Is This Doctor Being Ageist?

This week on “Yo, Is This Ageist?” Anonymous asked:

My primary care physician has set in place a series of medical procedures to determine the state of my health, although there is no indication that I have any problems. I am 87 and in the pink of health. All these interventions are costly, even though Medicare pays for them. This is disempowering for me, and demoralizing. How should I deal with this? Is it useful for me to name this ageism?

Decline the procedures. Your physician shouldn’t try to compel you to undergo them. Perhaps she thinks she can bully you because of your age, but it sounds more like the bloated US healthcare system at work, especially if she’d order the same set of procedures for a 45-year-old.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments box below.

“Yo Is This Ageist” is a blog by Ashton Applewhite.
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COMMENTS

2 responses to “Is This Doctor Being Ageist?”

I was reading a card I got in the mail published by AARP. The scenario was this: You are told to wire or mail a small amount for taxes and fees to claim your prize.What should you do? Hang up the phone!

“Older Americans are often targeted by scammers. Your help could provide the winning ticket to preserving their financial well being.

Is this ageist? I mean just because someone is older they suddenly lose all of their common sense??

Reply to Charles