Well being

Nursing homes are usually a last stop for many seniors. By last stop we mean that this is where they will spend the remainder of their years. Many can no longer take care of themselves or have medical issues that warrant a certain degree of care that other family members cannot provide.

Death is a part of life but one that none of us are ever really prepared for. At such an advanced age, it can be even harder. You are now alone in the world.

The first thing you can do if this happens to someone you love is sit down and talk to them. Simply listening when they want to talk about the experience gives them a healthy outlet for their feelings. They may be afraid because it brings their mortality much closer into view.

You would be surprised how many people do not have correct posture. We are not just talking about when you stand. If you had a mirror in front of you, you could shift from one side to the other until you were equally weighted on both feet.

The three reactions that go under this name, which one is dangerous, who is at higher risk, and what a latex-safe approach to medical and dental care looks like.

Thickened, discoloured, crumbling nails — why about half of them are not fungal, which impostor needs seeing promptly, why the pharmacy lacquer suits only mild cases and takes the better part of a year, and why the nail still looks wrong when successful treatment ends.

Vaginal thrush is an overgrowth of a yeast, causing itching, soreness and a thick discharge that does not smell. Treatment from a pharmacy is straightforward — but a large proportion of people who self-treat for thrush have something else, and several of the remedies in circulation do harm.

Genital herpes is extremely common, most of it in the UK now caused by the same virus type as cold sores, and most infections pass unnoticed at the time. How it is actually diagnosed, how it is treated, what reduces transmission, and why there is no requirement to contact past partners.

A cold sore is the herpes simplex virus reactivating on the lip. Most adults carry the virus and most acquired it in early childhood, which is why it implies nothing about anybody's conduct — and why the treatment that works has to start at the tingle rather than once the blisters arrive.

Shingles is the chickenpox virus reactivating in one nerve, producing pain and a one-sided band of rash. Antivirals started within seventy-two hours reduce both the severity and the risk of lasting nerve pain — and an NHS vaccine exists that many eligible people have never been offered.