"Medical treatment of elderly people is not working. Worse, it is often harmful", says author Dr. John Sloan, a family physician who has worked primarily with the elderly for more than twenty years. In A Bitter Pill, he examines why medical treatment from modern medicine’s one-size-fits-all prevention strategy to hospital stays that don’t benefit anyone is failing them and identifies solutions to the problem.

by Diane Hischke, R.N., M.S.N., C.M.C.     Founder, President and Professional Geriatric Care Manager   The more we know and the more informed we are, the better choices and decisions we can make. The same principle applies to my work as a Professional Geriatric Care Manager or PGCM, as we call ourselves.

When faced with a parent suffering from Alzheimer's, most of us respond with denial ("It won't happen to me") or extreme efforts at prevention. But global health expert and TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh sees it differently. She's taking three concrete steps to prepare for the moment.

On July 4th, our country celebrates Independence Day. A day where we celebrate our country’s freedoms, our rights and liberties as citizens. What would happen if our freedoms and independence were taken away from us? For the elderly, that happens everyday.

"Slow Medicine is just this caring process of slowing down, being patient, coordinating care, and remaining faithful to the end. Families necessarily bear the greatest responsibility in surmounting difficulties to create this bond of trust and security for their loved ones.

Describing the importance of observing and being sensitive to our elders’ needs, Dr. McCullough outlined the Eight Stations of Late Life as a way to understand the changes they are going through. To read the entire article, click here

It started out only as a job.... but ended up much more than that.I began working for our Local Council as what was classified as a Home Carer. This position was primarily to help people with health problems, or other reasons to stay in their own homes.

The more we know and the more informed we are, the make better choices and decisions we can make. The same principal applies to my work as a Professional Geriatric Care Manager or PGCM as we call ourselves. And speaking of awareness, May is National Geriatric Care Manager Month!Professional Geriatric Care Managers plan and coordinate the care of the elderly and disabled to improve their quality of life and maintain their independence as long as possible.

"The Compassionate Life: Walking the Path of Kindness" is another book I recommend after attending a lecture by it's author Marc Ian Barasch at the NAPGCM conference in Seattle.  The following is an excerpt from his website www.compassionatelife.com:With a keen balance of hope and skepticism, Marc Barasch sets out on a journey to the heart of compassion, discovering its power to change who we are and the society we have become.

I recently heard John Sloan, MD speak at the NAPGCM conference in Seattle.  I highly recommend his book "A Bitter Pill: How the Medical System is Failing the Elderly"."The medical system is set up to help people, but it does the opposite for most of the people I look after,” writes Dr. John Sloan, a family physician who restricts his practice to housebound, mainly older frail persons.