Customer Reviews

The Real Truth About Aging: A Survival Guide for Older Adults and Caregivers

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I read one of these books every five years or so just to keep up on the latest. This really is the nitty-gritty on the very vexing subject of aging (but "consider the alternative" *). Doctors Shulman, Silverman, and Golden remove our rose colored glasses and reveal the real world process that is known as "growing old" in depressing detail, leading to the well known conclusion that aging is not for the faint of heart.

They go from the troubles, trials and tribulations of the relatively young old to the senescence of the old old and tell us what we can and cannot do to rage against the dying of the light. They are guiding not just the elderly but those who are responsible for the elderly--physicians, caretakers, family and friends. They point out scams and false hopes while making it clear which medicines and procedures are likely to help and which will not. They are more candid than most people who write books on aging. They make the reader smell the urine in the nursing homes and feel the aching of the frail bones and see the curved spines and the sunken cheeks, and most of all they make vivid and immediate the hopelessness and depression that so many people experience near the end of their lives. And they offer some ways of alleviating the suffering.

After reading this book you'll have a good idea about what to expect if you develop any of the complaints of old age and what it will be like to be hospitalized or in a nursing home or other care facility. On the actual experience of aging vis-à-vis the medical establishment, the authors are thorough while serving up no pie in the sky and, to be blunt, very little fattening pie on the plate either. They discuss costs and how much of those costs Medicare and Medicaid can be expected to cover. They discuss various drugs and their effectiveness while giving the reader some idea of what it's like for both doctor and patient to juggle four or five medicines for several different ailments and why there is no magic pill.

There is a sense of the political correct to their views. They tell the truth (as I know it anyway) about vitamins, supplements, alternative medicine, exercise etc. They represent the establishment view which is an important reason for reading this book even if you are of an alternative persuasion. In short this is NOT a feel good, uplifting, inspiration volume likely to make it to the bestseller list. Instead this is a candid report on the state of the art in geriatrics from a professional and experiential point of view.

To be honest I found it a bit depressing. Bedpans, dementia, bedsores, weakened bones, compromised immune systems, pain and suffering: these are the horsemen of the apocalypse that await us one and all. And so in reading this I am re-inspired to exercise regularly, eat properly, and to avoid any sort of compromise to my health.

The book is in four parts: Part 1: "Fighting the Aging Clock," which covers understanding what it means to grow old and why it happens, and what preventive measures are likely to achieve; Part 2: "The Twenty-First Century Healthcare System," (what to expect from the medical and care-giving establishment); Part 3 :"Caring for the Frail Senior" (everything you really would like to avoid experiencing); and finally Part 4: "Planning Ahead before It's Too Late" which covers such issues as expenses, last wills and testaments, when should you give up driving, whether to travel for pleasure, preparations for hurricanes and other natural disasters, and finally the dying process itself. I have some familiarity with this experience having watched my mother and wife go through it. Watching helplessly while a loved one dies is also not for the faint of heart.

This terrible fact of life, of decline, disability and death is made real in this book in a way that most publishers dare not. Prometheus Books and the very learned authors are to be commended for telling it like it is and sparing us the syrupy anodynes.

*The authors give credit to Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) for this witticism. Of course it was first uttered in the prehistory. (Yes, I was there and heard it.)


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Finally a book that I can recommend to patients and family members. The title says it all....this book gives a balanced view of what people have to look foward to and what they need to prepare for. It is very readable and well organized. A must for both baby boomers and anyone taking care of elderly parents.

THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT AGING; A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS teaches how to navigate the healthcare system, learning what new approaches and research affect quality of life, how to understand the latest research results, and how to prevent common injuries that affect one's life. From basic facts on the aging process to chapters on preventative medical testing, this is an essential acquisition.

This is a first read for someone that is beginning the caregiver role. Much of the content is available in publications for free at your local drug store. No real revelations here.

What a surperb job! I can't recommend it highly enough! Accurate, excellent references,very readable. Every person 50 or older should read it, along with families with elders and health care givers.