The Better Health While Aging Podcast

Dr. K discusses the latest COVID news for 2023, including what’s most important for aging adults and their families to know for the spring. She also covers the problem of doctors inappropriately not prescribing Paxlovid (the best treatment if an older adult does catch COVID), and how to advocate to get it successfully.

In this episode:

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Dr. K discusses what aging adults & families should know about COVID and flu this winter.

She covers:

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Dr. K discusses what aging adults & families should know about the new fall COVID boosters, the latest Omicron variants, and more. Plus who died of COVID this summer and how to know if you’re at high risk of severe COVID.

She covers:

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Dr. K discusses the high COVID levels, the related risks for aging adults, what to know about Omicron BA.5, the data on boosters, and the most effective ways to take sensible precautions.

She covers:

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Dr. K discusses the current rise in COVID cases, the related risks for aging adults, what to know about the newest Omicron variants, and the most effective ways to take sensible precautions.

She covers:

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 In This Episode:

Dr. K discusses the ebbing of the Omicron surge, what to know about the “stealth” Omicron BA.2 (it has taken over in Denmark and is growing here), how to “live with COVID” safely, and more.

She covers:

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 In This Episode:

This episode covers the latest on the ongoing Omicron surge, including whether it’s milder in older adults, what’s we’ve learned about rapid testing for Omicron, what to know about the current hospital situation, how to stay safer during the surge, and more.

The episode also addresses these FAQs:

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 In This Episode:

This update covers Omicron, COVID boosters, plus how to search the CDC data to see just how well vaccines have worked, even in older adults. I also show the data demonstrating that vaccinated people age 80+ are still at higher risk of serious COVID than unvaccinated people under age 50; this is why fully vaccinated older adults should take precautions during the current surge!

(View the show notes page to watch my subtitled talk and my slides.)

This episode includes:

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In This Episode:

Dr. K explains what to do if you’ve become worried about your aging parent, and are trying to figure out if they need help, or are unsure of what to do next. She covers:

• What mental changes are normal as people get older, and what’s not normal
• The three types of problems you’ll want to check for
• Specific signs to check for, to detect possible memory or thinking problems
• How to tell if your parent needs more help around the house or with their daily life
• The safety red flags I usually check for
• A more respectful and effective way to talk to your aging parent about how things are going
• What to stop doing and what to do instead, to reduce conflicts

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 In This Episode:

This video update covers COVID boosters, recent research on the efficacy of COVID vaccination in older adults over the last six months, why we are seeing breakthrough infections, and more. I also cover my recommendations for how aging adults and their families can be safer during the holidays, and using rapid antigen tests.

(View the show notes page to watch my subtitled talk and my slides.)

This episode includes:

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