Yet another extremely thought provoking piece from Iona Heath. She is
completely correct in my view. The success story of modern medicine has
let us live long but at a price. But family structures have changed -
divorce, single parents and working women have all led to the demise of
the matriarch who dealt with the care of elderly relatives. An internet
age together with a decline of religious structures has led to an
increasingly selfish culture. Just look at any consumer service advert.
They are all me, mine and more.
The problem is that high tech medicine has not really cracked the
problem of compressing morbidity into the last period of life. Indeed we
spend more and more on people as they approach death. Resetting the health
trajectory is essential in rich and poor countries alike.The mantra of
21st century medicine will be live long and die fast and of course
cheaply. Ageism is an inevitable part of the this future.
Rapid Response:
Compressed morbidity
Yet another extremely thought provoking piece from Iona Heath. She is
completely correct in my view. The success story of modern medicine has
let us live long but at a price. But family structures have changed -
divorce, single parents and working women have all led to the demise of
the matriarch who dealt with the care of elderly relatives. An internet
age together with a decline of religious structures has led to an
increasingly selfish culture. Just look at any consumer service advert.
They are all me, mine and more.
The problem is that high tech medicine has not really cracked the
problem of compressing morbidity into the last period of life. Indeed we
spend more and more on people as they approach death. Resetting the health
trajectory is essential in rich and poor countries alike.The mantra of
21st century medicine will be live long and die fast and of course
cheaply. Ageism is an inevitable part of the this future.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests