What happens when one grows old.
THISweek I spent several hours on reading the book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, which is on the recommendation list everywhere. The English vision is available on domestic Amazon, and I'm personally interested in this kind of topic as well.The writing itself is smooth to read, and as many comments said, it's remarkable to disclose the facts about aging and death. From my point of view, the central contradiction which made older adults suffer grievously lies in the universal reality that most of the facilities and people related failed to listen to the elder's own opinions and meet their needs.There are so many things to do beyond medical treatments and the physical care, knowledge of them are also significantly inadequate in the training system of doctors and professional caretakers.
The advanced development in medicine gives us the misbelief that every illness can be cured. However, death is inevitable.The rise in the proportion of seniors means more have to face senile diseases and when the time comes most are unprepared.Dying old is a painful process.
Various formidable diseases are common in a person's later years, but there is one especially serious mentioned throughout the book -- fall. It vastly worsens physical conditions and bespeaks an unstoppable series of deterioration. Many broken their hips, be paralyzed, or even be put into life-and-death circumstances. It is attributed to three reasons. First of it is the decreasing capability of balancing resulted from aging of the brain. The second is the shrinking of muscle, and the third is the dizziness as the side effects of multiple medicines. Besides, dehydration due to insufficient water drinking or the use of uretic can further increase the groggy feeling. To prevent the danger, in many cases, long-time supervising is needed.
Symptoms of aging damages one's ability to manage their own lives, despite that, the elderly are more prone to bully or fraud, which put more barriers for those who prefer to live independently. Although many children are willing to be caregivers, it definitely will be an exhausting encumbrance and often fall short of the need.
Undoubtedly safety is the priority, but it seems not compatible with privacy. In contrast to the soaring demand, few nursing houses are genuinely designed for the olds -- at first, it's just a scheme to ease the burden of hospitals. Shared room and scheduled time made the olds feel custodial and controlled as if they have to be in prison because they are aging. Unfamiliar staff force oldsters to live a disliked life too. Many social workers tend to see their work as tasks which can be automated, consider too less to be conscious of the elderly's feelings and dignity, no mention of how to treat the individual differences.Unified management is also in accord with the interests of the facility owners.
Attempts are made to alleviate the uncomfortable of he retirement home. Ideas emerge like 'Assistance Living' which gives back more rights to the olds to decide their own life. Things such as living in separated rooms with locks, having personal bathrooms and kitchen proved success not only in providing satisfactory but also reducing costs and lengthening life expectancy. However, the profit factors stand out again, and most of these institutions turn out to be the watered-down traditional nursing house. Bill Thomas focused on bringing meaning to the remaining days. Allowing pets and co-locating the facilities with primary schools likewise give good feedback.
In conclusion, emotional fulfillment is essential for the olds to live a better life. It's also should be noticeable for caregivers not to become proxy of their relatives. The olds should decide which kind of life their desire by their own and have enough autonomy.
Nevertheless, things are not easy for people in economic difficulties. The poorhouse is the pronoun of hell for the elderly. Most of them are in unsanitary conditions, lack of care and management make life just unbearable. The miserable conditions may be improved by government funding but still prevailing in the undeveloped countries.
Concerning to dying, modern medicine and doctors give too much false hope. Overestimated lifespans are pleasant to hear, but it's nothing but trying to avert from the reality, which costs a considerable amount of money and prolong unnecessary suffering. Data illustrating hospice enables one to die at home or even has the effect of extending life, ample Morphine also mainly reduces one's unease.
As the paper by Ezekiel and Linda Emanuel suggested, there are three kinds of doctors in the overall. One is deciding all the critical choices for patients as medial specialists. The other termed "informative" which gives all the details and leave the decision to patients. The first one does the best for one's physical good but includes pain which may be unwanted.The second can make the patients bewildered. And the final is called "interpretive" is better. By asking "What is most important to you? What are your worries?", Doctors and the patients' family work together to figure out which is the best solution. It's not straightforward but valuable.
Having hard conversation is beneficial whether between the seriously ill and doctors or they and their family. Talking frankly about which kind of situation is acceptable and ultimate end helps them to be better prepared. It reduces their anxiety. Thus why the people concerned should listen more. Choosing euthanasia is another alternative for suffering people.
Dealing with all the problems encountered in this field is to deal with numerous complicated paradoxes. By trying and failing, people nowadays are more capable of living meaningfully in the remaining days and die away from the ICUs, with family surrounded and wishes fulfilled in the rich world. Though medicine will step forward continuously, more is left to be done beyond it.