Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. More than 15 million residents have their identities stolen each year. The total of the losses exceeds a staggering $50 billion annually. While it’s true that no one is safe from identity theft, seniors are particularly at risk. Senior identity theft is growing rapidly and people ages 50 and…
It’s that time once again. You start a fresh, new year with promises of exercising more, eating healthy, dropping old habits, and so on. You’re not alone. Half of all Americans admit to making some kind of New Year’s resolution. Despite our good intentions to better ourselves, only about 8% are successful in achieving our goals. It’s especially hard to…
Anyone who travels often by plane knows far too well that flying can be stressful. Slow-moving airport security lines, extremely cramped airline seats and long walks to navigate terminals can become exhausting to anyone, let alone a senior. Many airports, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, have taken steps to ease the burden on travelers – especially older adults and…
September 23, 2019, the first day of fall, marks the 10th annual National Falls Prevention Awareness Day, which is sponsored by the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Every 11 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury. Falls are the major cause of hip fractures, and are responsible for more than half of fatal…
One in 3 American adults is at risk for kidney disease. What puts you at risk for kidney disease? Major risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney failure and being age 60 or older. The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease…
The current COVID-19 Pandemic is turning more grave with each passing day. Started in China as an illness with symptoms similar to the flu, it has recently been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WH0). Described as a severe respiratory illness caused by a new Coronavirus, COVID-19 has so far affected nearly half a million people and caused…
You think you’re in good health, right? Don’t have time for an annual checkup? Or what about your parents or grandparents for whom you are responsible—are you avoiding taking them in for their checkups because they “just don’t need one right now?” The problem with that is that, for one, the purpose of prevention is to get to the problem…
Increasing trouble navigating everything from the basement stairs to the golf course convinced Gail Richman to have the hip replacement her doctor had been recommending. The surgery went smoothly, the doctor told Gail’s son Will. But when Will arrived in the recovery room, Mom didn’t recognize him. She tried to pull out her IV, and moaned in distress. The nurse…
It happened in seconds. The phone rang while Maggie was carrying in the groceries with her mom, who has Alzheimer’s disease. By the time Maggie hung up on what proved to be a robocall, Mom was gone! Maggie was frantic. Luckily, she had alerted the neighbors that Mom was confused and tended to get lost. “Thank goodness,” she breathed as…
“Mom, we’d all feel a lot better if we knew you had some help.” One of the great joys of the holidays is reconnecting with family who may live far away. But sometimes when adult children visit their elderly loved ones, they find that their parents are no longer as healthy as they remembered. Or they might see signs Mom…
