Judith Graham - KFF Health News

COVID would be a wake-up call, advocates for the elderly predicted: proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. But decisive actions experts had hoped for haven’t materialized.

As cognitive skills erode, driving skills weaken, but an older driver may not recognize that. Advance directives on driving are one way to handle this challenge.

More than a third of older adults have a disability. Many find it difficult to get the medical care they need. New federal regulations would address that problem.

The principles and practices of geriatrics are widely disseminated, and we understand much more about how to improve care. Yet we don’t have enough geriatricians to meet the growing demand.

Medicare is expanding access to mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists come Jan. 1. But the belief that seniors who suffer from mental health problems should just grin and bear it remains a troubling barrier to care.

Quest Diagnostics is selling a blood test online to consumers. But results may not be reliable or easy to interpret. And it isn’t covered by insurance.

A leading geriatrician says a lot of health information for older adults isn’t as useful as it should be. No person’s aging process looks exactly like another’s. So she’s written a guidebook.

The federal government is proposing having Medicare pay professionals to train family caregivers how to perform tasks like bathing and dressing their loved ones, and properly use medical equipment.

Clinics serving Alzheimer’s patients are working out the details of who will get treated with the new drug Leqembi. It won’t be for everyone with memory-loss symptoms.

Researchers have found that while obesity at any age risks harming health, a few extra pounds in later life isn’t cause for concern.