America’s farmworkers are aging, not being replaced

EVANSVILLE, Ind., May 8 (UPI) — The average age of America’s hired farm laborers is steadily increasing, threatening the future of the nation’s farming industry, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The reason is the foreign-born workers, who comprise more than half the workforce, are getting older. At least half those…

Doughnut Hole Closed, But Many Still Struggle With Medicare Drug Costs

No annual out-of-pocket limit adds up to crippling prescription bills By Michelle Andrews April 26, 2019 (This article appeared previously in Kaiser Health News.) Three times a week, Tod Gervich injects himself with Copaxone, a prescription drug that can reduce the frequency of relapses in people who have some forms of multiple sclerosis. After more than 20 years…

Hearing loss tied to increased risk for depression

(Reuters Health) – Older adults with hearing loss may be more likely than peers without hearing difficulty to develop symptoms of depression, a research review suggests. Globally, more than 1.3 billion people currently live with some form of hearing loss, and their ranks are expected to rise with the aging population, the study team notes…

Hospitals Look To Nursing Homes To Help Stop Drug-Resistant Infections

April 2, 20195:00 AM ET Anna Gorman from Kaiser Health News  A certified nursing assistant wipes Neva Shinkle’s face with chlorhexidine, an antimicrobial wash. Shinkle is a patient at Coventry Court Health Center, a nursing home in Anaheim, Calif., that is part of a multicenter research project aimed at stopping the spread of MRSA and…

States Seek Financial Relief for Family Caregivers

Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide state income tax credits for families that need help with home caregiving. Gloria Brown is the primary caregiver for her husband, Arthur, who was given a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease four years ago. Gloria Brown didn’t get a good night’s sleep. Her husband,…

On Disability and on Facebook? Uncle Sam Wants to Watch What You Post

WASHINGTON — If you’re on federal disability payments and on social media, be careful what you post. Uncle Sam wants to watch. The Trump administration has been quietly working on a proposal to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to help identify people who claim Social Security disability benefits without actually being disabled. If,…

$356,000 to protect your computer? Feds promise ‘all-out attack’ on scams targeting the elderly

WASHINGTON – One man, alarmed at the thought that hackers might attack his computer, shelled out $14,990 to a company promising a “fix” that would keep it safe. Eight months later, the 68-year-old from Hawaii mailed the same company a check for $24,999 more. And he kept paying. All told, the unnamed man, who suffers…

As more millennials become homeowners, seniors are becoming renters

By 2035, economists predict seniors will represent the second-largest group of renters in the country High home prices aren’t stopping more Americans from becoming homeowners. But seniors are bucking that trend. The homeownership rate nationwide was 64.8% in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s up from 64.4%…

Supplement Makers Touting Cures for Alzheimer’s and Other Diseases Get F.D.A. Warning

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday warned 12 sellers of dietary supplements to stop claiming their products can cure diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to cancer to diabetes. At the same time, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the agency’s commissioner, suggested that Congress strengthen the F.D.A.’s authority over an estimated $40 billion industry, which sells as many as 80,000…