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In Reply: I appreciate and respect Dr Turiel's point of view that the US health care system needs continuous quality improvement, that there is good and bad in the role of industry, and that old age is not a golden time for many people, particularly for the frail elderly persons who are an important focus of her book, although frail elderly persons comprise only about 11% of the geriatric population.¹

As a geriatrician who has cared for thousands of older persons during the past 30 years, I have seen remarkable advances, including the longevity revolution, the evolution of geriatric medicine, innovative classes of new drugs for diseases (such as osteoporosis and Alzheimer disease) that not long ago were simply considered not only untreatable but a normal part of aging, and effective new models of population-based care. Indeed, some gerontologists believe we have done quite well in achieving longevity for most . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Howard Fillit, MD
hfillit@alzdiscovery.org
The Institute for the Study of Aging
New York, NY

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"Our Parents, Ourselves"
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Our Parents, Ourselves: How American Health Care Imperils Middle Age and Beyond
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