Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Among Surgery's Potential Complications For Older Patients: Cognitive Losses
Two years ago, Daniel Cole鈥檚 85-year-old father had heart bypass surgery. He hasn鈥檛 been quite the same since. 鈥淗e forgets things and will ask you the same thing several times,鈥 said Cole, a professor of clinical anesthesiology at UCLA and a past president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. ... His father probably has post颅operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) 鈥 a little-known condition that affects a substantial number of older adults after surgery, Cole said. (Graham, 5/19)
What will it take to age well in place, in the surroundings we鈥檝e long cherished that bring us physical, social and emotional comfort? What adaptations are needed to assure our safety and comfort and relieve our children鈥檚 legitimate concerns for our welfare? Of course, aging in place is not for everyone. Some seniors may prefer to leave the dwelling long shared with a now-gone partner. Some may want the security of knowing that physical and medical assistance is but a bell-ring away. Others may simply be fed up with having to care for a home. (Brody, 5/21)