The Santa Clarita Valley three decades ago was serene. Running in early morning hours before sunrise smelled of country with the occasional sighting of coyotes and bobcats, and hearing the rustling of awakening native birds. We were an extension of urban life taking over their grounds. One morning, it...

In 1975, I presented my master’s thesis at an Indiana University health conference. The data collected were a culmination of one year of research, accepted and later published in a medical journal. It was my first foray into this realm, so I used a scholarly statistic group from Purdue University,...

Visitation is highly restricted for nursing homes, as they are hotspots of life and death. If your loved one uses a smart phone, family communication is maintained. For those with less technical skills, many nursing homes now compassionately lend residents cell phones for usage. One of my patients was...

As a physician, I am dismayed the COVID-19 healthcare problem has been tossed into the political arena. Americans are dying, and critical decisions must be made to manage this disease. When I make a medical decision, the repercussions can be immediate, and judged by whether the patient lives or dies. When...

As a geriatric physician, I have visited nursing homes for over 30 years. COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus that is inflicting havoc and death over senior healthcare facilities. Statistics reveal nursing homes are “hotspots” for large clusters of coronavirus, but as a doctor, I am not surprised...

My dad was a disabled World War II veteran in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Rarely did he discuss the war, which was common for many who served. Carl Dorio was born in Pennsylvania and grew up on a farm in New Jersey where he flew a crop-dusting plane as part of his daily chores. When the war started, his...

There is hope a magic pill will instantaneously cure cancer or bring back memory. Can one be discovered for COVID-19? As a doctor and scientist, I see technology moving forward at exponential speed. But have we halted fungal toenails, cured mental illness, or extended life expectancy to 120 years? Nope....

Have you ever had a friend or loved one say, “Gee, I can’t wait to get older so I can go to a nursing home?” Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), rebranded “nursing homes,” will never escape their reputation for bodily smells and agonizing sounds of aging. The escalation of hospital and insurance...

Ray Bradbury was a renowned science fiction writer with whom I share common memories: Los Angeles High School. He graduated 30 years before, and rumor had it, he failed English. Prior to passing away in 2012, we met in Santa Clarita, so I was able to ask the daunting question: “Did you fail English?”...

Every morning I check my temperature, blood pressure and oxygen level. A pulse oximeter measures this from the fingertip. Typically, it is 95% (normal is above 90%). After a few deep breaths, it goes up to 99%. Expanding the lungs after being in bed all night gets more oxygen into the body. Simple. Getting...