Integrative medicine takes a whole-person approach to treating long-term health problems that are hard to treat with standard treatments and drugs. It adds complementary (alternative) therapies to your current treatment plan. The goal is to…
Health literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand, and use health-related information to navigate the health care system and to make informed decisions about medical care. It is closely related to general literacy –…
In 1996, Congress passed a law that provides guidelines for the privacy and security of certain health information. Formally called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it is better known as HIPAA.…
Pain is estimated to affect 25-56% of older adults in the community and between 45-80% of those in long-term care facilities. More than half of older adults who are dying suffer from pain. Pain can…
Health Risks for Family Caregivers. Family caregivers provide unpaid but crucial support to family members, partners, and friends living with seriously disabling health conditions. The health and other needs of these caregivers, however, are frequently…
Older adults often experience sub-optimal communication during their visits to clinicians. This issue of Elder Care provides recommendations for effective communication with older patients who are not suffering from serious cognitive decline or hearing loss,…
Sleep in Older Adults - Pharmacotherapy. Older adults frequently report sleep-related complaints and have questions about appropriate sleep therapies. A previous edition of Elder Care, "Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Insomnia in Older Adults," discusses the…
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disorder in which an abnormal clone of plasma cells proliferates in the bone marrow. Plasma cells make antibodies (immune globulins), and in MM a clone of abnormal plasma cells produces…
Spirituality is central to the self-identity of many older adults. It informs beliefs and practices in an array of areas that can help clinicians understand a patient's family and marital relations, diet, communication and caregiving…
Dialysis in the Older Adult. The number of persons aged 65 years and older with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing and is expected to grow further in the coming years. Simultaneously, the percentage of…
