The Better Health While Aging Podcast

In This Episode:

Dr. K provides commentary on the recent COVID developments, including the CDC’s latest mask guidance for vaccinated people, plus updated information on the effectiveness and safety of COVID vaccination for older adults. She also addresses FAQs about coronavirus vaccination.

This episode covers:

• Why Dr. K has some concerns about the recent CDC mask update
• What to know about “breakthrough” COVID cases, which have affected nursing homes and are being undercounted
• The question of whether vaccinated people can transmit COVID
• Recent studies related to  COVID safety & efficacy in older adults
• Why immunocompromised people might not be protected by the vaccine, especially if they have a “blood cancer” or are on medications that affect their B cells or T cells
• How to think about COVID risk: yours and you exposing others to COVID risk
• Answers to FAQs, including:
  • Should I get vaccinated against COVID?
  • Should my 90 year old mother get the COVID vaccine?
  • How well does the vaccine work in older adults?
  • Which vaccine is best for older adults? Which vaccine is safest?
  • Should I worry that the vaccine might harm me (or my frail older parent)?
  • Should I worry that I haven’t responded enough to the vaccine?
• Dr. K’s current recommendations regarding COVID vaccination and staying safe given current conditions

Related Resources:

• BHWA:
  • COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do
• CDC:
  • Fully Vaccinated Adults 65 and Older Are 94% Less Likely to Be Hospitalized with COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States
  • Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
  • Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination
  • Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard
  • CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (meeting slides on vaccine safety and efficacy topics are usually very informative; browse for the latest ones here)
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness studies (May 12, 2021; includes some nursing home studies)
• From medical journals:
  • Impact and effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths following a nationwide vaccination campaign in Israel: an observational study using national surveillance data (Pfizer vaccine in Israel, May 2021)
  • Researchers Tie Severe Immunosuppression to Chronic COVID-19 and Virus Variants (May 2021)
• New York Times:
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
  • Coronavirus Variant Tracker
  • What Does the New Mask Guidance Really Mean? (NY Times 5/13/21)
• Other articles:
  • How Vaccine Hesitancy Is Driving Breakthrough Infections in Nursing Homes
  • The CDC’s Big Mask Surprise Came Out of Nowhere

In This Episode:

Dr. K provides updated information on the effectiveness and safety of COVID vaccination for older adults, including information on the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson&Johnson vaccines. She also addresses FAQs about coronavirus vaccination.

This episode covers:

• How we can tell the COVID vaccines are working
• Data on how COVID cases and deaths have fallen in nursing homes and among people aged 85+
• Current COVID mortality rates in older adults
• What the latest observational studies show, regarding vaccine effectiveness in people over age 80
• What the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial data shows, when it comes to older adults with chronic conditions
• What’s been found so far, regarding vaccine safety
• Answers to FAQs, including:
  • Should I get vaccinated against COVID?
  • Should my 90-year-old parent get the COVID vaccine?
  • How well does the vaccine work in older adults?
  • Can you get COVID if you’ve been vaccinated?
  • Should you be vaccinated if you already had COVID?
  • Which COVID vaccine is best for seniors? Which vaccine is safest?
  • Should I worry that the vaccine might harm me (or my frail older parent)?
  • When can I get vaccinated? Which vaccine should I try to get?
  • If I’ve been vaccinated, is it safe to …?
• Dr. K’s current recommendations regarding COVID vaccination and staying safe given current conditions

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In This Episode:

Guest host Dr. Nicole Didyk explains what older adults and families should know about leg edema (swollen legs), a common condition that affects aging adults. Dr. Didyk is a geriatrician in Canada, and the founder of the blog and YouTube channel The Wrinkle.

She discusses:

• Why is it common for the lower legs to swell?
• What are the most common medical causes of leg edema and what are some serious causes that should not be missed?
• Which common medications can make leg swelling worse?
• When should you seek immediate medical attention for swollen legs?
• How can chronically swollen legs be treated?
• What to know about using diuretics (water pills) for swollen legs

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In This Episode:

Dr. K talks to fellow geriatrician Dr. Nicole Didyk about her new book: When Your Aging Parent Needs Help: A geriatrician’s guide to memory loss, safety worries, resistance, and more. Dr. Didyk is the founder of the blog and YouTube channel The Wrinkle.

They discuss:

• What led Dr. K to create this step-by-step guide for children of aging parents
• Why the book is set up in four sections: taking stock, taking aim, taking action, plus taking the long view
• How to communicate with your aging parent attentively and respectfully
• How dementia and other memory or thinking issues often play a key role in an older adult’s resistance to change
• Why she included practical “real-life” examples and printable downloadable “cheatsheets” that readers can reference
• The A-B-C-D-E framework for taking action to help an aging parent
• Why adult children often need to check themselves and accept their parents’ choices

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In This Episode:

Dr. K discussed the new Pfizer coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, with a special focus on understanding how well it works and how safe it is, in aging adults.

This episode covers:

• What to know about vaccine media reports and older adults
• Why it’s important to try to find out the actual ages (and age distribution) of older participants in vaccine trials
• How Dr. K looks at a published study to determine whether the vaccine works for her patients
• Why the current Pfizer data can’t tell us whether the vaccine works in people over age 75
• Why an expert dissented from the CDC’s decision to prioritize vaccination for nursing home residents
• Dr. K’s current recommendations regarding COVID vaccination and keeping frail older adults safe during the pandemic

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