Medicine's generation gap
In 30 years, as Baby Boomers retire, there will be as many people over 80 as there are under 5. And there's another disturbing trend: The number of students entering geriatric medicine is dropping. As...
View ArticlePhysicians weigh federal panel's suggestion to end prostate exams at 75
Guest: Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times
View ArticleCalling all infants: National Children's Study begins 21-year health mission
The largest children's study ever undertaken in the United States kicks off in 2009. Researchers plan on tracking 100,000 kids from the womb to the age when they can legally crack open a beer....
View ArticleMy old man: The truth about men's biological clocks
Women have long battled with their biological clocks, but with men like Tony Randall cranking out kids in their seventies, many men don't really think about their biological clocks. In the wake of new...
View ArticleIs Fired the New Retired?
The latest unemployment numbers are out, and as expected they rose. The unemployment rate is now at 10.2 percent, and 190,000 jobs were lost in October. The numbers are surprising and reveal that the...
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Health Reform: Helping Pay the Costs of Elder Care?
We're talking about the costs of caring for Grandma, and whether they're going to get any cheaper with health care reform. The CLASS ACT– short for 'Community Living Assistance Services and Support' –...
View ArticleTech for the Elderly and the Risk of a Robot Takeover
In honor of all the silver foxes out there (and the people who love them), we dedicate this week's tech segment to assistive technologies for older people.Dr. Nick Terrafranca, medical director of...
View ArticleSetting Long-term Health Priorities: The Three And Half Things You Need to Know
Whether you’re worried about high blood pressure or diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or heart disease, there are just four steps you need to significantly cut your risk and improve your health. (For...
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The Strange Science of Immortality
Immortality has always been a dream of humanity, though in movies and books, we are often told that our mortality is somehow integral to the human experience. If you could live longer – much, much...
View ArticleGay and Gray in America: Getting Older as a Gay Man or Woman
What is it like getting older when you’re part of the first generation of gay people to live fully out of the closet? And who cares for you as you exit the world?We explore these issues with Laurie...
View ArticleIs It Worth Knowing Alzheimer's is Coming if There's Nothing You Can Do About...
We're following a new development about research into Alzheimer's treatment and prevention. On Tuesday, drug manufacturer Eli Lilly stopped two late-stage clinical trials of a treatment after...
View ArticleThe Many Roles of Martin Landau
Some people know Martin Landau as the debonair master of disguise in TV history — from his role on “Mission Impossible.” Some remember him best as the groundbreaking, sexually ambiguous henchman in...
View ArticleIs it Time to Cut Your Aging Parents Loose?
We frequently talk about retired people living on limited budgets. But what about their adult children?It turns out that many people with aging parents are struggling financially, and even facing...
View Article'Never Say Die': A Motto Americans Live By?
In her new book, "Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age," author Susan Jacoby sets out to debunk the myths that it's possible to avoid the hardships of old age. At the same time, she...
View ArticleYour Take: New Guidelines on Alzheimer's
Would you want to know whether or not you'll have Alzheimer's if you had the opportunity? The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association released new guidelines on the disease, in...
View ArticleThe Internet and the Over-65 Crowd
One hundred years ago the United States was a technological hotbed. Suburban homes were being wired up with power. Scores of electrical gadgets — like vacuum cleaners and washing machines — were being...
View ArticleWho Wants To Live Forever?
In the 1900s the average life expectancy in the western world was 47 years old. Today it's nearly 80 years old, and in the future, we're set to live even longer.David Ewing Duncan is a science...
View Article'Triumphs of Experience': Studying the Happy Life
Between 1939 and 1944, more than 200 Harvard students – all "physically and mentally healthy" men – were recruited to participate in a study. Norman Mailer and Leonard Bernstein were rejected, but the...
View ArticleAdapting Society to an Ever-Growing, Ever-Aging Population
This week, we've been pondering the significance of aging, and aging well in today's world.First, genomic life scientist J. Craig Venter told us about his plans to make genomic sequencing a tool for...
View Article78 is the New 20: Why The Golden Years Are Now Our Best
New forecasts from the government find that Americans can now expect to live longer than ever. For a child born in America in 2012, the average life expectancy is 78.8-years-old.But for some people,...
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