Taking Charge of Your Health : A Guide to Getting the Best Health Care as You Age

Frustrated with doctors' visits that last less than fifteen minutes? Unclear about how to best choose a physician? Confused by our complicated health care system? Experienced geriatricians John R. Burton and William J. Hall can help you take charge of your own health and get the best care available.

Drs. Burton and Hall have decades of experience helping seniors navigate this country's complex health care system. They distill that knowledge here, providing you with the information you need to skillfully communicate with your health care providers.

This book addresses such questions as
• Do I need a general physician, or a specialist, or both?
• What does a geriatrician do?
• How do I prepare for and get the most out of a visit to the doctor?
• What screening exams should I undergo?
• What is the best way to take my medications?

As you grow older, it is more important than ever to maintain good health. To do so, you need to know how to best access the health care system and improve your personal health practices. In Taking Charge of Your Health, you will find practical advice from two senior geriatricians on how to do both.

Drs. Burton and Hall emphasize that you are unlikely to receive good health care unless you work for it. They urge older adults to ask questions, become informed, and obtain the care they deserve.

John R. Burton, M.D., is director of the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Education Center, a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and a professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

William J. Hall, M.D., is director of the Center for Healthy Aging at Highland Hospital, in Rochester, New York, the Paul Fine Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and former president of the American College of Physicians. Between them, Drs. Burton and Hall have nearly 90 years of medical experience.