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How journalists can use NHATS data to report on aging, disability and caregiving
The National Health and Aging Trends Study is an annual survey of a nationally representative sample of older adults drawn from the Medicare enrollment file, led by Johns Hopkins and the University of Michigan. It shows what daily life is like over time for aging adults, like whether they can bathe, shop, or get around,…
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SWAN public datasets offer a deeper look at menopause and midlife health
Many of the numbers that reshaped how medicine and the media understand menopause came from a single study: the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. The SWAN Public Use Datasets give reporters free access to that evidence: nearly 30 years of longitudinal data on how 3,302 women’s bodies, moods, sleep, and overall health changed…
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Tips for covering this year’s flu season
Flu can be a serious, even deadly illness for older adults. People over 60 make up less than 20% of the population but account for more than 80% of serious flu complications, and the CDC estimates that 70% to 85% of seasonal flu deaths are in people 65 and older. With flu activity already rising…
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Better late than never? Last month’s menopause hearing points to stories
When Congress held its first hearing ever last month devoted entirely to menopause, that fact drew almost as much attention as the testimony itself. And while the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing didn’t quite break new ground on the long-overlooked topic of menopause, it highlighted how far behind the medical and research establishment has…
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Tips for covering Medicare open enrollment
It’s that time of year again when traditional Medicare enrollees can change their Part D prescription drug plan, move from a Medicare Advantage plan back to original Medicare, and in a handful of states, switch Medigap plans. Several changes in 2027 suggest local coverage angles. Remember: Medicare’s Fall Open Enrollment period runs October 15 through…
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Medicare open enrollment starts soon. Here’s what to know
When Medicare open enrollment begins Oct. 15, beneficiaries will need to know the key changes coming in 2027. During fall open enrollment, which runs through Dec. 7, traditional Medicare enrollees can change their Medicare Part D prescription drug plan or, in some states, switch to a different Medigap plan or from a Medicare Advantage plan…
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Study: Does earlier menopause onset mean faster cognitive decline?
News coverage about perimenopause and menopause often focuses on midlife symptoms such as hot flashes, poor sleep and brain fog. A new observational study in JAMA Network Open examines what may happen once those symptoms fade. Researchers followed 2,603 older women enrolled in the long-running Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project. They…
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