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Golden Oldies





The Golden Years: Healthy Aging and the Older Adult by Christopher W. Bogosh
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Years-Healthy-Aging-Older/dp/1481077740/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383519723&sr=1-7&keywords=the+golden+years

This is the second book I’ve read by Chris on medicine, the first was Compassionate Jesus.  The Golden Years is a deep look into the issues of older adults, aging, and end of life issues. As other reviewers have indicated, the book’s goal is to ‘assist the reader to live the “golden years” with the glory of God in view’ (125).  The matters that are discussed in the book include aging, healthy living, preventive healthcare, management, health problems, and chronic health problems.  Rooting his message in a perceptive understanding of medicine and through Christian convictions, Chris takes a unique approach in speaking about issues surrounding older adults (6-7).

Chris points out an important idea in the chapter on Aging by writing, “The desire to feel secure may have a positive effect by driving the older adult to seek help, security in God, membership at a local church, and assistance from local agencies, or it can drive the person to further alienation, despair, depression, and even suicide.  Feeling safe, un-threatened, and secure is not only a legal right; it is an innate need God wants us to fulfill” (19).  I have sense this first in family as the older adults in my extended family draw great comfort from investing time in volunteer agencies and also in relationships with friends (card games, dinner functions, etc.).   It is easy to lose sight of these available resources for relationships and companionship when a person is wrangled by despair and loneliness.  Yet, I think Christ is right in saying that God created humans for each other and companionship provides emotional and spiritual comfort.

The chapter on preventive healthcare was helpful in understanding the good and bad of medication.  Chris writes, “When an older adult reports new signs of symptoms, one of the first things the provider will do is rule out medication as a cause……..Medication is a primary suspect when new problems occur, but is usually not the prescribed drug itself causing the problem” (52).  Chris goes onto point out that a combination of factors like the person not taking the medication or a bad interaction with other medicine.  Careful monitoring is the way to check to see if the medicine is doing its job and the person is taking responsibility.  Another issue related to medicine is the rising cost of drugs.  With a fixed income and senior adults spending at times over 200 dollars a month for medication, rising costs of medicine can be a real problem. 

Overall, I think the book was very informative is sometimes downright boring.  Yet, I think there is plenty here to digest concerning all the issues of older adults.

Thanks to Good Samaritan Books and Cross Focused Reviews for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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