One of the things that surprised me the most from these readings was how automatic it has become to turn to medication as the “answer” for older adults. Cruikshank (2013) points out that so many drugs are given not because they are the best treatment but because aging itself is seen as a problem to “fix.” I didn’t realize that natural body changes like slower metabolism or weaker kidney function make older adults more likely to have side effects or overdoses. That was shocking to me because it shows how little the medical system sometimes respects aging as normal life instead of a disease. Her suggestions about using more social support, movement, and alternative approaches made me think about my own fears of growing older. Instead of just seeing decline she showed me that aging can be understood in different ways beyond just pills.
Aronson (2019) really drove home the point about power dynamics between doctors and patients. Her conversation with Irina, Dimitri’s daughter, really stayed with me because it showed how families can feel silenced or ignored even when they know what’s best for their loved one. Physicians are trained to be scientific, but sometimes that training creates distance and makes the patient “other.” I also thought about her discussion of dementia in this chapter and how it connected to the Memory Loss Tapes. Both showed how dementia isn’t just about losing memory, it’s about losing independence, relationships, and dignity. Aronson’s story about speaking at the conference also showed how even professionals can miss the human part of dementia by focusing too much on labels or technical talk.
The example of Gabow’s mother showed a much better path. Instead of pushing more medicine, the focus was on her environment, her daily activities, and relationships that kept her feeling alive. This reminded me of what Cruikshank (2013) said about alternative approaches, like looking at the whole person and not just the prescription pad. That example really made me pause because it showed aging doesn’t have to be medicalized so heavily. It made me think about how I want to be treated as I get older and how I want to treat others less as a problem to solve and more as people who still have value, purpose, and wisdom to share. I think I want to update my will and include less medical treatments but more nature hollistic treatments in the event I lost my mindset in later years.
References
Aronson, L. (2019). Elderhood: Redefining aging, transforming medicine, reimagining life. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Cruikshank, M. (2013). Learning to Be Old: Gender, Culture, and Aging, 3e.
Mike-Anthony,
Your answer to the first question (and the second one) was good, and you used examples from the text to make your points. Nice job.
Your answer about Dimitri was also good, but you could have discussed the medication issues a bit more.
And finally, Gabow did much more than not push medicine. She actually refused to let her mother have surgery for a broken hip. Instead, she provided in home care and allowed the hip to heal naturally. That is pretty extraordinary and beyond just not pushing meds.
Just some thoughts about how to do even better on the next blog post.
Dr P