Improved healthcare resources and healthier diets have contributed to longer life spans. However, emergency room visits among seniors remain high. In fact, people over 65 account for 20 million trips to the ER annually, and almost 15% of these patients will develop a lasting disability within six months of their visit. In this article, we examine…
Gerda Saunders served as the University of Utah’s associate director of Gender Studies until she retired in 2011. That year, her colleagues gave her a leather-bound notebook as a farewell gift. Nine months prior to leaving her job, Sanders was diagnosed with cerebral microvascular disease, a precursor of dementia. She was only sixty-one. In her…
For the elderly population, a hospital admission can be life-changing. It is more difficult for people to recover from traumatic events as they age, and a health crisis requiring hospital care often signals a change in the level of support a patient needs. Here is an overview of some of the most common reasons elderly people…
Food guru Michael Pollan’s memorable words make good health simple at any age: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” There’s a great message packed into those short phrases. Essentially, what we eat makes a huge difference in our health. Pollan recommends the inclusion of unprocessed whole foods in our diet. So, healthy meals for…
According to the US Census Bureau, the aging population is set to double by 2050. Despite the challenges of aging, however, seniors remain a fiercely independent demographic. In fact, many are opting to age in place. Did you know that the fastest growing metro area in the United States is The Villages in Florida? The…
Seniors with CHF At Risk Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a serious condition that, if left untreated, can be fatal. Seniors are at an especially high risk. In people over the age of 65, heart failure is the most common reason for hospital admissions, with 900,000 people being hospitalized in the US each year. CHF…
The older generation has seen the world change at breakneck speed. While there are few who remember the horse and buggy, there are still those around whose memories span from the trolley car all the way to the walk on the moon. Communication for them shifted from letter writing and telegrams to the telephone and,…
If you are responsible for caring for an elderly loved one, you probably could use some help to lighten the load. But without experience in the medical industry, it’s hard to know what level of caregiver you need. In-home healthcare needs can be easily met with a little bit of research and the help of…
My granddaughter wrote a wonderful piece for The Huffington Post where she is the Family & Relationships writer (why not brag) that was so poignant that I thought I would share it with you. It’s about sisterhood – something deeply important to me. In fact, David York Agency is founded on sisterhood. You see, I started this agency with…
Elderly Substance Abuse It’s something that we never associate with the elderly, but it does, in fact, exist —- it’s substance abuse. According to the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), this is a “hidden national epidemic”. While 60% of substance abusers in younger demographics are diagnosed, only 37% in the…