How We Age: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Growing Old

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More About This Book

Overview

In the tradition of Atul Gawande and Sherwin Nuland, Marc Agronin writes luminously and unforgettably of life as he sees it as a doctor. His beat is a nursing home in Miami that some would dismiss as "God’s waiting room.” Nothing in the young doctor’s medical training had quite prepared him for what he was to discover there. As Agronin first learned from ninety-eight-year-old Esther and, later, from countless others, the true scales of aging aren’t one-sided—you can’t list the problems without also tallying the hopes and promises. Drawing on moving personal experiences and in-depth interviews with pioneers in the field, Agronin conjures a spellbinding look at what aging means today—how our bodies and brains age, and the very way we understand aging.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Geriatric psychiatrist Agronin (Alz-heimer Disease and Other Dementias) draws on stories of his patients to examine the gifts of wisdom and experience that come through loss. Literate, generous, and compassionate, Agronin's ground-level view of aging (most of his patients at a large Miami nursing home are nonagenarians) opposes the current spate of books attempting to turn back the clock and preserve physical youth. Rather, Agronin argues for accepting, understanding, and appreciating aging as a nonreversible, frequently debilitating, but valuable condition. He sweetens sobering accounts of human development theorist Erik Erikson's dementia; a Czech woman whose husband and children were killed by the Nazis; a Native American Korean War vet suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder; a drug- and alcohol-addicted, bipolar millionaire, and others with instances in which they were able to find meaning and comfort through new challenges and the creative interplay of memory and imagination involved in life review. Throughout, Agronin is critical of impersonal "standard of care" even in seemingly hopeless situations. Referencing poetry, plays and parables, he makes an art of caring for the aged by restoring dignity to a dehumanized but growing segment of the population. (Feb.)
Kirkus Reviews

A geriatric psychiatrist endeavors to provide "a more balanced perspective on aging."

Drawing on personal and professional experience, Agronin (Therapy with Older Clients, 2010, etc.) writes that "love can be an endlessly blossoming flower, felt and expressed in hundreds of ways." Patients suffering from memory loss can experience profound new relationships even though they no longer recognize their own relatives, and paging through a scrapbook or listening to old songs can evoke joy even if the memories are buried. Although memory retrieval and other cognitive functions tend to slow with age, the accumulation of training and experience appears to enhance intuition and the ability to make sounder snap judgments. The author describes several instances in which a negative view of aging caused doctors and nurses to have serious lapses of judgment. In one case, an 84-year-old man who had been living independently showed sudden signs of dementia and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On Agronin's insistence, he was given a CT scan, and it was discovered that he had an operable benign brain tumor. Another time, an elderly resident who had blurred vision complained in a distraught manner that her room was infested with large bugs. A nurse thought this was an instance of dementia and asked that she be tranquilized, but Agronin checked out her room and found ants that the patient hadn't seen clearly. Throughout the book, the author gives examples of the difficulty of treating aging patients who suffer from cognitive problems as well as psychotic episodes. His successes, won through hope, faith and perseverance, have brought him joy and the conviction that the greatest affirmation of our humanity comes from caring for the sick and the weak.

A successful explication of how "aging equals vitality, wisdom, creativity, spirit, and, ultimately, hope."

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780738215587
  • Publisher: Da Capo Press
  • Publication date: 3/6/2012
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 227,370
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.10 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Marc Agronin, MD, a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Medical School, is the psychiatrist at the Miami Jewish Home & Hospital. His articles have appeared in the New York Times and many other periodicals. He lives in Cooper City, Florida.

Table of Contents

A Note to the Reader ix

Introduction 1

Part I What Is Old?

Heaven Can't Wait 17

Age I Must 28

Long Time Dead? 46

Part II Old Age Rounds

Isaac, Erik, and Isak 63

Annabe, Bartleby, and the Doctor Who Flunks Aging 88

Joseph Red Hair 99

Old Pickled Brain 112

Lousy 125

The Strange but True Case of Dawson da Vinci 131

Part III Memory

If I Forget Thee 141

Savant, of Sorts 159

Strength in Numbers 165

Old Soldiers 168

Memories, False and Fixed 173

Part IV Wisdom

The Elders 185

Bereft 207

Just Words 211

Liar, Liar 215

Rules of Four 220

Part V A Million Sparks

Final Acts 231

Mended 239

Lessons from Fire 249

The Seamstress 256

Trees 267

Epilogue 273

Acknowledgments 279

Notes 285

Selected Bibliography 297

Credits and Permissions 301

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
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Sort by: Showing all of 7 Customer Reviews

  • Posted February 3, 2011

    A Bookshelf Treasure!

    This book is a thoughtful, in depth look into the heart of old age. Dr. Agronin pulls together his experiences in dealing with elderly patients, as well as their families, creating a masterful work and a poignant read.
    Readers will come to have a better understanding of the aging process, compassion,and a general sense of how to lead a better life now...knowing we all tread into the same water in the future.
    Dramatic, touching, heartfelt, thought-provoking, informative, and sincere...
    Each chapter brings a new dimension as we journey through life!
    BRAVO! Tugged on my heart-strings!
    Dr. Marc Agronin...You are a credit to your profession!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 6, 2011

    A True Treasure!

    This book is a thoughtful, in depth look into the heart of old age. Dr. Agronin pulls together his experiences in dealing with elderly patients, as well as their families, creating a masterful work and a poignant read. Readers will come to have a better understanding of the aging process, compassion,and a general sense of how to lead a better life now...knowing we all tread into the same water in the future. Dramatic, touching, heartfelt, thought-provoking, informative, and sincere... Each chapter brings a new dimension as we journey through life! BRAVO! Tugged on my heart-strings! Dr. Marc Agronin...You are a credit to your profession!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

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