By Dr. Robert Stall
Buffalo, NY – A wonderful 97 year-old patient of mine came to see me recently. She lived on her own in the house that she moved to when she married, where she raised her four children, and in which she sat at the bedside of her husband when he passed away 10 years earlier.
She made the appointment a few days before, two months earlier than her scheduled visit. I escorted her from the waiting area to the exam room.
She limped slightly, favoring her right side, and now also used a cane for added support. Her usual good spirits were dulled and she seemed somewhat distant, absorbed in her own thoughts.
"What can I do for you?" I asked.
"I think my age is finally catching up to me" she said.
"My right knee hurts and I bought this cane because my walking was a little wobbly. I was afraid I would fall. I'm not sleeping well either."
"Doctor, I really don't know how you can help me. I cut back on church and going to my bridge game so I don't make my knee worse. I take Tylenol when the pain gets real bad."
"What do you expect at my age? I'm not getting any younger."
"How is your left knee?" I asked.
"That's just fine," she replied.
I continued "Now, if the pain in your right knee is because of how old you are, then why don't you have pain in your left knee too? Isn't your left knee the same age as your right knee?"
She smiled and understood what I was trying to tell her.
"Older people get sick from specific health problems just like younger people, not from old age alone," I explained, and reminded her to ALWAYS give me a call when she notices something is not quite right.
I suggested she take the Tylenol as soon as she got up in the morning to keep her knee pain from getting a foothold in the first place. And to take it again at lunch and before dinner so she would stay comfortable during the day. Then once more at bedtime so she could get a good night's sleep.
I also referred her for physical therapy to help heal the right knee she didn't realize she twisted when walking across a just-mopped floor in her house two weeks before.
Two months later she was back to her usual routine, buzzing from church to her bridge game and doing everything else that made her life worth living.
As a geriatrician, my job and duty is to identify and treat both the diseases and dis-eases of aging, and to help my patients achieve the two cardinal goals of geriatric medicine, which are maintaining, and if possible improving, their quality of life and functional ability.
Diseases in older people, just like younger people, include infections, heart disease, lung disease, musculoskeletal problems, depression and cancer.
Loneliness, fear, loss of control, lack of information, pain and prejudice - such as the mistaken notion by others and even patients themselves that nothing can be done when you're old - are just some of the "dis-eases" that can cause great distress and significantly affect quality of life and function. Curing or controlling "dis-ease" becomes paramount when the traditional diseases have been stabilized.
So what should you expect at your age? The answer is a lot, whether you're 87, 97 or even 107. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Dr. Robert Stall is a physician practicing geriatric medicine in the Buffalo area.