'Slow Medicine' for the Very Old

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'Slow Medicine' for the Very Old

(Source: NY Times) - For the very elderly, high-tech modern medicine

may do more harm than good.

In its place, Dr. Dennis McCullough suggests " slow medicine " , a more

old-fashioned, more intense form of therapy. It's not intended to

save lives or to restore youthful vigor, but rather to ease the

inevitable irreversible decline of the very old.

McCullough's 'slow medicine' is a regime that involves a step-by-

step, planned team approach:

Step One: Accept that life is not eternal and address difficult

topics, including advance directives and health proxies

Step Two: At the right time address driving issues and whether the

older person can still manage living independently

Step Three: Anticipate inevitable medical crises - create

an " advocacy team " who will step in and help protect the hospitalized

patient

Step Four: Plan for rehabilitation, including home- based or

institutional, and the even more complex spectrum of nursing options

for the slightly impaired, the seriously impaired and those near

death

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