After dealing with the sudden death of her mother, a Los Angeles woman has taken it upon herself to prepare others to grapple with getting their affairs in order.
Up to 16 million people in the U.S. have undiagnosed or uncorrected vision errors that could be helped by glasses, contact lenses or surgery. But many health plans don't include routine vision care.
Australian scientist David Goodall died Thursday after traveling to Switzerland to end his life. He hoped his story would lead to more countries changing laws surrounding assisted suicide.
A proposed change in immigration policy from the Trump administration could make it harder for immigrants to obtain a green card if family members use Medicaid, WIC or other federal medical benefits.
U.S. law prohibits people on Medicare from using the discount coupons the makers of expensive medicines offer. The law aims to reduce federal drug spending and Medicare fraud, but can feel unfair.
The electricity is back on across much of the island, but the disruption to community spirit continues. Isolation, anxiety and depression are up, as are suicides, especially among older adults.
A nationwide survey by health insurer Cigna finds that loneliness is widespread in America. Millennials and people in Generation Z tend to feel lonelier than retirees.
Across the U.S., community groups, hospitals and government agencies are stepping up to support the estimated 42 million stressed and strained family caregivers, who are often untrained and unpaid.
When a senior citizen loses the ability to make medical decisions, a guardian is chosen to help them through the last years of their life. But many states offer meager financial support to their guardianship system, leaving some of the country's most vulnerable citizens without a guardian and in a perpetual limbo.
NPR correspondent Alison Kodjak's mom was admitted to the hospital for four nights after a fall. Because the hospital said she was an outpatient, Medicare wouldn't pay for her rehabilitative care.
One in four calls to the Washington, D.C., 911 line isn't an emergency. The city now has triage nurses working with dispatchers to get callers with less urgent needs a same-day clinic visit instead.
Six months after Hurricane Maria pounded Puerto Rico, patience in the remote mountain village of Castañer is wearing thin. Mental anguish persists among people still waiting for reliable electricity.
After reviewing the medical evidence, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended exercise as the most effective approach for older people seeking to minimize the risk of falling.
The measure would allow Medicare to reimburse audiologists for a range of services, including helping patients learn how to use and adjust their hearing aids for different social situations correctly.
Suffering Americans seek medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids and other powerful pharmaceuticals. Though legal in 29 states, doctors say the lack of strong data make it hard to recommend.
And the number of sufferers is expected to increase, especially in lower-income countries as people in rural areas move to urban centers and adopt more sedentary lives. So what can help them?
Scientists have long been fascinated with whether dramatically restricting the amount of food we eat can help us live longer. New research suggests it might, but the question is, is it worth it?
Neuroscientist Barbara Lipska describes in a new memoir surviving 20 brain tumors, and what the eight-week nightmare of psychological symptoms taught her about mental illnesses she's long studied.
Ausberto Maldonado picked corn and asparagus for years on the U.S. mainland before retiring in Puerto Rico. He has diabetes, and as the island's safety net wears thin, he's struggling to survive.
Supporters call this right-to-die proposal the strongest move yet to document a person's advance wishes in cases of severe dementia. Critics say it would deny basic care to society's most vulnerable.
Many people just don't want to talk about what it means to live in the face of death. Astrophysicist Adam Frank reflects on life and death — and invites others to do the same.
How do LGBTQ adults experience discrimination and how does it impact their health? Join us for a discussion with experts in a webcast from Harvard's Chan School of Public Health at noon ET Wednesday.
