New Old Age at the New York Times

A New Direction

The blog is ending, but our coverage of caregiving and aging is not. The New Old Age will run as a twice-monthly column by Paula Span on nytimes.com and frequently in Science Times. Read More...

Published Fri, Jan 09 2015 12:27 PM by The New Old Age

Filed under: The New Old Age

Remembering the Lost

At many nursing homes and assisted living places, a resident's passing may be hardly noted. Read More...

Published Wed, Jan 07 2015 9:21 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: nursing homes, Arts & Culture, elder care, Death and Dying

The Future, Revisited

Circumstances had changed, and all these documents needed to change, too. Read More...

Published Mon, Dec 29 2014 2:00 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Arts & Culture, Essay

Diabetes Prevention That Works

Lifestyle modification prevents Type 2 diabetes even more effectively in the elderly than in middle-aged patients. Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 26 2014 12:22 PM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Medical Issues, exercise, Diabetes, elder care, preventive medicine, Elderly, Weight, Young Men's Christian Assn (YMCA)

Dementia, but Prettier

Julianne Moore gives a wonderful performance in "Still Alice," but the film skirts the truth about dementia. Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 19 2014 9:06 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: dementia, movies, Arts & Culture, elder care, Elderly, Alzheimer's Disease, Moore, Julianne

Questionable Remedies for Eye Disease

Supplements claiming to prevent age-related macular degeneration often don't contain enough, or any, of the ingredients shown to help, a researcher warns. Read More...

Published Wed, Dec 17 2014 10:35 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: News & Research, Macular Degeneration, eyes and eyesight, elder care, Elderly, Vitamins, Dietary Supplements and Herbal Remedies

U.S. Health Care Lags Worldwide for Those Over 65

The United States still has mortifying lapses and problems, despite spending more on health care than any country in the world, a new Commonwealth Fund report reveals. Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 12 2014 6:41 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Health Care, Medicare, Uncategorized, elder care

Unmet Needs Continue to Pile Up

When someone is spending $3,500 or more a month for assisted living, are there fewer activities the resident can’t manage? Read More...

Published Tue, Dec 09 2014 1:48 PM by The New Old Age

Filed under: nursing homes, Housing, Elderly, Retirement Communities and Assisted Living

A Focus on the Heart for Older Patients

The first geriatric cardiology clinic in New York opened at N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center in August. It’s different. Read More...

Published Thu, Dec 04 2014 10:45 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Health Care, Elderly

Part D for Drug Coverage — and Drudgery

Like doing our taxes, signing up for Medicare Part D, the insurance program for drug coverage, takes days out of our lives and leaves us sitting in a heap of papers with a splitting headache. Read More...

Published Mon, Dec 01 2014 2:21 PM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Medicare, Uncategorized, Finances & Legalities, Health Insurance and Managed Care, Drugs (Pharmaceuticals)

Violence in the Nursing Home

One in five nursing home residents was involved in mistreatment of a neighbor in the previous month, a new study found. Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 25 2014 9:55 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: nursing homes, dementia, News & Research, elder care, Elderly

An Easier Death, and Less Costly, Too

Saving money isn't really the point of hospice care. Still, a new study found that cancer patients in hospice incurred lower costs in the last year of life than those not in hospice. Read More...

Published Thu, Nov 20 2014 12:08 PM by The New Old Age

Filed under: End-of-Life Care, elder care, Hospice Care

Seeing the ‘Invisible Patient’

Physicians too often fail to address the needs of caregivers, a clinical review finds. Read More...

Published Mon, Nov 17 2014 10:51 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Medical Issues, hospitals, elder care, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Dreaming of the Departed

Nighttime visitations from lost family members are not uncommon among caregivers. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 14 2014 8:33 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: Family Relationships, elder care, Grief (Emotion), Dreams

Spouses Denied Social Security Survivors’ Benefits

Social Security will not pay benefits to same-sex spouses in states where their marriage is not recognized. Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 11 2014 8:49 AM by The New Old Age

Filed under: News & Research, elder care, Social Security (US), Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships