Aging With Mental Health Challenges

: Written by J.J.

Mental Health challenges are a hidden issue in America that impact 20% of older adults and 1/3 of all older people in nursing homes. Some notice their mental illness in earlier years while others encounter mental difficulties through chronic physical illness or experiences of aging. Less then 3% will consult a mental health professional and a disturbing number will elect suicide. How is mental illness defined in aging? What are the triggers in older adults? Why is it important to learn about mental illness in older adults? How might a mentally ill older adult impact you?

What You Need To Know About TeleHealthcare

: Written by J.J.

Are you using Teladoc, MDLive, or Project ECHO? Have you downloaded monitoring health apps on your smartphone? Telemedicine, the remote delivery of healthcare and clinical diagnostics via internet, satellite, wireless, or telephone technology, is rapidly expanding in the U.S. and is central to Federal plans for managing aging America's care. If you haven't encountered it yet...you will. "Over the last 5 or 10 years what we've seen is an explosion of telehealthcare...in the management of chronic disease, in the management of mental health...we're seeing telehealth being used to provide daily ongoing care for patients...." states Ashish Jha, the Director of Harvard's Global Health Institute, in the video below. While insurers, practitioners, healthcare services, and government planners are well informed on the capabilities and goals of telemedicine the average elder needs to build awareness. Will I still see my doctor? Do I need special equipment? Why is healthcare changing? How will telemedicine change the way I plan for late life care?

Embracing The Challenge of our Bodies' Changing Nutrition Needs

: Written by J.J.

Food is our source of energy and wellness. As we age, our bodies' dietary needs change. Sometimes conditions, intolerances, or food allergies cause us to adjust a diet we've enjoyed for years. Other times we just need more nutrients or vitamins to maintain adequate energy to get through a day. As we continue to work and stay active into the later years of our lives it's important to embrace the challenge of our changing dietary needs because the foods we eat create our foundation of health and vitality.

Are We Alone?

: Written by J.J.

Are we alone? Certainly, here on earth, we're not. We're aging among a cohort that numbers the largest this nation has seen and we're plugged into one another in multiple ways through computers, cell phones, and public cameras. Yet, you might wonder, are we really in touch or quietly alone with our devices? In fact, we're living alone in record numbers that increase dramatically as we age. Are we alone in the universe? NASA may soon let us know. Just as we once thought the earth was flat, we might discover that we're not alone here on earth... or are we?