Articles

Oral surgery doesn’t always involve dental procedures. Your mouth contains a number of complex tissues and connections that allow you to breathe, speak, eat and communicate non-verbally. The tissue inside of your mouth is also delicate in many ways as your gums, tongue, windpipe and top and bottom of the inside of your mouth are all susceptible to injury and disease. For many seniors, treating injuries and illnesses inside the mouth can be handled by a dentist or family physician. In more severe cases of…

Cataracts are a common vision concern for seniors. Cataracts tend to begin developing in the late stages of middle age. By the time someone has reached retirement age and is eligible for Medicare benefits, the odds of developing cataracts rise dramatically. The cause of cataract development is the breakdown of proteins in the eye. As this breakdown occurs, the lens of the eyeball begins to develop a cloudy film that can obscure vision. Someone suffering from cataracts may not notice any changes in vision at…

A massage is considered to be both a relaxing way to relieve stress, but they aren’t just for spa days. Massages can also be used as a part of treatments to reduce muscle pains after a strain, injury, or other medical condition. If your doctor suggests that a massage will help reduce pain or improve a condition, you may be concerned about the costs. If you’re signed up for Medicare, will massages be covered?  The health benefits of massage therapy Many proponents of massage therapy…

In the United States, there are over 12 million Medicare beneficiaries who also have coverage through Medicaid services in their states. Known as dual eligible beneficiaries, this group consists mainly of seniors who have limited income and a greater need for health care coverage. With dual eligibility, beneficiaries get health care coverage through Medicare, while Medicaid helps them pay Medicare premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses.   To be eligible for dual coverage, you must qualify for your state’s Medicaid program and Original Medicare Parts A and…

Medical conditions that affect the breast are a concern for women of all ages, but older women need to pay particular attention to breast health. According to the National Cancer Institute, the odds of developing breast cancer go up as women get older, and by age 60, older women have a 1-in-28 chance of developing breast cancer. The key to treating breast cancer successfully is early detection. For the most part, breast cancer and other diseases of the breast that are caught in the early…

Eating healthy and staying active are two of the most important things seniors can do for their health, but sometimes, medical conditions and injuries can make it difficult to enjoy a nutritious diet. Whether due to mobility concerns that don’t allow for meal preparation or healthcare concerns that affect digestion, suffering from malnutrition can create serious medical problems that can be life-threatening. How is malnutrition treated in seniors? Treatment for malnutrition requires the introduction of proper nutrition, but how this is handled depends on the…

Although many medications work best when taken orally in the form of a pill, others work best when injected. Still, others work best when converted from a liquid into an aerosol to be inhaled. In this latter case, a nebulizer is used to make the conversion. Nebulizers are used for medications when the most effective route for administration is to inhale the medication. Inhalation often gets medications into the bloodstream faster. Additionally, some medications need to be applied directly to lung tissue. An example of…

Varicose veins are often considered a cosmetic problem, but can these enlarged veins be a medical  concern? Despite often appearing as bulging through the skin, varicose veins are usually relatively harmless. They may come along with age, but in some cases, they may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. The cause of varicose veins is primarily a weakening of the walls of a vein’s interior. Over time, pressure builds in these weakened spots, leading to an engorged appearance.  If you have varicose veins and…

In the fight against cancer, all kinds of new technologies are making their way to the forefront. Although traditional therapies like radiation and chemotherapy are still useful as cancer treatments, newer technologies using stem cells and humanized antibodies are providing additional options for people suffering from lung cancer and other hard-to-treat cancers. Humanized antibodies are antibodies that have come from non-human sources. These antibodies undergo a technical process during which protein sequences are modified to allow the antibodies to be used in humans. One of…

Vaccines are believed to have first been discovered in the late 1700s. Since then, inoculating people against various diseases has become standard practice with many people receiving vaccine administration as infants. Among the most common vaccines given today is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, although this vaccine combo didn’t become popular until the 1970s. Prior to that time, individual vaccines for each of these conditions were available, but the MMR vaccine wasn’t widely accessible until 1971. If you’re eligible for Medicare, take advantage…