Tag Archives: disparities

Poll points to dental insecurity among many middle-aged Americans

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Mary Otto

About Mary Otto

Mary Otto, a Washington, D.C.-based freelancer, is AHCJ's topic leader on oral health and the author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America." She can be reached at mary@healthjournalism.org.

Photo: Kevin Harber via Flickr

One in three Americans aged 50 to 64 are ashamed about the state of their teeth, and an even larger percentage (38 percent) say dental conditions have caused pain, difficulties with eating, missed work or interfered with their lives in other ways within the past two years.

The findings are part of a new report from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, a project led by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and sponsored by the university’s health system and AARP. Continue reading →

How paying home health caregivers more could save health systems money

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Susan Heavey

About Susan Heavey

Susan Heavey, (@susanheavey) a Washington, D.C.-based journalist, is AHCJ’s topic leader on social determinants of health and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on resources and tip sheets at determinants@healthjournalism.org.

Photo: BournemouthBC via Flickr

Is it worth it to provide more skilled – and higher paying – home health care?

That is the question that New York Times’ economic columnist Eduardo Porter tackled in a recent piece examining whether staffing the nation’s long-term care system with better-trained and higher-paid aides could give them more responsibilities and better address health care gaps. Continue reading →

Highlights from AHCJ’s recent webcast about reporting on addiction, recovery

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Tara Haelle

About Tara Haelle

Tara Haelle (@TaraHaelle) is AHCJ's medical studies core topic leader, guiding journalists through the jargon-filled shorthand of science and research and enabling them to translate the evidence into accurate information.

Image: National Council for Behavioral HealthTom Hill described a so-called “three-legged stool” approach to addiction treatment and recovery during an August webcast sponsored by AHCJ.

Last week’s AHCJ webinar about responsible, accurate reporting on addiction and recovery issues pointed out the importance of sensitive, accurate coverage of the issue and ways in which journalists can improve their coverage.

AHCJ members who missed the live webcast can still watch the Aug. 24 presentation by speaker Tom Hill, M.S.W., vice president of addiction and recovery at the National Council for Behavioral Health. Continue reading →

Sun, surf – and free health care

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Joanne Kenen

About Joanne Kenen

Joanne Kenen, (@JoanneKenen) the health editor at Politico, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on health reform resources and tip sheets at joanne@healthjournalism.org. Follow her on Facebook.

Photo: Courtesy of Volunteers in MedicineDr. Jack McConnell with a patient.

So what does a wealthy doctor who retired and moved to a beach and golf community off the South Carolina coast do when he gets bored with golf?

He rounds up a bunch of his golf buddies – also retired docs – and launches a free clinic.

That’s what Dr. Jack McConnell did in the early 1990s. Continue reading →

Communities grapple with the needs of aging suburbanites

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Liz Seegert

About Liz Seegert

Liz Seegert (@lseegert), is AHCJ’s topic editor on aging. Her work has appeared in NextAvenue.com, Journal of Active Aging, Cancer Today, Kaiser Health News, the Connecticut Health I-Team and other outlets. She is a senior fellow at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University and co-produces the HealthCetera podcast.

Photo: Rachel via Flickr

Mom, dad, 2.4 kids, and a dog. The very picture of suburbia has changed vastly since families migrated from cities in the 1950s and ’60s. Those kids are now aging baby boomers, often caring for elderly parents. If they remained in the suburbs, they now are facing a host of challenges they probably didn’t anticipate.

Meeting the needs of aging suburbanites is a growing problem that few community planners considered during the post-World War II building boom. Continue reading →