PDF Elderhood Redefining Aging Transforming Medicine Reimagining Life Louise Aronson 9781620405468 Books
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Elderhood Redefining Aging Transforming Medicine Reimagining Life Louise Aronson 9781620405468 Books Reviews
- Anyone who is already old, caring for someone old, or intending to grow old in the near or distant future needs to read this book. Now! And that not only includes readers; it also includes policy-makers.
Elderhood is not a “how-to†book that treads over the same old tired ground. Rather, it’s a book that tackles why aging must be understood and redefined and why the medical establishment’s usual goals of saving lives and curing disease is misplaced and ill-advised in many older patients.
I’m going to pause a moment in this review to say that I was the point person for my own once vibrant elderly mother, who died at age 93 after a 10-year downward spiral. I saw first-hand how healthcare, well-meaning though it was, often acted counterintuitively. Dr. Aronson makes many excellent points including these
*All top-ranked health systems on the planet rely on primary care to keep people healthy. In the U.S., ranked 37th among nations by the World Health Organization, we have trouble recruiting physicians to primary care since those doctors are paid on average over $100,000 less than specialists. As a result, we focus on high-tech solutions rather than commonsense ones.
*Pharmaceutical trials focus mostly on middle-aged, not elderly, targets. As a result, the side effects in the elderly are often minimized or glossed over entirely. Moreover, many older patients (my mom was one of them) are prescribed multiple drugs that interact with each other and cause more harm than good.
*It is easier for the elderly to get a cochlear implant than a hearing aid or laser treatments instead of eyeglasses. Yet a simple “fix†can do wonders by providing the elderly with a healthier, fully-engaged life.
*Being “old†should not be classified as 65+. In reality, people in the Third Age of life (the young-old) have vast differences in health, activities and consumer roles. They are very distinct from the “old-old†who are truly infirm and dependent.
*Successful aging is possible for those who do not perceive meaning in aging itself, but instead, perceive meaning in being themselves in old age. Adaptability and self-acceptance are key.
I could go on and on – just about every page has insights on how we, as a society, can reimagine life and why it’s crucial to do so, since someone who is 65 years old and relatively healthy will very likely live to 90. This well-written, easily accessible book should be mandatory for anyone entering medical school or politics, and certainly for every person who is affected by aging (i.e., all of us). - This book is incredible. I just hope I can do it justice with this reivew. I will do my best to tell you why I love this book so much and feel that it should be integrated into medical school curriculum and be read by everyone who works in the medical field and by people who are caregivers and who deal with patients and caregivers (I write that because I myself am a caregiver and this book spoke so much to me). Reasons why I love this book
1. It is a great read. Dr. Aronson is a really great writer. It is an enjoyable read. She also has an extensive vocabulary and so I even learned some new words. Always a bonus!
2. Aronson has a unique perspective being that she is a doctor and is a geriatrician and professor and author and also has experience has an adult daughter to a dying parent. All these roles contribute to this book.
3. We go on a journey with her to find her own unique calling in the medical field which is telling.
4. She sees the problems in our healthcare system. She has experienced them from both sides.
5. She gives a list of ten "assumptions" she'd like to see in a new paradigm in the healthcare field. They are truly people-centered. They are found on page 378 and I want to list them here
"While the terms medicine and health care are often used interchangeably, they are not equivalent.
"Health matters more to both individuals and society than medicine.
"Medicine and medical science are not the same thing; the latter is one component of the former.
"Science is necessary but not sufficient to ensure health or provide health care.
"When we make data all that matters, we often count what can be counted rather than what counts.
"Technology creates new problems and questions even as it solves others; to be useful, it requires guiding principles and thoughtful consideration of risks and consequences as well as benefits.
"Separating the medical from the human leads to a separateion of the medical from the human.
"History, with its inherent conservatism and tendency to conform to the self-interest of the powerful, has been science's partner in shaping our health care system.
"As an institution, medicine should prioritize the interests of the people over its own.
"The primary goal of medicine is optimization of patient health."
6. She shares the challenges of changing the whole health care system and how it got to the point it is.
7. She makes it clear that all people, no matter their age or abilities, should be treated with dignity and given care. No part of the population is less valuable than another part.
Oh, there are so many reasons this book should be read by many. I hope you take the time to read it. It will change your view of healthcare and medicine and life itself.
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