A noted geriatrician illuminates the facets of old age through a compassionate, philosophical, and humanistic lens.For Aronson (Medicine/Univ. of California, San Francisco; A History of the Present Illness: Stories, 2013), what began as a relatively rudimentary "old age book" soon morphed into an examination of aging and the human condition encompassing poignant stories and the viewpoints of medical experts, writers, historians, and scientists. Most of the author's patients are 60 and above, and she approaches their care not just from a wellness angle, but from humanitarian, social, and personal ones as well. She shares harrowing case studies of elderly people who have been misdiagnosed or mistreated by medical professionals. She also examines the ways an ageist modern society and the medical community and its depersonalized treatment protocols continue to fail elderly patients. Aronson rightly believes that these failures must be brought forward as learning tools for the global medical community. The author modestly inserts herself into the narrative, frequently sharing stories about her youth and her medical rotations as well as her father's struggles with dementia and her mother's battle with cancer. She also addresses worrisome (and potentially disabling) physical changes and medical issues that appeared much earlier in her life than she'd expected. The narrative is comprehensive, sprawling, and often depressing and somber, featuring sad histories of elder maltreatment and neglect as well as clear examples of ageist ignorance. Nonetheless, the book is beautifully written and offers countless moments of keen insight. Some observances are even startling, as when Aronson pauses to reflect on the societal obsession with anti-aging and accidentally observes the disturbing hairline of a woman with a facelift, her "surgical residua pulling one way and gravity another." By collectively observing age from diverse perspectives, the author hopes readers (and caregivers) will discover a new appreciation for growing old that is positive, fruitful, and rewarding.Empathetic, probing, and often emotionally moving narratives on appreciating the power and the pain of aging. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In a youth-obsessed culture, aging fascinates no one, save for those who find themselves keenly aware of the passage of time. Knees creak, skin wrinkles, hearing fades, eyesight dims. As a physician specializing in geriatric medicine, Aronson saw it all and despaired. When treating patients over 60, it seemed, her chosen profession was not always as concerned with healing as it should be and routinely discounted the humanity of seniors. How and why such ageism exists and how it can be combated are the subjects of Aronson's vast and penetrating analysis of the politics and profit motives that undermine health care for elders. Through pertinent anecdotes, probing case histories, and personal revelations, Aronson both inserts herself in the narrative and steps aside to disclose the panoply of forces that must coalesce to provide exemplary care and attention to an increasing aged population. With strong empathy that comes from both a professional understanding of and personal experience with the challenges of aging, Aronson provides an essential guide to how society in general and the health-care industry in particular must recalibrate their approach to providing concerned and competent elder care. Thought provoking and wise, Aronson's memoir-cum-treatise should be required reading for medical professionals and will be of great use for seniors and those who support them.--Carol Haggas Copyright 2019 Booklist

Growing old could be much more graceful if doctors would give it some attention, according to this penetrating meditation on geriatrics. UC San Francisco medical professor Aronson (A History of the Present Illness) mines her experience as a geriatrician for insights into the ways society excludes and fails old people. The book's heart is her gripping insider's critique of modern medicine and the invasive, agonizing, and often "futile or harmful" treatments with which it battles disease while ignoring overall well-being. Drawing on intimate, often harrowing case studies of patients and the mistakes made by their doctors (including, painfully, her own missteps), Aronson sleuths out how a callous, clueless medical-industrial complex makes things harder for oldsters in ways small-pill bottles that can't be opened by arthritic hands-and large. (Aronson discovered that a patient seemingly dying of Parkinson's disease was actually suffering from a "drug cascade" of medications prescribed to treat the side effects of other medications.) Less cogent in the sprawling text are her musings on the consolations of "elderhood," which don't convince when placed against the generally grim picture she paints. Still, Aronson's deep empathy, hard-won knowledge, and vivid reportage makes for one of the best accounts around of the medical mistreatment of the old. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.