There is a saying that the only way to avoid getting old is to be dead.  Well, that is quite accurate.  Lots of people are getting older and enjoying their lives and retirement.  But a lot of older people are ill or not particularly healthy.  Some may have significant diseases.  The US world of marketing describes getting old in dreadful ways.  I am sure that you have seen the insulting TV commercials and “funny” greeting cards. There is a new term out there now due to the millions of Baby Boomers now in their 60’s. Ageism. What is ageism?  It used to be called age discrimination.  It means discrimination based on age, especially prejudice against the elderly and it is illegal.  What does this mean for your health care?  We have all seen people in the news lately basically not wanting to pay for anyone’s health care except their own, especially  the elderly or the poor.  Some think this is a “Red State/Blue State” controversy.  I don’t think so.  Let me tell you about 2 people with age-related discrimination stories.  One is a friend of mine who is currently in NY City for cancer treatment.  She actually lives in a Red State (it starts with “O”, but has more than 4 letters).  She recently had surgery for a cancerous tumor and the doctor was not aggressive enough.  The surgery did not remove the entire tumor and she was told it was because the surgeon was concerned that she may require a colostomy bag.  The surgeon also said she was too old for a colostomy bag.  She is 74.  The other person is a colleague and she had an experience in a Blue State.  This state is in the “liberal Northeast” and very, very Blue.  She was on vacation about 2 years ago and had some terrible abdominal pains.  She went to the emergency room and the attending physician made her suffer for 12 hours before getting a complete workup.  It was pretty clear she needed surgery for appendicitis, which is very easy to diagnose, I might add.  However, the attending physician felt that since she was “older”, the problem was colitis.  The woman had no history of colitis and told the attending physician that.  Eventually, after 12 hours, they completed the workup.  She did indeed have appendicitis and had the surgery immediately.  The appendix was about to burst due to the delay.  She was 62 at the time.

So what does this mean for you?  Needless to say there is a prevailing attitude in the US and apparently with many health care providers that if you are over 50, you are “over the hill”.  My advice for anyone over 55 is to have a medical advocate, who is younger.  A person trained in medicine would be ideal, but a younger, educated person is also just fine.  You may wish to give this person your official health proxy.  Be sure that this person can come with you or be contacted quickly if you have a medical emergency.  If the doctor has an age bias, your advocate will know what to do.  He or she will speak of ageism in America; perhaps he or she will cite this article or have a copy of it with him.  Age discrimination is illegal and there are really very few physicians significantly schooled in geriatrics.  Your advocate should always ask if your doctor has training in geriatrics.  Only about 10% do.  If you and your advocate feel there is bias, then insist on   another doctor immediately.  Go to the administrator of the hospital in an emergency and tell that person about your ageism concern.  Make sure to have a relationship with an Eldercare attorney and his phone number on your advocate’s cell phone. Start calling the attorney if you receive any nonsense from the hospital administrators or staff. And remember, always express your concerns in writing and insist on written responses from hospitals or health practitioners.  This may sound harsh, but in this decade with all of the cutbacks, your life may depend on this information.

To your health,

Dr. Karen Purcell, M.M., N.D., C.N.