This is the hottest summer ever, news reports tell us. We stay inside, we use air conditioning, we hydrate well. But some aging parents who live alone or with only part time help at home are at particular risk. It’s not just that older people can’t regulate their body temperature as well as younger people. […]
I love the beautiful summer days here in the Seattle area. People are streaming into Western Washington due to the mild weather, attractive as climate change worsens, and the job opportunities. It’s so nice to be enjoying 70 degree weather as many areas of the country swelter. I’m also appreciating my wonderful garden with its […]
Wendy – Hey, Boomer by Jon R. Wiener, Published in the 2022 Rhapsodist, A-B Tech’s primary venue for literature and fine art In 1977, my father Lou was 70 years old. I was 24. Most of my life I remembered him having to be on crutches to walk anywhere. He had bilateral hip osteoarthritis, and […]
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Medicare fraud costs taxpayers $60 billion a year. Fraudsters get away with it because most of the time, no one is stopping them. Here’s a real case, in which I personally spotted the suspicious billing that immediately looked to me like fraud. A family member we’ll call Tony had […]
Either I missed the Public Citizen report on the toll private equity is taking on U.S. health care or I didn’t understand the significance of it. The report, released in March 2023, says private equity takeovers have come with shocking lapses in safety, with prices rising faster than at non-private equity acquired entities, while patients […]
Imagine having multiple sclerosis and being in a wheelchair for 25 years. That was Eleanor, in Tennessee, feeling trapped. When her neurologist told her she would never improve, she refused to accept this pronouncement. She had a quality of defiance. Her thought: “Don’t tell me I can’t do something. I’m going to prove you wrong”. And […]
How to Embrace the Empty Nest and Thrive in Your New Space As your children have grown up and moved out, leaving a quiet and often empty house in their wake, you might find yourself contemplating the practicality of the spacious family home. You are not alone in this thought. Downsizing is a common path […]
It’s not surprising what last year’s top consumer complaint was. I’ve seen it many times as No. 1 on annual consumer complaint lists. It’s auto sales and repair. “Consumers rely on cars to get to work, school, doctors’ appointments and more,” said Erin Witte, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. Complaints […]
On Saturday, I received a strange email. It said it was from Gastro Health and a new lab result had been entered into my patient portal from my Gastro Health provider. To access my lab results, I was to go to my patient portal. I thought it was a scam. I haven’t had a test […]
We hear of ageism in the workplace. Older workers are laid off and when they seek new jobs, they are discriminated against in favor of younger, cheaper, less experienced workers. We hear of ageism in the media where elders are depicted as frail, impaired, dependent and in need of oh, so many medications. We do […]
