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waynediane's review against another edition
5.0
Great- I would put this up there with Being Mortal Atul Gawande. She is an excellent writer.
niniane's review against another edition
5.0
A warm, firm treatise on health care for seniors.
I learned about how doctors are taught to be aloof from patients and view them as organs and charts. I also learned about age bias in how doctors are less eager to treat seniors.
This made me less afraid about dying and the final stages.
I learned about how doctors are taught to be aloof from patients and view them as organs and charts. I also learned about age bias in how doctors are less eager to treat seniors.
This made me less afraid about dying and the final stages.
karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I liked this book. Aronson is a good writer, and I felt that the stories of her patients were interesting. I felt I learned quite a bit. She points out the problems of our health care system, but she didn't go quite far as I would have liked. I would have liked more practical ways to help our aging population, but maybe that needs to be a sequel.
c_rabbit's review against another edition
Read for a while than skimmed—nothing read engaged me. Was hoping to learn or gain perspective. Seemed like a book of anecdotally backed opinions on aging. Others may enjoy more than we . Hard for me to see the theme and main points of each chapter.
cdale8's review against another edition
2.0
I did really enjoy parts of this book, and was on board with the author's premise, but felt like I was slogging through the same point over and over. I waffled between 2 stars and 3, but there are definitely 5 star moments in this book. It finally came down to the left-brain/right-brain pseudo-neuroscience talk that kept popping up, which cut it down to a definitive 2 -- this author, especially one at this institution, should unequivocally know that this descriptor of how the brain works is a complete fallacy and junk science. That, and a little more editing to focus on the patient/parent stories plus maybe only hit that systemic issue analysis 6 or 7 times, would allow this book to shine in, say, 250-300 pages...
kwheeles's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting topic - medicalization and denormalization of aging. Written by a doctor with a humanist perspective and good writing skills. Excellent illustrative anecdotes.
gijs's review against another edition
4.0
Highly anecdotal, the narrative tends to meander a lot but does include an abundance of interesting patient stories; the book incrementally grows on you; slowly but surely the admirable and interesting subject is properly fleshed out.
fictional_existence's review against another edition
3.0
There was enough in this book that was interesting and revelatory that I finished it, even though it was a slog in many places. I enjoyed the stories of former patients, and when she talked of specifics of incorrect care for the elderly. However much of the book was repetitive, not in "reinforcing the theme" kind of way, but as if she were newly pissed off about the thing and needed to rant again. In fact, much of the book is diatribe of things only tangentially related to elder care, like a long section bemoaning electronic health records. In fact, shortly after that, she discusses her own burnout -- which occurred only a few years (2015) before the book was published. This book reads like it was her therapy-- her way out of burnout. It is a screed against everything about medicine that bothers her.
For example, she discusses her brief tenure as head of an elder care acute care wing of the hospital. She doesn't stay because it is set up all wrong. I wish she had taken the opportunity to talk about what such units look like when they're set up right. I'd think a book on elder care would spend as much time talking about the folks that do things well as those that do them poorly, but that doesn't fit with the antagonistic view of this book. In one place she spends a couple pages complaining about Mark Zuckerberg and his wife using their foundation to go after illness. She thinks it's all wrong and says the Gates foundation does it better-- but then gives no detail on what she sees as something that is working right.
All and all, the book meanders from one topic to the next, never quite sure what it wants to be. I'm glad the author was able to recover from her burnout. This book seems like it probably helped her. I just wish she'd have waited ten years or so, for the wounds to heal and for her to clarify her message. That's the book I wanted to read.
For example, she discusses her brief tenure as head of an elder care acute care wing of the hospital. She doesn't stay because it is set up all wrong. I wish she had taken the opportunity to talk about what such units look like when they're set up right. I'd think a book on elder care would spend as much time talking about the folks that do things well as those that do them poorly, but that doesn't fit with the antagonistic view of this book. In one place she spends a couple pages complaining about Mark Zuckerberg and his wife using their foundation to go after illness. She thinks it's all wrong and says the Gates foundation does it better-- but then gives no detail on what she sees as something that is working right.
All and all, the book meanders from one topic to the next, never quite sure what it wants to be. I'm glad the author was able to recover from her burnout. This book seems like it probably helped her. I just wish she'd have waited ten years or so, for the wounds to heal and for her to clarify her message. That's the book I wanted to read.
murderjail's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
vnessc's review against another edition
5.0
Surprised the overall rating isn’t higher! There were parts in the middle where the book was slower but every single story made me rethink my views of our culture. Working in the medical field I felt like I could relate to so many of Louis Aronson’s issues with the system as a whole. She has inspired me to be more compassionate and to see people of all ages as complete and complex human beings, all deserving of respect. I wish more people could be exposed to these ideas- there is so much room for positive change for elders in our society...and most of us will be there someday!