Physicians have historically been uncomfortable initiating conversations about end-of-life care with their patients. Such communication requires tact, sensitivity and, of course, time. In 2016, however, physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants were given the authority to bill Medicare to conduct these challenging discussions, thus allowing providers to carve out discreet time…

Continuing the theme of conversations with physicians about health care decision making, especially at the end of life: such advance care planning becomes all the more complex and challenging when there’s no clear person to step in to be a surrogate decision maker should something happen to you. Typically, patients…

There’s a clear connection between weight gain and health risks. And the opposite may also be true: two new research studies provide further evidence that reduced calorie consumption may lead to healthier aging and reduced risk for age-related illnesses.  First, an early stage study out of Brigham Young University recently…

Most seniors rely on Medicare to pay for their medical care. But for some 10 million low income seniors, help for medical costs also comes from Medicaid. With Medicaid coverage, such seniors receive assistance with not only small, out-of-pocket medical expenses but also the major costs of long-term nursing home…

No one like to go to the hospital, but sometimes there’s just no choice- or is there? If you ask Dr. Bruce Leff, a geriatrician at Johns Hopkins, whatever you can do to keep seniors out of hospitals is a worthwhile effort, even if you need to set up hospital-level…

Louise and Charles “LaLa” Evans were married for almost 60 years. Living in Mississippi, it’s clear from the thousands of photos they took over the years that theirs was a loving and sweet marriage. When Louise passed away, LaLa determined to honor his wife in a way the two had…