that's right, the baby boomers! While these people born between 1945-1955 have been scapegoats for a lot of things over the past few years, I believe we can ligitimately blame them for healthcare too. Here's why:

Last week I had a well known patient admitted to my floor. She's 26, has severe cerebral palsy and uncontrolled epilepsy. She has been through multiple surgeries, and while her parents have her as a DNR, she has been on mechanical ventillation numerous times for aspiration pneumonia, and has had multiple surgeries as of late for her PEG (feeding) tube. At 26 I doubt her heart will stop without a case of severe sepsis or pericarditis, so as long as it's not cardiac her parents will do anything to keep her alive. And yes, her parents are boomers, fully insured, and with the extra capital to pay for her healthcare premiums.

I have also had a severely demented 89 year old lady who also has a PEG tube, admitted originally with pneumonia. When she's healthy she doesn't understand why she can't have water. While her brain is severly riddled with alzheimer's plaques, she requires a one on one nursing assistant to make certain she doesn't get out of bed and fall, and to comfort her and keep her from yelling out "oh god, help me! my brain is so fuzzy! I need water!" Her daughter and POA is, you guesed it, a boomer. And yet, she's also a DNR, and without any semblance of CVD (normal sinus rythem), I doubt she'll 'code' anytime soon.

Then there are all the boomers who will be reaching 65 when we start practice. All dying from pretty much self-centered Americanism (smoking, drinking, fastfood). With PCN, they all thought that medicine was a miracle machine and that there'd be no more illness...nothing more suiting than the illness they bring on themselves.

here's to our medical careers!

And you don't think this generation will be the same way? Of course everyone wants the best for themselves, regardless of the expense to the rest of society (the taxpayers). It's up to public policy to restrict the amount of largesse we give in to these folks. Unfortunately, our public policy has failed.

I don't understand your ramblings

chef:
yes, I know that all generations will face their own problems, and that all generations love to blame the generation before them for everything. To complain at our generation (assuming gen x+y) I could have added my patients who were admitted for etOH detox, GI bleeds, and esophageal varices. However, I chose the boomers because they seemed like a good scape-goat (they've been excellent scapegoats so far), and I hoped someone might apreciate my attempt at dark humor.

quantummechanic:
the main argument of my ramblings is that certain people (here I chose boomers) make others suffer for their own personal neurosis. Much like Schaivo, these were two people who are suffering because of what their 'loved ones' want. This is not only unfair to the patient, but to millions of poor and uninsured who could have used the energy and supplies that is being spent on keeping these unhappy people alive.

chef:
yes, I know that all generations will face their own problems, and that all generations love to blame the generation before them for everything. To complain at our generation (assuming gen x+y) I could have added my patients who were admitted for etOH detox, GI bleeds, and esophageal varices. However, I chose the boomers because they seemed like a good scape-goat (they've been excellent scapegoats so far), and I hoped someone might apreciate my attempt at dark humor.


I don't think you are mean or anything. But I do think you are fusturated and worn out a little bit.

Sometimes a really nice meal can do the trick. Alchol intoxication works too, but use caution. :D


quantummechanic:
the main argument of my ramblings is that certain people (here I chose boomers) make others suffer for their own personal neurosis. Much like Schaivo, these were two people who are suffering because of what their 'loved ones' want. This is not only unfair to the patient, but to millions of poor and uninsured who could have used the energy and supplies that is being spent on keeping these unhappy people alive.

You do raise a valid point there. Perhaps you are relating to a scale of distributive justice and feel that the scale should be in balance of the uninsured and poor.

I agree with you on that, but at the same time we can't discriminate against someone because they are old.




(Do you play the piano? There is a famous pianist composer named Rachmoninov. My sister often plays his songs)

I kind of agree with your assessment. It's not just baby boomers, it's people in general. If we can afford it, we would all spare no expenses to keep loved ones alive. I know I would with two boomer parents who may someday need expensive hospital care. It is up to society and public policy to ensure a more equitable distribution of health care money, individuals will not be able to say, "Well, mom's costing the American taxpayers a lot of money, so why don't we just take her home". People with money will always have access to better health care, but society won't be able to afford the very best for everyone. It's a tough call how this problem is resolved.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11061124/site/newsweek/

that's right, the baby boomers! While these people born between 1945-1955 have been scapegoats for a lot of things over the past few years, I believe we can ligitimately blame them for healthcare too. Here's why:

Last week I had a well known patient admitted to my floor. She's 26, has severe cerebral palsy and uncontrolled epilepsy. She has been through multiple surgeries, and while her parents have her as a DNR, she has been on mechanical ventillation numerous times for aspiration pneumonia, and has had multiple surgeries as of late for her PEG (feeding) tube. At 26 I doubt her heart will stop without a case of severe sepsis or pericarditis, so as long as it's not cardiac her parents will do anything to keep her alive. And yes, her parents are boomers, fully insured, and with the extra capital to pay for her healthcare premiums.

I have also had a severely demented 89 year old lady who also has a PEG tube, admitted originally with pneumonia. When she's healthy she doesn't understand why she can't have water. While her brain is severly riddled with alzheimer's plaques, she requires a one on one nursing assistant to make certain she doesn't get out of bed and fall, and to comfort her and keep her from yelling out "oh god, help me! my brain is so fuzzy! I need water!" Her daughter and POA is, you guesed it, a boomer. And yet, she's also a DNR, and without any semblance of CVD (normal sinus rythem), I doubt she'll 'code' anytime soon.

Then there are all the boomers who will be reaching 65 when we start practice. All dying from pretty much self-centered Americanism (smoking, drinking, fastfood). With PCN, they all thought that medicine was a miracle machine and that there'd be no more illness...nothing more suiting than the illness they bring on themselves.

here's to our medical careers!

You sound like you are older and are much more experienced than I am, but at the same time I think that your argument almost demonstrates some form of nievity.

You sound like you are older and are much more experienced than I am, but at the same time I think that your argument almost demonstrates some form of nievity.
Age has little to do with intelligence.

Quite frankly, I prefer to hear these types of ramblings from folks who have PERSONAL experiene with these issues. Did someone offer to DNR your wife or Dad? Did someone DNR YOU??

Combine personal expereince with a few years of parenthood, and I'd bet she/he would change his tune on this issue quicker than you can say Ipod download.

BTW, the last babyboomers were born in 1964.

These types of ramblings remind me of the story of the sinking boat with a 2 YO, a 20 YO, a 40 YO, and and 80 YO person on board. EVERYONE decides that grandpa has to go becasue he's the most frail and old. Then 20 minutes after they dumped his *****, they realized that grandpa used to build and repair boats for a living. Now they are all up shi!t's creek because the only peron on the boat who could fix it was thrown off first! :laugh:

Age has little to do with intelligence.

Quite frankly, I prefer to hear these types of ramblings from folks who have PERSONAL experiene with these issues. Did someone offer to DNR your wife or Dad? Did someone DNR YOU??

Combine personal expereince with a few years of parenthood, and I'd bet she/he would change his tune on this issue quicker than you can say Ipod download.

BTW, the last babyboomers were born in 1964.

These types of ramblings remind me of the story of the sinking boat with a 2 YO, a 20 YO, a 40 YO, and and 80 YO person on board. EVERYONE decides that grandpa has to go becasue he's the most frail and old. Then 20 minutes after they dumped his *****, they realized that grandpa used to build and repair boats for a living. Now they are all up shi!t's creek because the only peron on the boat who could fix it was thrown off first! :laugh:


so true

BTW, the last babyboomers were born in 1964.

:

How's that? The babyboom was the time post-war when the birth rate rose every year for 12 years. It fell in '58 and subsequent years, therefore '57 generally is considered the last year of the babyboom.

We have lots of problems in health care because there are lots of people with problems. But if there weren't this massive amount of people (the boomers and others) getting sick, we'd be out of business.

The "Baby Boom" years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-World_War_II_baby_boom). Lots of other references concur with this timeline.

What do you say about new parents who have preemies in NICUs...preemies who have no chance of a meaningful life? Aren't they sucking the system dry, too? For all your kvetching, have you forgotten that providing this care offers you some job security?

Why single out one particular group? People across the spectrum misuse healthcare. You can't force people to be DNR. We've all taken care of people who were hopelessly ill but still wanted aggressive treatment/family wanted aggressive treatment. As much as I may disagree with it personally, it's not my decision to make, and woe betide any physician who browbeats/guilt trips one of my patients/pt's family into doing something they really don't want to do . My responsibility is to care for the pt. and family to the best of my ability, provide education, and ultimately, support them. Unless I'm mistaken, that's pretty much the same thing the pt's attending is supposed to do, too.