Health and Fitness

Let’s chat about something that’s both common and often overlooked as we get older: hearing loss. If you’re over 60, you might already be familiar with how age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis, can creep up on you. But did you know that vitamins…

There are many things that can increase a senior’s risk of falling and one of the most common but often overlooked is the role of medications. Seniors and their caregivers need to be aware of the medications that can put them at risk for falls…

Knee replacement surgery, also known as knee arthroplasty, is replacing a worn, damaged or diseased knee with an artificial joint. The hope is that the knee replacement surgery will relieve pain and improve the function of a damaged knee. There are two types of knee replacement surgery…

I didn’t start hiking long distances until I was well into my 60s. During my life, I had backpacked and hiked for several days at a time. Aside from a 3-week trek to Mount Everest in my 20-ties, I never spent weeks on the trail. During a tough time in my marriage in my late 50-ties, I sought the high mountains of the Himalayas to get away from the confusion at home…

For women over 60 who struggle with food obsession and want to lose weight, the prospect of vacation can bring both excitement and anxiety. Why do women over 60 feel anxiety about indulgent eating on summer vacations?

My friend Stewart retired from his corporate attorney job after almost 40 years, eager to fill his leisure with travel, golf, and his lifelong love of skiing. Schussing down the mountain one day in the crisp cool air, he was hit from behind by a snowboarder who gave little more than a backward glance. Stewart, 66, suffered a fractured shoulder along with bumps, bruises, and a concussion…

Most of us have heard so many diet theories that weight control can begin to sound mysterious. Low carb. Low fat. Fasting. Cleanses. Special foods. Magic supplements. No eating after 7 p.m. Eat like a caveman. Eat like a movie star. After a while, it is easy to feel that permanent weight control must be complicated. I don’t believe it…

Society today is all about giving. Giving your time to a job, offering resources to a cause, giving your attention to the needs of family and friends. And while these things can be rewarding, it leaves little time for us to focus on our own needs. I often tell family caregivers that self-care is not just going on a spa day once a year…

We all have those days when mustering the motivation to exercise seems like more of a challenge than usual. We just can’t seem to get going and we end up giving ourselves permission to skip the gym or yoga class, or postpone the run or walk. I don’t have my gym clothes on. I’m too tired. I haven’t eaten. My back has been bothering me. I just washed my hair…

A few months ago, a friend told me about an older woman who had fallen at a wedding. “She was dancing,” he explained. “She stumbled and went down. She’d been drinking.” The story stayed with me because falls are no small matter as we get older. A broken wrist, a fractured hip, or a head injury can change the course of a life in an instant…