Latest California Healthline Stories
That ‘Living Will’ You Signed? At The ER, It Could Be Open To Interpretation.
End-of-life documents express your preferences for care but may not be binding medical orders. Here’s how to better prepare for the unexpected — that your last wishes won’t be carried out.
Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients
Nationally, one in five Medicare patients who leave the hospital for a nursing home end up back in the hospital. In California, one-fifth of the more than 1,200 nursing homes send at least 24 percent of their Medicare patients back to the hospital. To discourage this trend, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon give bonuses and penalties to facilities based on their rehospitalization rates.
Facebook Live: Sorting Out The Truth About Vitamins
From A to zinc and all the dietary supplements in between, KHN senior correspondent Liz Szabo gives you the dope on whether popping vitamins does you any good.
Suspension Of California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Leaves Sick Patients In Limbo
Doctors have stopped writing lethal prescriptions and pharmacists have stopped filling them after a court fight over how the law was enacted.
‘They Deserve It’: In Foster Homes, Veterans Are Cared For Like Family
With the motto “Where Heroes Meet Angels,” a small Veterans Affairs effort pairs vets in need of nursing home care with caregivers willing to share their homes. Medical foster homes save money, but it’s difficult to find enough spaces for all those who could benefit.
Dodging Dementia: More Of Us Get At Least A Dozen Good, Happy Years After 65
With longer lives and lower rates of dementia, most seniors are enjoying more years of life with good cognition — a welcome trend.
Will We Still Be Relevant ‘When We’re 64’?
Older adults often feel invisible as their interactions with younger people dwindle and hardly anyone seems to seek their advice. To make matters worse, studies link loneliness to weaker immune systems and poorer physical health.
Living Apart Together: A New Option for Older Adults
Why older couples in supportive, loving, long-term relationships decide to live apart and not get married.
Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide
More than six months ago, Hurricane Maria upended routines and shuttered services on the island leading to a sense of despair and isolation, especially among older people.
Inadequate Oversight Allows Poor Care At California Nursing Homes To Go Unchecked, State Audit Finds
The scathing report cites a significant increase in cases of poor care — especially ones with the potential to cause serious injuries or death. A state lawmaker called the findings “very, very disturbing.”