Public health recommendations have always been a hard sell. Resistance to new behaviors – like the mask-wearing and social distancing advised during the COVID-19 pandemic – is part of human nature.
To avoid the high risk COVID-19 poses to older adults with chronic illnesses, many doctors have shifted appointments to telemedicine.
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While COVID-19 raises the risk for people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and COPD, social distancing can make it harder to keep up diets and medication.
Doctors need to be able to discuss their patients’ weight, but they need to be taught how to do so delicately, for the best outcomes.
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An individual's weight is a complex and sensitive issue, which may be related to many factors that are not only medical but social, environmental and emotional.