George Bridges

November is National Family Caregivers Month, and AARP Mississippi aims to mark the observance by making sure caregivers know their rights under a new state law.

You already know how to keep your body fit. But what about your brain?

It’s not always easy to get to a doctor’s office, especially for people living in rural or inner-city areas with few physicians. AARP Mississippi is working to improve access to care by supporting efforts to expand telehealth, which allows doctors and other providers to use technology to treat patients remotely. Typically, telehealth involves the use of live video to “see” the patient from a distance, as well as secure electronic transfer of records and digital images to evaluate the patient’s history and monitor progress.

DeSoto County, just south of Memphis, Tenn., is one of the fastest-growing counties in Mississippi and is seeing a surge in its 65-plus population.