Blog
Aging at Home
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed for a Forbes Health article about "aging in place," something that deserves more attention than it usually gets. The writers included a lot of great...
Tapering Off Sedatives
Some recent studies show that nearly one out of eight adults in the US is prescribed a sedative (benzodiazepine). These are medications like Valium (Diazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), Xanax (Alprazolam)...
Holidays & Aging
Our family has gotten together every other year for over twenty years — until COVID. Luckily, there was a recent wedding that brought us all together; I hadn’t seen some of my older relatives in...
Politicians & Dementia?
When it comes to mudslinging politicians, there’s been a lot of recent talk about who has dementia and who’s too old to be in office. Aside from the usual politicking, our current crop of elder...
What If The Most Common Medication For Agitation Actually Makes It Worse?
Anyone who cares for someone with dementia knows that agitation is often part of the package. Nearly 20 percent of those with faltering cognition experience behavioral symptoms (anxiety, agitation,...
Divorce Later in Life
Divorce is never easy. As a geriatrician, I obviously can’t discuss every single factor that leads to it later in life. What I can discuss, however, are the issues that I’ve personally seen in...
What Ails You? It Might be the Meds
Anyone who's become suddenly drowsy from too much cold medicine knows that medications sometimes have unwanted effects. About 6 percent of hospital admissions can be traced to what we doctors call...
Help! My elder is on an antidepressant and now can’t get off it.
Recently, I corresponded with a woman who told me this story: “My husband was given Paxil and Nexium for stomach and stress problems about 15 years ago. The Paxil affected his libido and he said it...
Capacity is Critical
If you follow the news, and you've been following the most recent charges former President Trump now faces, you've likely heard that one of his unindicted co-conspirators is Rudy Giuliani. A former...
Dementia Myth No. 2: All Bad Behavior Results from Unmet Needs
I have a bedridden dementia patient who is lucky to be able to remain in her house. She receives 24/7 care from long-suffering, dedicated and kind nurse’s aides. Her family has returned from the...
Is It a Memory Lapse or Is It Dementia?
Geriatric Specialist Elizabeth Landsverk, MD Provides Guidance and Tips for Patients and Families About 10% of all people over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, by the age of 85 that has...
Dementia Myth No. 1: You can predict the progress of dementia
No, I’m afraid that you can’t. As I stated in my previous post, we as a society cling to the idea that dementia is simply a gradual fading out, a progressive loss of memories and self-awareness....
Delirium & Dementia: They’re Not the Same!
Delirium is a sudden and severe change in brain function that can make a person seem confused or disoriented. It's often triggered by a serious illness, by certain medications, drug withdrawal or...
Agitation: Ativan Is Not the Answer—Is it Delirium?
So what is agitation? The answer to that question can vary greatly. It depends on the observer, and the observer’s frame reference. It could be a person, sitting in the comfort of his own living...
Agitation: Ativan is not the answer: Goals of Care
As I was preparing for a talk to nurses and discharge planners in Sacramento, I was reminded of a patient I had a few years ago. He was a Canadian diplomat. He spoke five languages but had really...