SeniorTruth

Sometimes we become what we believe, particularly when it comes to aging. Studies have shown that older people who believe in negative stereotypes about aging tend to fulfill them. Dr. Walter Bortz, II, a noted Stanford geriatrician writes about aging as a self-fulfilling prophesy. As part of an initial assessment of his older patients, he [...]

Question: I am almost 80 and angry – angry at my body because it can’t do what it used to do.  At one time, I was able to climb up on the kitchen counter to reach a high shelf.  I don’t do that anymore.  And, I am tired — too tired to exercise.  By the [...]

Dear Readers: This week I would like to share an experience I had as the closing speaker at a 48-hour caregivers retreat.  It was sponsored by the Los Angeles Caregivers Resource Center and held at the Mary & Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Question: My sister, who is 64, has been taking care of her husband, a cancer patient, for several years while working 30 hours a week.  I fear she is stressed too far and nearing the end of her string and is showing it in bouts of anger followed by depression. She is aware of the [...]

Dear Readers: I recently returned from the Aging in America conference, presented by the American Society on Aging. One of the most compelling, enlightening and disturbing sessions was on Alzheimer’s disease.  Part of my mission for today’s column is to increase awareness of the challenge and potential crisis that will face us as a nation [...]

Question: My long-time internist has changed his general practice to a specialty.  Consequently, I have been displaced.  I am in my 80s and looking for a local doctor who treats people of my age.  Is that a geriatrician?  How do I go about finding one?

Question: Now that I am not working, I feel I am losing some ability to articulate and am less effective than I was.  My sentences don’t come as easily as they did when I was working and I just seem more forgetful.  I am okay with this, but just curious.  Is this typical or do [...]

Question: My father-in-law is 98 years old, in good health but with poor eyesight.  After many years of taking care of my mother-in-law and now my father-in-law, I am tired.  To keep him at home, I need some help.  Where do I begin?  Many thanks.

Question: My aunts were wise.  When I was newly married, they emphasized the importance of being able to take care of myself.  Their sage words came in handy.  When I was divorced and raised my children (now in their 50s) as a single working mom, I indeed was self-reliant.   At 75, I now feel I [...]

Question: My father recently died at the age of 87 in a hospital in the Midwest. His condition was terminal, which, despite his age, was very difficult to accept. After much family discussion, we requested palliative care, which his physician refused. His doctor said he was bound by the Hippocratic Oath. We were distraught. We [...]