Alzheimer’s tests should be offered to over-60s, says top psychiatrist
Cambridge professor calls for screening to be integrated into routine healthcare as global mental health initiative is launched
Dr Luisa Dillner’s guide to . . . drink and drugs in old age
Up to one third of older people with alcohol problems develop them later in life – often in response to loss and stress
Taking care
What is it like to be a carer? And when another adult has to wash you, put you to bed or even take you to the toilet, how does it affect you? In National Carers Week, five people and their carers share their experiences
Dr Luisa Dillner’s guide to … tai chi
A report this month says that tai chi for older people can improve mental health and help prevent falls
Longer life expectancy could cheat the poor out of their pensions
Malcolm Wicks: People from poorer backgrounds tend to have shorter pension lives – a fair pension policy would reflect social variables like this
It’s quality of life, not length, that matters
Ellie Mae O'Hagan: Celebrating your 100th birthday is only really a pleasant prospect if the years that precede it are fulfilling and happy
Family life becomes a work of art in NHS waiting room
Kin, an audio project based around interviews with mothers, fathers and their adult children, transforms the mood in the waiting room
Forests U-turn – the Tories should have known better
Alexander Chancellor: I am shocked and amazed David Cameron couldn't see the wood for the trees when it came to selling off Britain's forests
Doctor, doctor: An old, cold neighbour
How can we be sure the man next door is warm enough and taking his tablets? Dr Tom Smith offers advice
Fitness for older people
Fitness fanatics in their 60s, 70s and 80s explain what motivates them to hit the pool or pull on their running shoes
How long is a good life?
Open thread: Cilla Black doesn't want to live past 75, having seen her mother suffering from ill-health in old age
Dementia: the human cost of each diagnosis
As the World Alzheimer's Report 2010 is published, Andrea Gillies – author of Keeper – describes the emotional toll of living with a relative who has the condition
Social care recipients to control their personal budgets
Government to announce expansion of scheme from November, giving patients total autonomy over payments
Global dementia costs hit £388bn
Report says care and medical costs total more than 1% of GDP and warns of the '21st century's most significant health crisis'
Who wants to live for ever?
Studies show that a child born today can confidently expect to reach 100. But, as life expectancy rises by the day, does our happiness increase with it? Here, one man attempts to trace the secrets of longevity and finds that not everyone looks forward to a letter from the Queen