Elder Care Becoming Part of Medical Curriculum

Carol Bradley Bursack is Answering questions Caregiver Author, blogger and eldercare columnist For over twenty years author, columnist and speaker Carol Bradley... Send Message Subscribe: Carol Bradley Bursack

Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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Finally, some encouraging news from our medical schools. In a story from Boston.com titled When old is new: A wave of change in medical schools puts emphasis on care of seniors, writer Alice Dembner follows the new, improved training of medical students in the art of treating our aging populace. ...

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Good news
Leah
Wednesday, February 06, 2008 at 04:04 PM

This is such good news! I have not been looking forward to getting old as it has always appeared that doctors and attendants really looked through the elderly--not at them. I hope all doctors in training will learn to treat the person, not the patient. Thanks for the good news!
Leah

re: Good news
Carol Bradley Bursack
Wednesday, February 06, 2008 at 04:12 PM

Nice to hear from you, Leah.

Yes, it's about time. I never felt my parents were well understood - as people - by many of their physicians. Finally, reality is settling in. Let's hope the "trend" continues.
Carol

Untitled Comment
Sue
Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 11:21 PM

Thanks Carol - this really is exciting news.

My two cents - I hope the medical schools, doctors, etc. help guide those considering geriatric medicine. What I mean is, it takes a particular personality to work with the elderly. My mom, a nurse for many, many years has always been drawn to caring for the elderly whether through her work or caring for her parents and now some elderly friends. She has a way about her that really keeps them going (if you know what I mean), laughing and positive. They truly look forward to seeing her.

Anyway, I hope this in some way is part of the consideration and teaching of this specialty.

All the best, sue

re: Untitled Comment
Carol Bradley Bursack
Monday, February 11, 2008 at 07:45 AM

That, of course, is the real crux of the matter. Not everyone is good at working with aging people. However, with some, it's just not understanding and once they learn more, they can be good. Minding Our Elders is used in some colleges, and when I talk with students they tell me how they used to be afraid of aging and elderly people, but once they worked with them, they realized what a joy and challenge it can be.

There are those who just shouldn't do it, however, and hopefully they will be pointed in different directions. One problem is huge however - doctors aren't paid as well to keep people comfortable as they are to do "prodecures." This must change - but will it? We'll watch and wait.