Geriatrics
Unlock the secrets to aging gracefully: specialized care and support for elderly patients
She sat in the hospital bed, staring out the window as the nurse flitted in and out of the room, adjusting IV lines and checking her vitals. It had been a long time since she’d been in a hospital, but at 75 years old, her health was beginning to fail. She knew that she was considered “elderly” now, but she didn’t feel old. She still had so much life left, …
Preventing falls in seniors: the surprising role of shoes [PODCAST]
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In this episode, Sheetal Gambhir, a geriatrician, discusses the importance of feet in preventing falls in elderly patients. She shares insights on what to look for in shoes, including surface area, heel height, and sole consistency. She …
Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]
8 practices for a happier old age
An excerpt from Honest Aging: An Insider’s Guide to the Second Half of Life. Copyright 2023. Published with permission of Johns Hopkins University Press.
The key to aging well lies within you, the attitudes and responses you have to growing older and entering old age. Yes, there will be inevitable physical …
A fine line between DNR and denied treatment for the elderly [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we welcome Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, to discuss the issue of autonomy and treatment for elderly patients. He shares his experiences in the long-term care setting, and the disturbing trend of interpreting do …
Geriatric foot care 101: How shoes can help reduce the risk of falls
If you did not know all that I know about feet, you would think geriatricians (doctors for patients 65+ years old) have a foot fetish. We are obsessed with feet, but in a good way. You see, feet play a big role in balance and preventing falls. We really care about our elder patients’ health, which is why we care about what our patients wear. Falls kill, and if one …
When the doctor’s advice isn’t enough: a caregiver’s perspective [PODCAST]
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In this episode, Nancie Wiseman Attwater discusses her husband Bill’s struggle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Despite the doctor’s advice to change his diet, Nancie realized that it was probably too late for that to make a difference. …
Care aides in long-term care were traumatized during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on long-term care in Canada. During the first two waves in 2020, over 80 percent of all Canadian COVID-19 deaths happened in long-term care homes. While vaccination and policy changes have helped to reduce the number of deaths, long-term care homes are still experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and severe staffing shortages.
The people who provide front-line care to our most vulnerable seniors in long-term care have experienced …
Start walking to improve health and well-being
I just walked 120 km over five days on the South Downs Way along the southeast coast of the United Kingdom. It was a beautiful walk through the pastoral English countryside, culminating in the dramatic chalk cliffs near the coastal town of Eastbourne. While not a technically difficult walk, there were certainly enough hills to climb, high winds, and rainy days to make us ready for our evening pub dinners.
The slow progression of aging: Let compassion reign
There is one guarantee in life: you will age, no matter how hard you try not to. Some age with more grace than others, and some age so quickly it’s astonishing. Aging can come quickly or slowly, it is not necessarily determined by your age but the whole dynamics of the life you have lived and perhaps your relatives’ lives before you.
Aging isn’t just the change from dark hair to …
We need trauma-informed care in long-term care homes
Canada needs trauma-informed aged care, training, and strategies in long-term care homes across the country.
“Trauma” is a heavy word, but it’s the right word.
“Trauma” describes what has been happening in long-term care facilities across Canada during the pandemic, where the majority of COVID-19 deaths have occurred and where highly restrictive visitor policies and short staffing have meant extreme isolation and deprivation for the residents who live there.
But there are often …
Activity is good. Exercise is better.
An excerpt from Man Overboard!: A Medical Lifeline for the Aging Male.
OK, you don’t consider yourself an exerciser. It’s just not you. You hate running. You don’t have the social temperament or the body image to show up in a gym. You’re not interested in doing a Turkey Trot, Reindeer …
Walk to reduce your loneliness and improve your well-being [PODCAST]
Doctors need to advocate more for their patients
My first patient of residency was Mr. John. He endured life-threatening injuries that left him without speech or the ability to move his limbs. Every day had obstacles, and I met most of his family over time. Mr. John was a family man who looked after others first before himself. A self-made man. He was a man who was physically strong and dedicated to every project and goal he set …
A hospice doctor’s advice on financial independence and living a regret-free life [PODCAST]
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“Unlike my dad, I grew up with very different feelings about my own longevity. I have always believed that I would live to a ripe old age. This belief has colored my approach to career and finances. In many ways, I was able …
The forgotten crisis: a shortage of geriatric doctors in the U.S.
The scarcity of geriatricians in the United States is a severe problem in the public health sphere due to the increased number of older adults and the lack of health care professionals who specialize in this demographic.
Approximately 7,000 geriatricians are practicing in the United States, and around half of them are full-time. Research shows that 30 percent of people 65 years old and older need care from …
Warehouses for the elderly?
Bringing in the mail recently, I was pleased to see a thick 5-by-7-inch booklet among the catalogs and bills. The anticipation of reading a few Reader’s Digest short stories and “Humor in Uniform” made the evening seem pleasurable. But when I opened the 244-page Reader’s Digest-sized booklet, I found the “Senior’s Blue Book for Greater Boston.” Here was page after page of assisted living communities, retirement communities, skilled nursing facilities, …
Reduce your loneliness, improve your well-being, and take the first step
Just before the pandemic, I walked 96 miles (154.5 km) in seven days on the West Highland Way in Scotland, though I was hardly alone in this endeavor. About 250 people start the walk each day, including the amazing group of primary women that I walked with, indicative of both the attraction of the trail and the popularity of this form of physical activity.
All types of people were walking. There …
The nursing home staffing crisis will not be fixed through transparency
Staffing shortages and turnover rates have recently become a pertinent topic for hospitals. However, these personnel challenges have haunted certified nursing facilities since the 1970s. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the turnover rate for total nursing staff in nursing homes was about 128 percent. While increasing transparency on these atrociously high turnover rates has been a commonly proposed solution, it has only recently been …
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Past Week
Past 6 Months
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Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape
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Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain
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I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?
-
Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates
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Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change
-
The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice
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Recent Posts
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1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?
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The pros and cons of whole life insurance for high-income earners
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Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia
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Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]
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Exploring disfigurement and self-worth
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AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology
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