Healthy Seniors Features
Beyond Finances: Other Types of Retirement Planning
- Advocate for Yourself as a Person of Color on Medicare
Medicare improves access to health insurance, but disparities in medical care remain. Here’s how to advocate for yourself as an older person of color.
- Making the Best Medicare Decision for You
It can be tricky to make a Medicare decision that best fits your needs. Here are some expert tips for finding a plan that works for you.
- Creative Ways to Keep Your Retirement Budget in Check
It can be hard to change from earning a regular paycheck to living on a fixed income. But retirement doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite things.
- The Emotional Shock of Retirement
The end of your working life can bring conflicting emotions. Learn why retirement causes anxiety and depression, and how to prepare for the changes ahead.
- Q&A: Health Challenges Facing Aging Black Americans
Karen D. Lincoln, PhD, a professor who has studied aging Black Americans, discusses the needs of this population as it faces chronic conditions, loneliness, a lack of access to services, and other physical and mental health concerns.
- Medical Interpreters Build Bridges, Save Lives
Federal law guarantees the right to language interpreters in medical care. In the U.S., where 1 in 5 people speak a language other than English at home, that’s a lot of translation.
- Q&A: Health Challenges Facing Aging Latinos
Alicia Arbaje, MD, PhD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, talks to WebMD about the health challenges of elders in America’s many Hispanic communities.
- Expert Q&A: The Biggest Health Challenges of Aging for Native Americans
Native Americans face a host of health challenges as they age. Geriatrician Blythe Winchester, MD, who is a member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, discusses the biggest issues and what would help.
- When Your Culture Expects You to Age in Place at Home
In many cultures, the expectation is that elders will age at home. How do families juggle that and what happens when it gets to be too hard?
- Spicing Up Senior Living Communities' Menus
Less mashed potatoes, more roti: Today's senior menus include more ethnic cuisines than ever before.
- Grandma and Grandpa on Drugs: The Older Adult Opioid Epidemic
The number of opioid-related deaths of Americans ages 55 and up soared 1,886% between 1999 and 2019
- Recibe la atención que necesitas en un mundo con COVID-19
¿Cómo ha afectado el COVID-19 a la atención médica de los adultos mayores? Esto es lo que puedes esperar al hacer citas y tomar decisiones a largo plazo.
- Genes vs. Lifestyle: Which Matters More for Health?
Learn how genes and lifestyle interact to affect your health over the course of your life.
- The Benefits of Physical Therapy for Older Adults
Physical therapy can fend off age-related changes and prevent injury and pain.
- Sex: Frisky (and Safe) After 50
Safe sex is important at any age, but there are some issues that may be more common after 50.
- Age-Friendly Health Care: A New Approach
Doctors and nurses may not ask older adults what matters most to them. Learn about a new approach to helping older people stay mobile and take fewer medications.
- Talking With Your Aging Parent About Housing Options
Learn about how to discuss housing options with your elderly parent gracefully.
- How Do I Know if My Aging Parent Is Safe to Drive?
Talking to your aging parent about reducing their driving can be difficult. Here are some tips to help start the conversation.
- Headphone Hacks to Reduce Chances of Hearing Loss
Unsure of how to protect your ears while listening to headphones? Learn more about hearing damage, headphones, and simple tricks to protect your ears.
- How Your Joints Change as You Age
Is joint pain just part of getting older? Find out why your joints change as you age and what you can do to prevent joint pain and stiffness.
- Coming Out Later in Life
Two members of the LGBTQ community share why they waited to come out and what the experience was like for them.
- Posture Changes in Older Adults
Have you noticed that your spine isn’t as straight as it used to be? Our postures can start to change as we get older. Find out why and what you can do to prevent a hunched back as you age.
- What to Know About Suicide Rates in Older Adults
Older adults, especially men, have a much higher death rate than other groups. One in 4 seniors who attempt to kill themselves will die, compared to 1 in 200 youths.
- Pregnant at 50: What You Need to Know
It’s rare to get pregnant at 50 or older, but it can happen. Here’s what you need to know.
- How to Choose Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance can help when you’re older and need ongoing care. Learn what it does, the best time to buy it, and how to get it.
- Knee Pain Not Inevitable as You Age
Although having knee pain is common as you get older, it doesn’t have to become your new normal. Learn more about the symptoms, what causes it, and how to treat it.
- Older Adults: Tips to Spice Up Your Sex Life
Hormones dip and bodies change, but your sex life doesn’t have to suffer. Use what you have -- and these tips -- to keep it strong and satisfying.
- Losing Weight After 50: Success Stories
It’s not easy losing weight as you get older. Get tips and tricks on how to shed pounds from people who have had success losing weight after age 50.
- Assistive Devices for Elderly People
These tools can make life easier, safer, and more convenient. Experts, older people, and caregivers share their recommendations for must-have devices.
- Nutrition Guidelines for Older Adults
As you get older, should you change your diet? Find out what nutrients are more important for older adults and what foods you should avoid.
- How to Keep Your Bones Strong as You Age
Your odds of fractures from weak bones, or osteoporosis, go up as you age. Find out what you can do to keep your bones healthy.
- Can You Become Lactose Intolerant as You Age?
As you age, you may find that you can’t enjoy ice cream or milkshakes without painful gas or bloating afterward. Lactose intolerance is a fairly common, natural condition that develops over time. Find out what may put you at risk for lactose intolerance and how to manage uncomfortable symptoms if you still want to enjoy dairy foods.
- Hip Pain as You Age
Having hip pain as you age is more common than you think. About 50% of older adults say they have hip or knee pain. Luckily, there are things you can do to feel better.
- Brain Exercises: Can They Help Older Adults?
You see the ads for puzzles and apps that promise to help your brain work better and hold off dementia. Do they work?
- Learning to Love Again: Moving on After Divorce
Learning how to trust again isn't easy when you've been burned before.
- What to Know About Bodybuilding After 50
Is it safe to try bodybuilding after 50? Is bodybuilding safe for women? What are the health benefits of bodybuilding? How can I do weightlifting safely after age 50? Learn why bodybuilding may be right for you and how to do it safely.
- How to Deal With Irrational Elderly Parents
Dealing with a difficult elderly parent can cause stress and frustration for all involved. But you can balance patience and peace of mind. Learn how to set clear boundaries, adjust expectations, and find outside help when needed.
- Heart Health and Aging
Your risk of heart disease rises as you get older, but there are things you can do to slow or stop the process.
- Slow and Steady for Your Heart
You don’t have to run a marathon to keep your heart healthy. Learn a few less-ambitious ways that you can make your heart healthy.
- Eat Your Way to a Healthy Heart
It can be hard to give up the not-so-healthy stuff you really enjoy. One expert says you may not have to.
- Tendencias en cuidados de la salud de adultos mayores: Sesión de preguntas y respuestas con John Whyte, MD
El director médico ejecutivo de WebMD, John Whyte, MD, ofrece su perspectiva sobre el estado actual de la atención médica para los adultos mayores en Estados Unidos y sus tendencias futuras.
- Getting Out for Better Health
Exercising and socializing linked to better health as people age.
- Trends in Older Adult Health Care: Questions and Answers With John Whyte, MD
As WebMD’s chief medical officer, John Whyte, MD, is in a unique position to see both the current state of medical care for America’s older adults and the way things are trending for the future. We asked him to share his insight on a few topics, along with a bit of advice.
- Get the Care You Need in a COVID-19 World
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected health care for older adults? Here’s what to expect as you plan your appointments and make long-term decisions.
- Who's Who: Geriatrician
Just as pediatricians care for young patients, geriatricians focus on caring for older adults. Learn more about what these medical doctors do.
- What to Expect as a Caregiver
Many Americans are caregivers, bus some aren’t prepared for the job when it falls into their lap. Read advice for caregivers as they embark on their new role.
- Sources of Protein That Aren’t Meat
Find out how a non-meat diet can give you the protein you need.
- Hearing Loss and Dementia: The Silent Connection
Research shows that hearing loss and dementia are linked. What can you do to protect your hearing and your brain?
- How to Talk a Family Member Into a Hearing Aid
Persuading a loved one to wear hearing aids is sometimes difficult, but it’s often necessary for the health of the whole family. Experts offer up some tips to help convince your loved one to take the plunge.