Changes in the brain linked to a risk of Alzheimer’s disease may also make some older adults vulnerable to financial scams, according to new research. Alzheimer’s patients can become targets for various forms of financial exploitation, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. These scams include robbery, purse snatching, car theft, home ...Read more

Salad dressings are an important part of the taste and nutrition of your salad. But with countless varieties of salad dressings on store shelves, picking out a healthy one can feel overwhelming. Here’s how to choose a healthy salad dressing, including what ingredients to look for and avoid, and nutrition stats to be aware of.

What makes salad...Read more

Social media has a way of making the ho-hum seem fresh and novel. Case in point: exfoliation, the process of removing dead cells from the skin’s outer layer. Anyone scrolling through TikTok might be convinced this longtime skin care approach can transform something old — let’s say our aging epidermis — into like-new skin.

But a Harvard ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: During warm weather months, I find myself eating less formal meals and, instead, reaching for more snacks. I also tend to exercise less when it’s hot outside. Do you have advice on how to ensure I’m snacking healthfully as I realize the potential to overeat and not be as active?

ANSWER: Regardless of the time of year, ...Read more

CUTHBERT, Ga. — While customers at Adams Family Pharmacy picked up their prescriptions on a hot summer day, some stopped in for coffee, ice cream, homemade cake, or cookies.

It wasn’t a bake sale, but the sweets bring extra revenue as pharmacist and co-owner Nikki Bryant works to achieve profitability at her business on the town square.

...Read more

Cold and flu season is upon us, and with it comes a new round of COVID-19 booster shots.

The new 2024-2025 shots were recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June, approved and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in August and rolled out to doctors offices and pharmacies in September.

Expecting an increase ...Read more

When Lyft driver Tramaine Carr transports seniors and sick patients to hospitals in Atlanta, she feels like both a friend and a social worker.

“When the ride is an hour or an hour and a half of mostly freeway driving, people tend to tell you what they’re going through,” she said.

Drivers such as Carr have become a critical part of the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As poultry farms and dairies across California battle bird flu outbreaks, some are wondering if their food is safe to eat.

Since highly pathogenic avian influenza surfaced in the United States in January 2022, the virus has been detected in wild birds and domestic poultry, according to the federal Centers for Disease ...Read more

Yes, older Americans should get yet another COVID shot – but if you have already gotten the latest version, there’s no rush.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week said that people 65 and older or who are immunocompromised need a second dose of the new vaccine released in September.

But, you should wait six months after ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — It's a standard safety measure that parents regularly conduct after their children finish trick-or-treating: checking the kids' Reese's Pieces and Mars bars and Nerds Ropes to make sure none have been opened or tampered with.

But some Halloween dangers are closer to home — and more likely to occur than the threat of someone ...Read more

CHICAGO -- In recent years, smartwatches and smart rings have grown increasingly popular, adorning the wrists and fingers of consumers who use them to monitor their exercise, sleep and heart activity.

Now, medical device companies, including Abbott Laboratories, are hoping health enthusiasts will embrace a new type of wellness accessory: ...Read more

Vaccines are a safe and highly effective way to prevent common diseases that used to seriously harm or even kill infants, children and adults. When children have all their recommended vaccines on schedule, that helps ensure that everyone stays healthy. But what if your family can't afford them?

A federally funded program called Vaccines for ...Read more

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Libby and Andrew Potter usually ignore the avalanche of Medicare Advantage ads that land in the mailbox at their home in Huntsville, Alabama, each fall as Medicare’s open enrollment period begins.

Libby, a retired middle school librarian, has what she considers good health insurance through the state employee health plan....Read more

Montana is looking to fast-track Medicaid access for older adults who need help to stay in their homes or towns.

Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care program for low-income Americans, opens the door to services such as paying for help to prepare meals or shower safely. But applying for and obtaining that coverage can take weeks or ...Read more

Health care is suddenly front and center in the final sprint to the presidential election, and the outcome will shape the Affordable Care Act and the coverage it gives to more than 40 million people.

Besides reproductive rights, health care for most of the campaign has been an in-the-shadows issue. However, recent comments from former President...Read more

Bird flu cases have more than doubled in the country within a few weeks, but researchers can’t determine why the spike is happening because surveillance for human infections has been patchy for seven months.

Just this week, California reported its 15th infection in dairy workers and Washington state reported seven probable cases in poultry ...Read more

California’s mental health commission on Thursday announced its executive director would resign amid revelations that he traveled to the U.K. courtesy of a state vendor while he sought to prevent a budget cut that would have defunded the company’s contract.

Toby Ewing, executive director of the Mental Health Services Oversight and ...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. — How long a person can stand — on one leg — is a more telltale measure of aging than changes in strength or gait, according to new Mayo Clinic research. The study appears today in the journal PLOS ONE.

Good balance, muscle strength and an efficient gait contribute to people's independence and well-being as they age. How...Read more