Doctors

As we’ve noted in previous agebuzz posts, many of us have not gone to a doctor or dentist during the pandemic unless we’ve had an emergency or been sick with the coronavirus. Most primary care providers have not even been open for office visits and for most patients, utilizing telemedicine…

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of the coronavirus outbreak has nothing to do with the virus itself, but rather what may be “collateral damage” from the pandemic: that is, patients who need important non-COVID-19 medical care but are not showing up at physician’s offices or hospitals. Given the guidance…

While getting older doesn’t necessarily mean physical or cognitive decline, few of us escape some of the challenges that accompany an aging body. And what can be really helpful in this process is having a trusted physician alongside us to explain what’s going on and help us navigate whatever comes…

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if talking to your doctor was as easy as actors make it look in drug commercials? In reality, effectively conversing with your doctor and then following through on recommended advice is a skill for both doctors and patients, and as human beings, it’s not our strongest…

For too long, physicians have been hesitant to speak with patients about a poor prognosis or approaching end of life. Often out of fear of harming their relationships with patients, or dimming whatever hopes remain, doctors have been reluctant to engage in these difficult conversations. Now, in a new study…

Some of us won’t go to a restaurant or attend a performance without first checking how other people rated the experience. Sometimes other peoples’ perspectives are instructive and useful- and sometimes their ratings seem trivial or silly. The question is: what do we make of the ratings other people give…