Never ignore pain after hip replacement
Dear Mayo Clinic: Six years ago, at age 67, I had my right hip replaced. I’d been feeling fine until about eight weeks ago, when it started to hurt toward the front of my hip when I lifted my right leg. The pain is quite significant — to the point where it hurts every time I get in my car or attempt to put on socks. What could be causing this to happen? Answer: There are a number... READ MORE
Don’t miss out on the flu vaccine this year
An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter — the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, revealed the total in a recent interview with the Associated Press. Flu experts knew it was a very bad season, but at least one found the size of the estimate... READ MORE
Medicare open season; upgraded website
With Medicare sign-up season in full swing, Medicare has modernized its website to make it more useful for beneficiaries already accustomed to searching online for insurers, hospitals and doctors. But some consumer advocates said the changes reflect a subtle bias toward private plans on the part of the Trump administration. Medicare Administrator Seema Verma said new features include... READ MORE
More women may benefit from bone drugs
A bone-strengthening drug given by IV every 18 months greatly lowered the risk of fracture in certain older women, a large study found. The results suggest these medicines might help more people than those who get them now, and can be used less often, too. Broken bones are a scourge of aging. A hip fracture can start a long decline that lands someone in a nursing home. The risk is most... READ MORE
Is medical marijuana for you?
Washington Beacon Two years ago, Scott Deiter ruptured several discs in his neck. Four neck surgeries later, “between the residual pain from the surgeries and daily migraines, I really couldn’t function because of the pain,” he said. Deiter felt opioid pain medication impaired him too much to work, so he turned to cannabis “in desperation.” “It worked the first time ... READ MORE
Ways to avoid hospital-related infections
Q: I’m getting a procedure done at the hospital soon, and I’m afraid of getting an infection while I’m there. Is there anything I can do? A: Infections you can develop while inside hospitals or other medical settings — including doctors’ offices, rehab facilities or nursing homes — are called healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs. They could come from germs that enter... READ MORE
Even better than keeping your mouth shut
Dear Solutions: I see my daughter (a corporate something or other) and my son-in-law (a lawyer) spending more and more money on their children instead of spending more and more time with them as they’re growing, and I’m worried. The children think everything is coming to them, and that money is the only important thing to strive for. Of course, they’re not striving since they are... READ MORE
Study on healthy aging seeks volunteers
Two years ago, the National Institute on Aging launched the GESTALT study, which stands for the Genetic and Epigenetic Signatures of Translational Aging Laboratory Testing study. The study takes one of the first large-scale, long-term looks at why aging progresses as it does — and how to help more people take advantage of ways to improve quality of life as they age. The GESTALT... READ MORE
Distinguishing Alzheimer’s from dementia
Dear Savvy Senior: What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia? My aunt has dementia, but they don’t know if she has Alzheimer’s disease, which is very confusing to me. Trying To Understand Dear Trying: Many people use the words “Alzheimer’s disease” and “dementia” interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. In fact, you can have a form ... READ MORE
He teaches life lessons so kids can thrive
During his working career, Bob Argabright, 76, was a “turnaround specialist” with the Chesapeake Packaging Corporation. When an operating unit had problems, the packaging company sent him to trouble spots to find solutions. Today, Argabright is a turnaround specialist of a different kind. Almost every day since his 2004 retirement, he has gone from his condominium in The Bluffs to... READ MORE
