Geriatrics

How older adults became YouTube’s steadiest viewers and what it means for Alphabet

Conditions
October 19, 2025

A demographic shift in viewership

With the rise of streaming, one platform is surging to prominence. According to Nielsen’s March 2025 report, YouTube now commands the highest total TV usage share of any media company at 11.6 percent. This marks a 53 percent increase in viewership compared to two years ago. But it is not because of younger generations sensationalized “addiction” with phones. It is a surge driven largely by …

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Why what you do in midlife matters most

Conditions
October 16, 2025

Aging well is not solely a matter of luck or genes, in my experience as a gerontologist. The choices we make, the connections we nurture, and the support systems we build shape it. There is no better time than now to start—the latest research from 2024 and 2025 supports this.

Let us begin with a crucial insight: midlife is more important than we once imagined. In new studies, it has been …

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Should older physicians face competency tests?

Physician
September 28, 2025

Commercial airline pilots are required to retire at 65 under Federal Aviation Administration regulations. It’s not ageism; it’s safety. Yet physicians, whose decisions can be just as life-or-death, face no such requirement. As a former internist, chief medical officer, and hospital CEO, I have seen what happens when physicians practice past their prime. The results can be dangerous, heartbreaking, and entirely preventable.

When “going out on top” doesn’t happen

During my tenure …

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Why doctors struggle with family caregiving and how to find grace [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 10, 2025
YouTube video

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Physician Jessie Mahoney discusses her article “Why physicians struggle with caregiving and how to cope with grace,” reflecting on the unique challenges doctors face when caring for aging parents and ill family …

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Aging in place: Why home care must replace nursing homes

Physician
August 9, 2025

I have been a physician for 44 years.

Besides my office and hospital practice, I also make house calls for less mobile older adults. We all want to stay in the homes where we raised our children, cared for our gardens, and became part of the community. The reality is that we lack the tools and financial resources needed for seniors to “age in place.”

My house calls, though, have provided insights …

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Is “do no harm” the most misunderstood phrase in medicine? [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 7, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Psychiatrist Sabooh S. Mubbashar discusses his article, “Why ‘do no harm’ might be harming modern medicine.” He reveals that the principle “First, do no harm,” or Primum non nocere, is not part of the original Hippocratic Oath but a later, misattributed addition that has become a dangerously oversimplified slogan. …

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Eric Topol explores the science of super-agers and healthy aging [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 16, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Cardiologist and author Eric Topol discusses his article, “What super agers can teach us about longevity and health span,” which is an excerpt from his new book, Read more…

How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

Conditions
June 26, 2025

Tucked along the edge of the frigid James Bay, Moosonee stands as one of Northern Ontario’s most remote and storied communities—a place often referred to as the “Gateway to the Arctic.” While towns like Thunder Bay or Rainy River echo similar titles, Moosonee carries its own unique distinctions.

This isolated town of about 3,000 people is shaped by its subarctic climate, deep cultural roots, and resilient spirit. Read more…

Why health care must adapt to meet the needs of older adults with disabilities

Conditions
June 14, 2025

We all know the population is aging, but did you know that close to half of all adults over age 65 in the U.S. have some kind of disability? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) includes as a disability any “physical or mental impairment that limits one or more life activities” or a history or record of such impairment.

Thus, disabilities include: physical limitations such as mobility issues, pain, and fatigue; …

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What super agers can teach us about longevity and health span

Conditions
May 27, 2025

An excerpt from Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity.

For many years, my colleagues and I have been fascinated by individuals like Mrs. L. R., who are so lucky to be so resilient to diseases. In 2008, we set up a research project called “Wellderly,” to study people who were at least eighty years old and had never been sick or had a chronic illness. It took almost six …

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How society forgets the invisible elderly and why their stories matter

Conditions
February 16, 2025

Age should not define a person or diminish respect from others. There is a generation of people overlooked every day, and little attention is paid to this growing problem.

As people age, they may become less visible within their communities. It can seem like people who once smiled as they walked by begin passing without a glance. Seniors may feel like unwanted outsiders in society. Sadly, many participate in their own …

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Communicating with your doctor online could cost you

Physician
February 16, 2025

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated medical communication as patients and doctors utilized computer technology to manage health care that was not available a decade ago.

Hospitals and doctors maintain online medical records that enable patients to access personal information about ongoing issues. “Portals” allow users to view lab tests, imaging results, pathology reports, and progress notes. The computer “message” system also enables patients to communicate with their physicians or other health care …

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Antipsychotic use has been rising in long-term care homes, but we can do something about it

Meds
January 31, 2025

As health care providers working in long-term care (LTC), we’ve seen firsthand how antipsychotic medications are prescribed to residents, and why. Antipsychotics are often used to help manage behaviors such as agitation and aggression in older adults living with dementia. They may be helpful for some patients, but antipsychotics can do more harm than good for many, especially when used long-term.

Now a new report has highlighted this as a …

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Solving the health care dilemma: Why older adults are skipping vital care

Conditions
September 28, 2024

As a gerontologist, it is disheartening to engage with older adults who express disinterest in routine medical check-ups. Many of these individuals outright refuse to follow doctors’ orders or take prescribed medications. This troubling trend is not only a growing problem in America but also a critical issue that warrants our collective attention and action.

The advancements in modern medicine have significantly prolonged life spans and improved the quality of life …

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How seniors can reverse muscle loss and belly fat

Conditions
September 11, 2024

As a retired physician, I notice many seniors become skinny and weak due to muscle loss yet have big bellies as fat accumulates. They are less strong, less vibrant, and prone to falls and chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. This does not need to happen, but many older people do not appreciate the health and wellness impacts of muscle loss …

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Hope from an older doctor to those patients ready to give up their car keys

Conditions
September 1, 2024

When you are older, you are considered a threat to other drivers. Reflexes are dampened, muscle responses are sluggish, cataracts obscure vision, and inflexible eye lenses slow focus.

Cars are made to drive fast, and many whippersnappers navigate the streets as if they are at the Indianapolis 500. How many times have you been tailgated and honked at from behind when traveling at the posted speed limit?

And should there be an …

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Embracing data-driven solutions to prevent falls

Conditions
August 28, 2024

Released in 2000, the landmark report “To Err is Human” aimed to transform patient safety by highlighting the prevalence of medical errors and their devastating impact. The report underscored various issues, including medication errors, falls, and surgical complications, garnering widespread attention and spurring significant improvements in certain areas of patient safety. As a result of this increased focus, tools like the World Health Organization’s Surgical Safety …

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How neurologists can repair the home of broken promises

Conditions
June 19, 2024

“I broke our only promise,” swelling with guilt, Sarah wept as she stumbled out of the front door. Two years ago, her father asked her to never leave him in a nursing home. They pinky promised.

But how could anyone have predicted what would follow in the upcoming years? His dementia progressively worsened, complicated by falls every three months. Despite balancing his growing needs while also providing for her family, there …

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Let’s help grow more intergenerational connections

Conditions
June 18, 2024

There are few things more satisfying than seeing young people and older adults interacting with each other and building an effortless sense of community and belonging. Robust communities include all ages. But such spaces need help to develop and thrive.

Global Intergenerational Week, a celebration of the power of bringing together younger and older people for the benefit of all, has completed its third year. Started in Scotland, this positive initiative …

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Secret support for this family caregiver  

Conditions
May 19, 2024

Last month, while spring cleaning my home-based office, I faced off with a bookshelf full of past writing journals.

Get rid of them (I coaxed myself). Whatever you wrote here is history now.

My inner packrat resisted. Couldn’t I just box them up and move them to the basement to join all those other journals that, together, chronicle my three-plus decades of living in the United States?

One gray-covered notebook with pink post-it …

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