In a powerful blending of memoir and practical strategies from a medical doctor's perspective, The Gift of Caring: Saving Our Parents - and ourselves - from the Perils of Modern Healthcare reveals the hidden side of modern healthcare practices for aging Americans. This ground-breaking book, co-written by award-winning author Marcy Houle and nationally-recognized geriatrician and public health advocate, Elizabeth Eckstrom MD MPH, sheds new light on aging by showing it from twin perspectives: the story of a daughter desperately seeking help for the parents she loves, and a geriatrician who offers life-changing strategies that can protect our loved ones and ourselves.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Part I: The Airplane Diaries
1 Colliding Worlds
2 First Decline
What I Wish I'd Known: Early Warning Signs of Dementia (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
3 Panic Attack
4 Countdown to Advocacy
What I Wish I'd Known: What Is Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease . . . and How Do You Tell the Difference? (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
5 A New Way of Seeing
6 Passages
What I Wish I'd Known: How to Find a Good Memory Facility (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
7 Montavilla Beginnings
What I Wish I'd Known: Moving Day: How to Ease the Transition (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
8 Dallas II
9 Visiting Hours
10 The Phone Call
What I Wish I'd Known: Falls-A Leading Cause of Death in Older Adults and What You Can Do to Prevent Them (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
11 Surgery for an Alzheimer's Patient
12 It's a Matter of Life or Death
What I Wish I'd Known: A Deadly Fate with Few Symptoms-Dehydration-How to Recognize It and How to Prevent It (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
13 Forsaken
14 No Man Is an Island
15 Do No Harm
What I Wish I'd Known: The Problem of Pain in Dementia and Why Millions of Seniors Are Suffering (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
16 Return of the Man
Part II: A Good Ending
17 A Radical Prescription
What I Wish I'd Known: The Best "Anti-aging" Pill of Them All (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
18 No Senior Left Inside
What I Wish I'd Known: The ABCs of Exercise (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
19 I'm Not Cedaring; I'm Scissoring
What I Wish I'd Known: How to Ensure Parents' Wishes for Care Are Met-Before a Crisis Hits (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
20 Who's Shelby?
What I Wish I'd Known: What Is a TIA? And What Do I Do If I Think My Parent Is Having One? (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
21 Stories from the Fall
22 The Very Best Christmas Ever
23 Three Things
What I Wish I'd Known: The Art to Aging . . . Healthfully. . . for Your Body and Your Mind (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
24 I See Little Green Men
What I Wish I'd Known: Come to Your Senses! The Value of Aids (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
25 Delirious
26 Paging Doctor HIP!
What I Wish I'd Known: What Delirium Is, and Why It's Essential You Know How to Spot It (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
27 "Sometimes It's Better If They Never Wake Up"
What I Wish I'd Known: The Most Important Medical Word That Can Save Your Parent's Life-"Baseline"
(Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
28 Where Old People Are Sent to Die
29 The Lazarus Syndrome
30 A Hope and a Future
31 So What's a Geriatrician and Why Should I Care?
What I Wish I'd Known: The Tsunami Is Coming . . . and Why You Should Be Worried (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
32 Pharmacopeia
What I Wish I'd Known: Too Many Pills-The Fourth-Leading Cause of Death in Seniors (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
33 The Search Begins
34 Honey and Dummy
35 Mountains and Valleys
What I Wish I'd Known: The Care and Maintenance of Caregivers (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
36 Who's Taking the Trazadone?
What I Wish I'd Known: How to Get a Good Night's Rest- Naturally (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
37 The Art of Caregiving
38 Living to One Hundred
39 And They Shall Inherit the Earth
40 Go GICU! Stop Step-Down!
What I Wish I'd Known: The Serious Problems of Today's Hospitals for Older Adults-Why We Need to Demand a Change Now (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
41 How to Pack for the Next Trip
42 Faithful Companion
43 Crossing the Line
What I Wish I'd Known: What Is Palliative Care, and How Can It Help My Parents and Me? (Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH)
44 A Good Ending
Appendix 1 The Drugs Seniors Should Not Be On but Are Too Often Prescribed, as Determined by the American Geriatric Society "Beers List"
Appendix 2 Health History Sheets: What Every Senior Must Have
Appendix 3 Continuity of Care: The Daily Checklist for You, Your Parent, Your Caregiver, and Your Doctor
