One thing that really surprised me from Cruikshank (2013) and Aronson (2017) is how quickly older adults are put on medications, often without looking at other options. I always assumed doctors carefully weighed the risks, but it turns out cultural ideas about aging and illness push for prescriptions first. Seeing how common polypharmacy is and how easily side effects can happen was eye-opening.
Cruikshank’s discussion of natural aging changes, like slower metabolism and kidney function, helped me understand why older adults are more sensitive to drugs (Cruikshank, 2013). I liked her suggestions for alternatives, like lifestyle changes or non-medication strategies. It made me feel a bit less anxious about growing older, knowing there are proactive ways to stay healthy.
Aronson (2017) showed how doctors’ training can make them focus more on science than the person, which creates a power imbalance. Her story with Irina, Dimitri’s daughter, really hit me. Families often struggle to advocate for loved ones when doctors seem distant or authoritative. Her discussion of dementia added depth to what I saw in The Memory Loss Tapes, showing how complicated and delicate these situations are.
I especially liked the example of Gabow’s mother, who got personalized care without being overmedicated (Aronson, 2017; Cruikshank, 2013). It showed that older adults can be supported safely and meaningfully without relying so much on drugs. Overall, both chapters reminded me that thoughtful, patient-centered care matters just as much as medicine itself.
References
Aronson, L. (2019). Elderhood: Redefining aging, transforming medicine, reimagining life. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Cruikshank, M. (2013). Learning to be old: Gender, culture, and aging (3rd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.
Hi Karley. I was also surprised at how quickly older adults are put on medication when an issue arises. I believe that also stems from medical practitioners being trained in giving medications first before pursuing alternatives. There is also a societal notion that going to institutionalized medical professionals is better for your health rather than pursuing alternative medicine. Society portrays alternative medicine as something untrustworthy and not science driven and portrays institutionalized medical care as trustworthy in science driven. The key for well-rounded care is for clients and their families to be informed about the vast amount of care and resources that are available to them so they don’t feel stuck in institutional wise medical care.
Agreed! It made me look at the assumptions I have about end-of-life care and the training and knowledge of medical professionals. It is heartening and hopeful to hear a medical doctor advocating for alternatives to standards of treatment and focusing on prevention and personal habit changes. I agree that medicine needs to focus more on patient-centered care and taking the time to look at the impact of interventions of individuals instead of assuming that one size fits all.
I agree with you that Cruikshank’s suggestions for alternatives were really powerful, especially because they give hope that aging doesn’t have to mean endless prescriptions. As we learn more as a class about overmedication, I think it’s important to keep pushing for lifestyle approaches, therapy, and supportive care as first-line options rather than just relying on drugs. What really stands out to me is how deeply our culture has taught older adults, and even whole communities, that medication is the answer to every health issue. Changing that mindset will take time, but it feels necessary if we want to reduce the risks of polypharmacy and promote healthier aging. It makes me wonder how we, as future professionals, can help shift those beliefs and encourage older adults to trust in alternatives as much as they’ve been taught to trust in pills.
Hi Karley, it’s interesting that you said learning about body’s changes as we age and the potential for adverse drug reactions made you feel less anxious! It actually made me feel more anxious. I think because this information is new to me and as far as I can tell not spoken about. However, I like your optimism. I guess now that I know the questions, it adds to my resources and ability to navigate healthcare systems.
Older adults can be supported through facing health conditions such as Dementia. A little love and care goes a long way . I believe some medications may create more issues than helping to solve or manage. I also want to address that it urks me when Doctors overuse and overpower their professional knowledge. Some patients wont understand all of the high level medical terms. Also at this age, it is hard to for them to have a person to truly advocate or be of support for them. It happens often. I really do not like the fact that the way of the world is medication instead of medical knowledge.
Karley,
One element of the blog post assignment is the addition of a featured image. The purpose of a featured image is to provide a visual representation of what you are talking about in the post. It is included as past of the grade.
When you talk about something from the text, just take another sentence and describe what you mean. For example, your first paragraph is fine, but you could have expanded it a bit more. The second paragrph you start off great, but when you make the comment “I liked her suggestion for alternative” you could have talked about what one and why you were attracted to it. Just trying to give you a sense of how to improve your answers. For instance, your comment the “her discussion on dementia added context to the memory loss tapes” is really a general kind of comment and not very specific. How and why? Why are these situations complicated and delicate.
I don’t put your writing into AI checkers anymore because, 1 I don’t have time to, and 2 they aren’t always right. But I will tell you that the generalized nature of your answers don’t give me a sense that you engaged with this content. Hope this feedback helps.
Dr P
Your answers are general and don’t give me a sense that you have read the material in detail (not saying you didn’t just saying what they answers provide me), and you don’t connect it to your personal observations, which is the point of the questions.