Judith Graham

Judith Graham is a contributing columnist for Kaiser Health News, which originally published this article. KHN’s coverage of these topics is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and The SCAN Foundation.

How to Make Smarter Decisions About Post-Hospital Recovery

Every year, almost 2 million people on Medicare—most of them older adults—go to a skilled nursing facility to ...

Health Care June 17, 2023
Mind Over Body: A Psychiatrist Tells How to Tap Into Wisdom and Grow With Age

We’ve all seen it happen: An older friend or family member retires, is diagnosed with a serious illness, ...

Life & Wellness May 3, 2023
Should Older Seniors Risk Major Surgery?

Nearly 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of undergoing major surgery, according to an important new ...

Aging Well December 5, 2022
Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear COVID-Related Brain Fog

Eight months after falling ill with COVID-19, a 73-year-old woman couldn’t remember what her husband had told her ...

Long COVID September 11, 2022
Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear Covid-Related Brain Fog

Eight months after falling ill with covid-19, the 73-year-old woman couldn’t remember what her husband had told her ...

Neurological Health August 6, 2022
Seniors With Prediabetes Shouldn’t Fret Too Much

Almost half of older adults—more than 26 million people aged 65 and older—have prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease ...

Diabetes July 9, 2022
Got Long COVID?

Older adults who have survived COVID-19 are more likely than younger patients to have persistent symptoms such as ...

Bright June 11, 2022
Advance Care Planning for Guns

Kerri Raissian didn’t know what to do about her father’s guns when he died of COVID-19 in December ...

Aging Well May 22, 2022
As COVID-19 Slogs On, Seniors Suffer Growing Malaise

Late one night in January, Jonathan Coffino, 78, turned to his wife as they sat in bed. “I ...

Aging Well February 26, 2022
Families Complain as States Require COVID Testing for Nursing Home Visits

As COVID-19 cases rise again in nursing homes, a few states have begun requiring visitors to present proof ...

Aging Well February 4, 2022
For Older Adults, Smelling the Roses May Be More Difficult

The reports from covid-19 patients are disconcerting. Only a few hours before, they were enjoying a cup of ...

Aging Well January 26, 2022
We Need a New Paradigm for Final Wishes

For decades, Americans have been urged to fill out documents specifying their end-of-life wishes before becoming terminally ill—living ...

Aging Well January 16, 2022
Doctor-Turned-Caregiver Shares About Health Care’s Blindspot

Caring for someone with a serious illness stretches people spiritually and emotionally, often beyond what they might have ...

Health December 8, 2021
The Urgent Need to Address Ageism

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization announced a global campaign to combat ageism—discrimination against older adults that's pervasive ...

Health November 25, 2021
Seniors Decry Health Providers’ Age Bias

Joanne Whitney, 84, a retired associate clinical professor of pharmacy at the University of California–San Francisco, often feels ...

Health November 11, 2021
The Delicate Issue of Taking Away a Senior’s Smartphone

At first, Dr. Robert Zorowitz thought his 83-year-old mother was confused. She couldn’t remember passwords to accounts on ...

Health November 8, 2021
How to Prescribe Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug?

The approval of a controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, Aduhelm, is shining a spotlight on mild cognitive ...

Alzheimer's Disease October 7, 2021
Doctors Weigh Prescribing Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug

As physicians and health policy experts debate the merits of Aduhelm, the first new drug approved for Alzheimer’s ...

Health July 21, 2021
Billions for Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug? How About Funding These Instead.

If you could invest $56 billion each year in improving health care for older adults, how would you ...

Health July 13, 2021
As Pandemic Eases, Many Seniors Have Lost Strength

Ronald Lundquist, 87, has been active all his life. So, he wasn’t prepared for what happened when he ...

Health June 3, 2021
Aiding Her Dying Husband, a Geriatrician Learns the Toll of Caregiving

The loss of a husband, the death of a sister, and taking in an elderly mother with dementia: ...

Health May 26, 2021
Seniors Form COVID Pods to Ward Off Isolation This Winter

Over the past month, Dr. Richard Besdine and his wife have been discussing whether to see family and ...

Health November 16, 2020
Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma

Older adults are especially vulnerable physically during the COVID-19 pandemic. But they’re also notably resilient psychologically, calling upon ...

Health October 22, 2020
Seniors Are Having 2nd Thoughts About Where to Live

Where do we want to live in the years ahead? Older adults are asking this question anew in ...

Health October 8, 2020
We Put Off Planning, Until My Father-in-Law’s Medical Crisis Took Us by Surprise

Earlier this month, my husband picked up the phone and learned that his 92-year-old father had been taken ...

Health September 4, 2020
Bereaved Families Are ‘Secondary Victims of COVID-19’

Every day, the nation is reminded of COVID-19’s ongoing impact as new death counts are published. What is ...

Health August 24, 2020
Technology Divide Roils Pandemic Response

Family gatherings on Zoom and FaceTime. Online orders from grocery stores and pharmacies. Telehealth appointments with physicians. These ...

Health August 6, 2020