AT THIS HOUR

57: The percent of 2,044 caregivers for family, relatives or neighbors who report an increase in alcohol use, weight issues, blood pressure and and amidst struggles juggling a full time job, full time caregiving and declining time for physical activity and mental health, but solutions around technology funded through grants to states over the next 5 years may help alleviate the problem. Details forthcoming - but if you know of anyone or care for anyone with Medicaid, there may be hope ahead.

Science: US life expectancy rose to an all-time high of 79 years in 2024, and preliminary statistics suggest improvement will continue—you could argue it could jump to 85 by the middle of the century buoyed further by the advent of GLP-1s that Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, MD told me is extending life as an unintended effect of the popular weight loss medications. That discussion here. The increase, researchers surmise, has been a result of the settling of the COVID pandemic and waning heart disease, cancer and drug overdose rates. 

Sport: An interview with Olympic skeleton racer Hallie Clark on mental health talks about the anxiety and depression from being away from home, the stress of that time, and how she’s dealt with it - interview here.

Policy: New policies to help people during the biggest crisis of their lives are forming that reward psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists for helping people where they are at amidst a potential suicide. In the US, there were roughly 14 suicides for every 100,000 people, with men dying by suicide nearly 4 times more than women, and young adult attempts and suicides rising faster than other groups. Story on solutions here.

Perspective: Did that really just happen just as the doctor was giving us the diagnosis - the answer in this week’s column.

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