UnitedHealth’s Move to End Cyberattack Loan Lifeline Upsets Medical Providers

[ad_1] Two independent medical practices in Minnesota once hoped to expand operations but have spent the past year struggling to recover from the cyberattack on a vast UnitedHealth Group payment system. Odom Health & Wellness, a sports medicine and rehabilitation outfit, and the Dillman Clinic & Lab, a family medicine practice, are among the thousands … Read more

Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: There Are Perils in ‘Elderspeak’

[ad_1] A prime example of elderspeak: Cindy Smith was visiting with her father in his assisted living apartment in Roseville, Calif. An aide who was trying to induce him to do something — Ms. Smith no longer remembers exactly what — said, “Let me help you, sweetheart.” “He just gave her The Look — under … Read more

Why Cameras Are Popping Up in Eldercare Facilities

[ad_1] The assisted-living facility in Edina, Minn., where Jean H. Peters and her siblings moved their mother in 2011, looked lovely. “But then you start uncovering things,” Ms. Peters said. Her mother, Jackie Hourigan, widowed and developing memory problems at 82, too often was still in bed when her children came to see her in … Read more

Dementia May Not Always Be the Threat It Is Now. Here’s Why.

[ad_1] Joan Presky worries about dementia. Her mother lived with Alzheimer’s disease for 14 years, the last seven in a memory-care residence, and her maternal grandfather developed dementia, too. “I’m 100 percent convinced that this is in my future,” said Ms. Presky, 70, a retired attorney in Thornton, Colo. Last year, she spent almost a … Read more

Why Older People May Not Need to Watch Blood Sugar So Closely

[ad_1] By now, Ora Larson recognizes what’s happening. “It feels like you’re shaking inside,” she said. “I’m speeded up. I’m anxious.” If someone asks whether she would like a salad for lunch, she doesn’t know how to respond. She has had several such episodes this year, and they seem to be coming more frequently. “She … Read more

New Insights Into Older Hearts

[ad_1] It turns out that the Isley Brothers, who sang that 1966 Motown hit “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You),” were onto something when they linked age to an aching and flagging heart. Heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death and disability, has been diagnosed in about 6 percent of Americans … Read more

These Settings Aren’t Real. But for Dementia Patients, What Is?

[ad_1] The nursery at RiverSpring Residences in the Bronx is a sunny, inviting space outfitted with a bassinet, a crib with a musical mobile, a few toys, bottles, picture books for bedtime reading and a rack of clothing in tiny sizes. The other morning, Wilma Rosa was there trying to soothe one of its cranky, … Read more

Dementia Cases in the U.S. Will Surge in the Coming Decades, Researchers Say

[ad_1] The number of people in the United States who develop dementia each year will double over the next 35 years to about one million annually by 2060, a new study estimates, and the number of new cases per year among Black Americans will triple. The increase will primarily be due to the growing aging … Read more

Telemedicine for Seniors Gets a Last-Minute Reprieve

[ad_1] Since his cancer diagnosis last year, Kent Manuel has regularly seen an oncologist near his home in Indianapolis. It’s been a tough time: After spinal surgery for paralysis caused by his cancer, he is regaining the use of his legs with physical therapy but still uses a wheelchair. Now, Mr. Manuel said, “I’m dealing … Read more