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In ‘Sweetie’ and ‘Dear,’ a Hurt for the Elderly
By JOHN LELAND, The New York Times, October 7, 2008
Professionals call it elderspeak, the sweetly belittling form of address that has always rankled older people: the doctor who talks to their child rather than to them about their health; the store clerk who assumes that an older person does not know how to work a computer, or needs to be addressed slowly or in a loud voice. Then there are those who address any elderly person as “dear.”
“People think they’re being nice,” said Elvira Nagle, 83, of Dublin, Calif., “but when I hear it, it raises my hackles.”
Now studies are finding that the insults can have health consequences, especially if people mutely accept the attitudes behind them, said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University, who studies the health effects of such messages on elderly people.
( Read More )
Well: Are Bad Times Healthy?
By TARA PARKER-POPE, The New York Times, October 7, 2008
Most people are worried about the health of the economy. But does the economy also affect your health?
It does, but not always in ways you might expect. The data on how an economic downturn influences an individual’s health are surprisingly mixed.
( Read More )
Essay: Campaign Myth: Prevention as Cure-All
By H. GILBERT WELCH, M.D, The New York Times, October 7, 2008
In a presidential campaign that promises straight talk and no gimmicks, why do both candidates champion one of medical care’s most pervasive myths?
The myth is that like magic, preventive medicine will simultaneously reduce costs and improve health.
Senator John McCain argues that “the best care is preventative care,” and his health care reform plan claims that “by emphasizing prevention” and other measures “we can reduce health care costs.” Senator Barack Obama’s plan says, “Simply put, in the absence of a radical shift towards prevention and public health, we will not be successful in containing medical costs or improving the health of the American people.”
It may sound like common sense. But it is still a myth.
( Read More )
By JOHN LELAND, The New York Times, October 7, 2008
Professionals call it elderspeak, the sweetly belittling form of address that has always rankled older people: the doctor who talks to their child rather than to them about their health; the store clerk who assumes that an older person does not know how to work a computer, or needs to be addressed slowly or in a loud voice. Then there are those who address any elderly person as “dear.”
“People think they’re being nice,” said Elvira Nagle, 83, of Dublin, Calif., “but when I hear it, it raises my hackles.”
Now studies are finding that the insults can have health consequences, especially if people mutely accept the attitudes behind them, said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University, who studies the health effects of such messages on elderly people.
( Read More )
Well: Are Bad Times Healthy?
By TARA PARKER-POPE, The New York Times, October 7, 2008
Most people are worried about the health of the economy. But does the economy also affect your health?
It does, but not always in ways you might expect. The data on how an economic downturn influences an individual’s health are surprisingly mixed.
( Read More )
Essay: Campaign Myth: Prevention as Cure-All
By H. GILBERT WELCH, M.D, The New York Times, October 7, 2008
In a presidential campaign that promises straight talk and no gimmicks, why do both candidates champion one of medical care’s most pervasive myths?
The myth is that like magic, preventive medicine will simultaneously reduce costs and improve health.
Senator John McCain argues that “the best care is preventative care,” and his health care reform plan claims that “by emphasizing prevention” and other measures “we can reduce health care costs.” Senator Barack Obama’s plan says, “Simply put, in the absence of a radical shift towards prevention and public health, we will not be successful in containing medical costs or improving the health of the American people.”
It may sound like common sense. But it is still a myth.
( Read More )
