Guaranteed Healthcare

You don't have to be an RN or an MD to understand the fact that as human beings age, we may be predisposed to acquiring one or more chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, emphysema, and heart disease, to name but a few.  We are also more accident prone due to poor eyesight, hearing loss, delayed reflexes, and impaired mobility. It's been said that old age isn't for sissies and clearly, longevity is not without risks. However, most of us prefer it to the alternative.

The headline in the Sacramento Bee (5/30) reads, "CONSUMER REPORTS rates hospitals on aggressive or conservative late-life care".  Forgive my cynicism, after nearly 34 years as a critical care nurse, but I'm here to tell you that the patients who arrive in the hospital these days have run out of choices, and have nearly lost their lives because they couldn't afford primary care, or they've had the misfortune of being the victim of violence, or involved in an accident. And, they don't have the time or the money to go shopping for care, nor the education and expertise to determine which treatments will be therapeutic, safe, and effective at restoring them to their optimal level of functioning. For that, they depend on their doctors and nurses.