New research offers some much-need recommendations on how to curb MRSA infections among nursing home residents. As it turns out, the activities that pose the greatest risk of infection aren't always what you might think they'd be.
Aging
The rate of childhood obesity has tripled over the past 30 years. While there are no easy solutions, programs that focus on the whole family have shown positive results in changing both behaviors and health measures.
There's little data available on in-home caregiving, which makes reporting on the issue challenging. Unlike nursing homes, in-home care suffers from little oversight. But that's why it's such an important topic to cover. Here are some essential resources and tips to get started.
Reporter Frank Gluck recently spent five months reporting on how Alzheimer’s disease has affected Southwest Florida, where the population of seniors is twice the national average. Here he shares some essential reporting lessons and tips for others tackling the topic in their region.
When I started reporting on Montana's "aging tsunami," I wanted to know what solutions held the most promise. But as I delved into the issues, I was forced to reexamine my assumptions. Sometimes the best stories take a fresh look at what we think we know.
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is hitting older communities such as Southwest Florida hard, overwhelming retirement savings and loading more costs onto the region's already strained medical system, a five-month News-Press investigation found.
Experts estimate that as many as 55,000 Southwest Floridians have diagnosed or undiagnosed Alzheimer's disease. To better understand the disease's impact on the region, The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida, interviewed experts on the disease and families now coping with it.
A recent Sac Bee investigation revealed disturbingly high staff turnover rates at a number of California nursing homes. You can discover similar trends by learning how to navigate the data in California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and similar agencies nationwide.
Alzheimer’s disease caregivers, usually elderly spouses or working adult children, face higher risk of physical and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and heart problems. Stressed caregivers are 63 percent more likely to die within four years compared to non-caregivers.
When I tackled the topic of loneliness as a 2013 National Health Journalism Fellowship project, I honestly didn't think it would be hard to find people who were lonely so that I could write about the issue. I was right and wrong.