Andy Lazris

4.5 stars
This is an important book that looks into the medical care and treatment of the elderly. The medicare payment system, the over-specialization of doctors, and the goal of "being thorough" rewards over-treatment, all to an often devastating effect on the elderly. Yet, palliative care is difficult to achieve (and get insurance to pay for) in our current system. The medical model isn't alone in the blame. Patients and their families often insist on the over-treatment.

Old age is inevitable if we're lucky enough to live that long, and most of us will have age-related health challenges. Books like this needs to be part of the conversation, and personal decisions on how to handle this stage of life are best made before it happens. For that reason I think this is a book that should be read by everyone.

The writing style is engaging and conversational in tone and the book is filled with personal anecdotes from the author's medical practice, yet backed up by statistics and research studies to strengthen his position. He's a doctor I would love to have as my own.

** thanks to Netgalley and Cornell University Press for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review… (mehr)