About the Author
Evelyne Michaels is an award-winning journalist who has published hundreds of articles on health and medical topics over the past 15 years. She currently edits a newsletter on women's health issues, and writes about health for several magazines.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Age wins and one must learn to grow old.
Lady Diana Cooper
Why a special book on health care for people over 65?
Even before Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote his complete guide to baby and child care more than 50 years ago, it was widely accepted that the health problems and concerns of young children differ vastly from those of adults.
Parents take their children to family doctors and pediatricians who have been specially educated about healthy physical and emotional development during childhood, and who have detailed knowledge about diagnosing and treating illnesses in infants and children. For example, they know that certain drugs aren't recommended for children and that dosages must be tailored to a child's specific needs. Good child-oriented family doctors and pediatricians also have a special understanding of and appreciation for their young clients, and years of hands-on experience with tearful toddlers and anxious parents have equipped them with vital communication skills.
In many ways an 80-year-old requires the same kind of sensitive, knowledgeable and, at times, specialized health care as an eight- year-old. This is true for many reasons. As you age, your body changes internally as well as externally. You become more prone to certain diseases and conditions. Your symptoms may be quite different from those of a younger person with the same illness. You respond differently to various medications and treatments.
You may also be more vulnerable to negative physical and psychological effects from the change and loss that tend to occur later in life. The chronic illness or death of a spouse may cause depression and loneliness. A new living situation -- for example, moving from a house into an apartment or seniors' residence -- may create stress. Retirement may lead to feelings of boredom or loss of self-esteem.
Today most older people continue to rely on their family physicians and other health professionals who may have gaps in their training when it comes to age-related issues. While the level of care they receive can be quite satisfactory, older people can still slip through the cracks in a system which isn't geared to recognize and meet their particular needs.
But as people live longer and the ranks of those over 65 continue to swell, this situation is bound to change.
What do we mean by "old"?
Some people believe they're old the moment they turn 65, or when they become grandparents or when they finally retire from their jobs.
Our idea of old age has changed radically as advances in medical science and improved social conditions (at least in some parts of the world) have extended our average life expectancy. Just a few centuries ago, when infant mortality was common and infectious disease was rampant, people were elderly at 40. Today we consider those who are 40, 50, 60 and even 70 as relatively young.
"Old" can have many meanings. Is it the number of birthdays you've had (your chronological age) or is it how well your body and mind are holding up? A healthy 75-year-old may be biologically similar to someone 20 years younger. In the same way, a 55-year-old whose body has deteriorated due to illness or neglect may be much older than his or her chronological age.
However, being "old" may have less to do with your body than with your attitudes toward life.
For example, most people would probably consider Eleanor Mills old. At the age of 82, the Toronto woman had a severe spinal deformity due to osteoporosis so severe that she needed a walker to get around. This amazing lady wanted to increase public awareness of osteoporosis and raise funds for research, so she decided to walk across Canada over a two-year period. If we define old age as a time when we no longer welcome new experiences and challenges, then Eleanor Mills wouldn't be classified as old at all, despite the fact that she was 82 and suffers from a serious illness.
It's important to keep a balanced view of aging which recognizes that there are potential negative and positive aspects to growing older.
How do people in general feel about aging? See how many of these you honestly agree with:
Some negative aspects of aging
- You lose your feeling of physical attractiveness (still more of an issue for women than for men, but this is changing);
- You lose some of your physical strength;
- You become isolated as children grow up and leave home, as a partner dies and as treasured friends pass away;
- You become more dependent on family, friends or other helpers;
- You feel less productive because of retirement from work;
- You may have financial problems because you're on a fixed income;
- You feel undervalued by society, which highlights the achievements and culture of the young;
- You have a sense that life has passed you by;
- You must confront issues around illness and your own death, which gets closer with each passing birthday;
- You worry about how your last years will be spent.
Some positive aspects of aging
- There are fewer pressures to look young and fit in with society's idea of what is attractive;
- If you raised children, you can now begin to focus on your own needs because no one is dependent on you any longer;
- You have the chance to give up full-time employment and begin some other work which you've always wanted to do;
- You have more free time to pursue interests, hobbies and personal commitments;
- You have more time to spend with your partner and/or friends;
- You are able to deal with problems by applying the wisdom of lessons learned over many decades of living.
If your perceptions of aging have been formed largely by media images, it's likely that you identify more with the negative aspects of aging. But if you are an older person who has managed to retain a fair degree of physical and emotional health, chances are that you appreciate the positive aspects of growing older.
In fact, these two lists aren't mutually exclusive. Growth, creativity and wisdom can and do exist along with feelings of loneliness and anxiety. To partially quote Forrest Gump, aging -- like life -- "is a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get!"
What do we mean by "healthy"?
Health -- which derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "haelth," meaning "safe, sound or whole" -- means different things to different people.
In the past you could count yourself healthy if you were free from disease. But more recently we have moved toward a much broader definition of health or wellness: a combination of physical, mental and social well-being that allows us to achieve our full potential and leaves us energy to deal with unforeseen crises.
What's the link between aging and health?
There's a perception, especially among younger people, that growing old inevitably leads to sickness, poor functioning, dependency and institutionalization. Unfortunately, this belief causes many of us to dread growing older, and it even affects how some doctors and other health care providers respond to older adults who come to them with specific complaints, for example: "Of course your memory isn't what it used to be," or "Back pain is just part of growing old."
While these situations can and do occur later in life, especially among the very old (those past age 85), they are not synonymous with older age.
A recent Canadian survey of more than 10,000 people over 65 disputes the notion that getting older means getting sick:
- more than 82 percent of the men and 80 percent of the women rated their health as either "very good" or "pretty good";
- 45 percent of the total group said that health problems didn't stop them from doing what they want to do;
- only 12 percent were currently living in institutions.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
