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Articles by Dan Dean
Tech That Works for Seniors
Fact checked by Shannon Sparks Oil and water. Cats and dogs. Seniors and tech? At first glance, you might assume older adults don’t mix with cutting-edge gadgets and software. But technology is reshaping elder care, and older adults benefit when they join the shift. In many senior care facilities, everyday tools like FaceTime and Zoom keep residents connected with family and friends. Families also appreciate the option to check in on a loved one when they can’t visit right away.
Buck Up
Fact checked by Shannon Sparks Have your finances felt squeezed lately? With inflation generally creeping upward, insurance premiums climbing, and the price of everyday goods — like eggs — still soaring, many Americans are feeling the pinch. Add to that the looming uncertainty around tariff and trade policy, and it’s no wonder financial anxiety is on the rise. Economic volatility may seem inescapable, but there are concrete ways to build resilience and avoid panic.
Greener surgeries, healthier planet
When you think about surgery, the environment probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But for pediatric surgeon Ami Shah, MD, the operating room isn't just a place to heal—it's also a place where we can help heal the planet. Shah and her colleague, Brian Gulack, MD, have been researching the massive amount of medical waste hospitals produce, much of it from single-use surgical supplies. Their findings are eye-opening—and hopeful.
Greener Surgeries, Healthier Planet
When you think about surgery, the environment probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for pediatric surgeon Ami Shah, MD, the operating room isn’t just a place to heal — it’s also a place where we can help heal the planet. Shah and her colleague, Brian Gulack, MD, have been researching the massive amount of medical waste hospitals produce, much of it from single-use surgical supplies. Their findings are eye-opening — and hopeful.
Pedal to the Metal
Fact checked by Derick Wilder Whether it’s older adults, work commuters, or kids behind the handlebars, there’s no doubt that e-bikes have taken the country by storm. Between 2019 and 2022, the e-bike market in the United States grew by 269%; as of 2023, the size of the U.S. e-bike market was $2.59 billion and is expected to reach over $7 billion by the end of the decade. With all of these e-bikes whizzing around, are they actually good for our health and our planet?
To Vaccinate or Not?
When the Covid-19 vaccine first became available, Caitlin Fields was puzzled. After a series of lockdowns, social distancing and masking, and hundreds of thousands of deaths from Covid, she struggled to understand why there was so much hesitancy and debate about getting a life-saving vaccine. “It didn’t really make a lot of sense to me,” says Fields, a doctoral candidate at Midwestern University in Downers Grove.
Health Abroad
When you’re planning your next vacation getaway, how often do you envision coming down with the flu or breaking a bone? If you’re like me, never. In the excitement of buying tickets and making plans, I never consider what could go wrong on my adventures, which means it’s even less likely that I’m thinking about buying insurance in case something does happen. All I’m focused on is the good stuff: making new friends in different cities, clinking wine glasses, or hiking up a mountain.
Trash to Treasure
Do you ever think about what happens to your gnarled toothbrushes, lifeless water filters, or cruddy plastic bags after they plop into your trash bin? Sherry Skalko did. During the pandemic, Skalko, who lives in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood, says her daughter’s toothbrush radicalized her. “I knew it didn’t belong in the recycling bin, but I didn’t want to put it into a landfill either.” There had to be another way, she remembers thinking.
Recycling is Complicated and Controversial…
When a Groot recycling facility in Plainfield burned down in 2021 due to a battery fire, no one could blame Davide Pezzini for it. Like an estimated 20% of people, Pezzini, a 46-year-old Chicago resident and professional bass player, is fastidious about recycling. He grew up in Switzerland, and while he was in elementary school, the country began to foster a recycling culture.
Why We Forget Mass Shootings
A year and a half after the mass shooting in Highland Park, the aftermath still permeates the community. Conversation around the tragedy pierces the chatter of school hallways and downtown sidewalks. At a District 113 school board meeting, there was talk of installing metal detectors in the schools, after a student brought a gun into Highland Park High School. And a memorial walk, accompanied by a heavy police presence, took the place of the once prototypical Midwest-style 4th of July parade.
Too Soon - Chicago Health
Pediatric diseases can be tough to diagnose for many reasons Instead of always looking for the fantastic in dream interpretation, psychotherapist Sigmund Freud occasionally encouraged people to consider things just as they are. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, goes a saying often attributed to him. When children get sick, pediatricians and parents often take the same approach.
High-five: The 5 supports that got me through cancer treatment
The 5 supports that got methrough cancer treatment Getting support during cancer treatment is essential. But finding the right support can feel like standing in one of those lottery wind tunnels — bills zooming everywhere as you’re frantically trying to grab what you can. When you’re diagnosed with cancer, life feels like a whirlwind — the flurry of doctors’ appointments, on topof feeling really sick while trying to figure out finances, work, living arrangements, and insurance.
Level Up - Chicago Caregiving
The Value of Video Gaming for Older Adults I always thought the life cycle of a video gamer mirrored that of a Dark Age denizen: You’re done at 25. I’m 42, which makes me Egyptian pharaoh ancient. But when my 10-year-old stepson, who loves baseball and video games, agreed to play the latest Major League Baseball PlayStation game with me, I decided to get back into the gaming chair. I’m not the only one — and despite how I feel, I’m not the oldest, either.
The Mass Grief of 1 Million Lives Lost
Taking time and taking stock of Covid-19’s mass grief and trauma Imagine counting every second of every day for the next 11 days. That’s about 1 million seconds — a number that seems almost impossible to understand. Human brains aren’t wired to count this high, according to a 2013 study published in Cognitive Science. Instead, our brains prefer comparing smaller numbers, for example, that six is more than four.
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