson to help me see the light.
Financing available for aging innovations
December 23, 2014How can we help much-needed affordable long-term care models reach scale as demand spikes and traditional subsidy programs struggle to keep pace? While there are many correct answers to this question, greater access to affordable lending specifically designed to support expansion and innovation is one of the top answers.
If this guy succeeds, every nursing home might be put out of business
September 29, 2014What if people could remain sound of body and mind into ages of, well, biblical proportions? That elusive goal has captured the imagination of windmill chasers and serious thinkers for time immemorial. The latest seeker of note is not your typical crackpot. Unless a hedge fund manager with a medical degree from Harvard might be considered a crackpot.
A Stritch in time
March 13, 2014I have figured out who I want to be at 87, and it's Elaine Stritch. I realized this after seeing Stritch walk through New York wearing a leopard print coat, tights and big glasses during the new documentary, 'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me.' It has multiple powerful messages about what it's like to grow older, especially when it seems your body is still ticking through sheer force of personality.
Pew report: US expectations for elder care are at odds with those in similar nations
February 03, 2014People in the United States are much more likely to say that seniors should be responsible for their own care, compared with people living in similar economies around the world, according to a recently released study from the Pew Research Center.
Aging experts in Dallas, Washington broadcast the same message: Chronic disease is not inevitable with age
October 30, 2013There was synergy between Dallas and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Prominent speakers at the LeadingAge conference in Dallas addressed what it means to age well and how people's understanding of aging is evolving — and their message happened to coincide with what experts said the same day at a Senate roundtable.
Google moving into aging sphere
September 24, 2013Google announced the launch of Calico last week, a new company that will be particularly focused on aging and possible innovations to improve quality of life for seniors.
Where are the best metro areas to age? In Utah and South Dakota
September 06, 2013Provo, UT, and Sioux Falls, SD, are the best large and small metro areas for successful aging, respectively, according to a new survey.
Time to look for solutions to funding aging services in new places
July 17, 2013We have a problem with funding and the service delivery models in aging services. Both are broken, and both need to be addressed in any real solution is to be implemented. If the service delivery system continues without fundamental change, then costs will continue to escalate unabated. All of the money ultimately comes from the same source, us.
It's time to observe Dependence Day
July 03, 2013Sure, let's celebrate the Fourth of July. Gorge ourselves on commemorative carcinogens and empty carbs. Blow stuff up day and night. Do whatever we always do, for as long and as loud as we like. But next year, I hope some of those collective energies can be reallocated in support of my exciting holiday initiative — Dependence Day.
The latest skinny on walking: strong thigh muscles are key
April 01, 2013Older adults who gained the most fat in their thighs and lost the most thigh muscle were at the greatest risk for a clinically meaningful decline in walking speed in a Wake Forest study of more than 2,000 adults between the ages of 70 and 79.
Removing the blinders: Lessons from abroad
March 27, 2013Sometimes I wonder if it's human nature - and business nature - to be suspicious of others. To be wary of learning from others because of our "uniqueness." As businesses, we have a tendency to look at others in our market and point out the things that they do that wouldn't work for us, instead of finding the points of intersectio
The real story behind the Pope's resignation
February 18, 2013We have learned from our grandparents, great-grandparents, and even older ancestors about what it means to age. Understanding the past is the best way to understand the future, right? Not in this case.
Your big fat Greek retirement community
October 25, 2012The New York Times Magazine article "The Island Where People Forget to Die" describes a Greek island that has the healing properties of the island from the TV show "Lost" and all the senior-friendly attributes of an absurdly high-end continuing care retirement community.
Gut health linked to frailty in the elderly, research finds
July 17, 2012A new study on gut bacteria may have implications for long-term care facilities' nutrition and dietary departments.
Collaboration and social interactions help extend memory, study finds
August 31, 2011A collaborative approach in social interactions could be a key to memory retention and independent living later in life, new research reveals.
Baby boomers worry more about health than appearance as they age; display substance abuse issues, poll finds
July 15, 2011Baby boomers are more concerned with how aging affects their physical and mental health than the role it plays in their appearance, according to a new poll.
Changing the conversation: How Americans talk, think and feel about aging
June 01, 2011In my 25 years as a physician, I've never heard anyone describe themselves as a "functionally impaired patient with chronic multiple conditions," a "long-term care recipient" or a "dual eligible." Yet these types of terms are used every day among healthcare professionals, policy wonks and advocates to describe the very people on whose behalf we work.
The Aging reality show
May 18, 2011One of the things about working in long-term care is that it's both a blessing and a curse — knowing about aging. For example, it's not a good thing when you aren't prepared for it, right? I remember clearly (it's actually indelibly imprinted on my brain for all eternity) the time I was not prepared for the changes aging brings.
Chinese long-term care growing, lacking oversight and regulation, similar to U.S. decades ago, researchers say
March 15, 2011The growing demand for nursing homes in China has dramatically outpaced the government's ability to provide oversight, leaving that country's long-term care industry in a state similar to that in the U.S. 40 or 50 years ago, according to a new study.
Sociable seniors show lower risk for becoming disabled in old age, study finds
February 18, 2011Older adults who remain as physically and socially active as possible have a better chance of not becoming disabled in their elderly years, say researchers at Rush University in Chicago.
AAHSA launches consumer information hub
November 01, 2010Information for caregivers, consumers and healthcare providers can now be found at a new online consumer hub created by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
'Senior moments' are not necessarily part of aging process, study finds
September 17, 2010Those momentary memory lapses that typically accompany aging may not be so normal after all. A new study links common forgetfulness in old age to strokes and Alzheimer's disease.
Aging gene linked to production of Alzheimer's plaques
July 26, 2010A gene known to affect the aging process has been linked to amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research.
A question of word choice: 'long-term care' versus 'long-term services and supports'
January 14, 2010A new phrase appears to be emerging in the lexicon of long-term care. That phrase is "long-term services and supports." (Notice the omission of the word "care.")
