Slow Medicine and Dementia

Image Attribution: Creative Commons Pixabay - ParentingUpstream

Physicians are trained to act quickly to address health problems, and there are more and more tools in their kits to assist them in this effort. Aggressive treatment is what most of us want when we end up in the hospital after an accident or with an acute episode of an illness. But more treatment does not always lead to better results.

“Slow medicine” is based on a realization that less can be more; that taking time to fully assess and think through the options as they apply to the individual patient in question, can be better care. Awareness that not all procedures result in longer life or effective cures is changing the way the medical profession practices. For example, annual mammograms are now being re-evaluated, physicians no longer recommend Pap smears to women over 65, men no longer undergo blood tests for elevated PSA levels. “Watchful waiting” is gaining traction for a host of conditions.

Slow medicine can mean something very different for the elderly. It is less about which proposed treatments is most effective; it is more likely to involve evaluations of chronic conditions for which there are no cures. It may mean not prescribing a drug just to make the patient feel as though the physician is “doing something.” It may mean deciding against an operation if it is more likely than not that the elderly person undergoing that operation will not regain independence post surgery. It may focus primarily on the quality of life. But it almost always means thinking thoughtfully about the benefits and drawbacks of aggressive medical treatment, be it a test, a medication or an operation.

To see how this approach can help loved ones with dementia, visit the full post: http://whiteoakcottages.com/slow-medicine-and-dementia/