Reimagining Aging and Later Life | Louise Aronson, MD, MFA

Advances in modern medicine mean a greater proportion of people today than ever before will live well into old age. Despite the seemingly encouraging trend, geriatrician Louise Aronson, MD, MFA argues that we have made old age into a disease, a condition to be dreaded, denigrated, neglected, and denied. Dr. Aronson has made it her life's work to help us reimagine the rich possibilities of human longevity and of later life. Her bestselling book, Elderhood, was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. In this episode, Dr. Aronson explains what makes geriatrics a meaningful career for her, discusses the faults in our society’s conception of elderhood, and shares her humane and hopeful vision for the future of aging.In this episode, you will hear about:An overview of what geriatrics entails - 1:47The need to recognize elderhood as distinct a life stage - 4:42Dr. Aronson’s reflections on what drew her into caring for older patients - 6:15The ways goals of care change in elderhood - 8:24Dr. Aronson’s approach to caring for her patients holistically - 13:27How physicians can change the “losers and winners” paradigm in healthcare - 17:34A discussion of structural and cultural ageism and the insidious ways it harms our society - 23:03How American culture and medicine elevates patient autonomy and how this can sometimes be harmful to older patients - 30:59A discussion of Dr. Aronson’s writing and what motivated her to become an author - 38:49How Dr. Aronson experienced and overcame burnout - 42:57Advice to new clinicians on how to connect with patients and create a more meaningful career path - 46:08Dr. Aronson is the author of the nonfiction book Elderhood and the short story collection A History of the Present Illness, as well as several essays and articles on ageism and aging and a blog.Follow Dr. Louise Arondson on Twitter @LouiseAronson, Instagram @LouiseAronsonSF, and LinkedIn.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected] The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022