Having lived in New York City for many years now, I’ve grown used to the blare of ambulance sirens. Still, when I hear one go by, I sometimes find myself saying a little prayer of hope that the patient onboard makes it OK through the insane city traffic. These past…
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Two years ago, I wrote a blog titled Confused About Post-Operative Confusion about my father’s experience with post-op delirium after he had triple bypass surgery. It obviously struck a chord with many. Even now, it consistently remains one of the most-visited pages on our website, and has drawn 26 comments…
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From the 1960 film The Time Machine based on the H.G. Wells novella Science fiction is one of my favorite genres, both current and classic. I just finished reading a collection of H.G. Wells stories, marveling at the world of the future he imagined from his late 19th century…
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As we age we hope to remain at home and independent for as long as possible. Most people see the health care system as an important contributor to their ability to maintain this independence. Unfortunately, as we get older we become more susceptible to harm from a lack of…
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In an earlier post I mentioned my observations of how traumatic a trip to the emergency room can be for older people, and I promised to write about the emergence of geriatric emergency department (ED) models that provide better care for older people and can be a cost savings to…
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Cancer is cruel, and it seems we all know too many people who face the disease. My dear colleague and friend Amy Berman has been eloquently writing about her own experience, and it feels so unfair. But when I heard my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer several years…
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We continue to receive a tremendous response to Nora's blog about her father's post-operative confusion and know that many of you have experienced similar situations. We invite you to visit our Resources page, where you will find links to helpful sites, including the Foundation for Health in Aging's delirium topic…
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A recent article by Robert Kane published in the January 19, 2011, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), “Finding the Right Level of Posthospital Care,” is a must-read for anyone interested in discharge planning issues. Bob packs a lot of information into this article--a literature review…
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As 2010 draws to a close, I find myself looking back through the 100 or so posts we made to HealthAGEnda this year. I thought about doing a “Best of” post like we did last year, but there are too many good ones. I couldn’t pick. Instead, I’d like to…
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An article in the October 30, 2010, New York Times, “Money Woes Can Be Early Clue to Alzheimer’s,” reminded me of how important it is for everyone working with older people to have knowledge of aging, including the signs and symptoms of dementia. While it may not be so obvious…
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