My Comments on - VINTAGE PEOPLE by Dr. JERRY OLD

No trip - No recipe- Just some feelings about a wonderful, laugh the whole way through, speech I heard and I read his book I want to share some of it. It was as if he was reading my mind.

1st of all I want to say I have no terrible disease that I am going to die that I know of but when we get older and have seen more in life, we do have feelings. I did not think about or feel this way at 25, 50, or even 60 but at 75 years the time is getting shorter and I hope I don't live till I'm 90 or 100. Any Republican out there I want you to read Senator Bob Dole's response to his book. "I support Dr. Old's "Vintage People" as an inspiration and empowerment to older Americans. The contributions of character that they make cannot be discounted." The Secrets of Successful Aging is on the cover of his book. He is a Board Certified Family Physican at Arkansas City, Kansas. On the Volunteer Faculty of the University of Kansas School of Medicine etc. etc. The book includes many delightful vignettes from and about aging people with a positive attitude - Vintage People. Can you imagine an extended conversation with a popular and experienced unpretentious M.D. who is actually willing to learn from every patient he treats? This book proves we can all live out our dreams, regardless of age. I want to share some of his last chapter of the book.
"Going Home"
"It's exciting to watch CPR on television. It was exciting for me as a young medical student & resident. I loved be in charge of the "paddles" and watch the patients muscles contract as he or she heaved up on the table as we shocked them. It is indeed dramatic! But as I got a little more mature, I began to realize that someday that body on the ER cart might be me! Ask most doctors and nurses who work in the emergency room and they will tell you they want "NO CODE BLUE" tattooed on their chests. If I have something wrong with me that is so serious that I stop breathing and my heart stops - I am satisfied that it's the end. The treatment may be worse than the disease. Most older people he admits to the hospital want "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" written on their charts. Relatives are too upset to do anything at a time like that. Everything progresses so fast and the paramedics are intent upon their protocol (which is designed to fit all patients). After 3 or 4 days of testing & evaluation, the medical staff determines that the patient has no brain activity. NOW the family has to decide whether or not to "pull the plug". If everyone is lucky, the patient may die in spite of the life support and make the decision for them. If not, this may go on for quite some time. There is a huge hospital bill, and the lives of all friends and relatives are disruped for a long time. Death has not been prevented but prolonged."
(Me again)
I have not talked to one older person that wants that. Even with a living will & a copy of it at the hospital you may be around strangers at the time that doesn't know that, so they call 911 and off you go through the whole procedure. If that happens to me & it's an OLD person like me I would check their breath, pulse, try artifical respiration checking their belongings for any instructions BEFORE calling 911. By this age we usually have enough things wrong with us that being put through all that and live longer to get more & more health problems for a few more years of life just doesn't make sense to me. We don' t put old animals through all that. When Indians were dying they would go off alone in the forest and die. Have we invented so many wonderful tools to use to keep people alive & have to justify the cost that we save everyone. I do not want my family having to decide if they unplug me. Guess I'll have to tape my living will to my chest every morning. ha. ha. JUST THINK ABOUT IT.