Everybody ages, so why not embrace it? Filled with practical advice for happy, healthy, and independent aging to understand and overcome the changes ahead.
Currently, there are over 95 million Americans who are 50 years old or older, more than at any time in our history. This demographic shift is expected to continue. While recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of several disorders have contributed to our increased longevity, we are at greater risk of age-related health conditions. But these age-related health conditions are modifiable. We have a say in how we age!
In Embrace Aging:Conquer Your Fears and Enjoy Added Years, Dr. Jeannette Guerrasio empowers people over 50 by guiding them with practical advice for happy, healthy, and independent aging. Combining her clinical experience with thousands of elderly patients, as well as her knowledge of cutting-edge research, Dr. Guerrasio focuses on the everyday aspects of aging to help readers understand how their bodies change with age and how best to overcome and adapt to these changes. Encompassing an astonishingly wide range of topics, Embrace Aging covers subjects commonly associated with aging from osteoporosis to cognitive impairment as well as concerns that other books ignore, such as constipation, medication dosing, sexual dysfunction, and home safety.
Embracing traditional as well as alternative medicine, Dr. Guerrasio focuses on proven methods and treatments; there are no false promises. Moreover, she generously shares both her own and her patients’ experiences. Filled with tips and optimism, the author’s warmth and compassion shine through on every page. This valuable guide ensures that getting old is a joyful experience.
Jeannette Guerrasio, MD, is a primary care internal medicine physician in private practice in Denver, Colorado. While practicing at the University of Colorado, in the department of medicine, she became a professor of medicine and was inducted into the Academy of Medical Educators. Dr. Guerrasio is also an internationally known teacher and educator who pioneered an approach to improve the educational experience of medical students and residents.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Osteoarthritis – I’m Fine But Everything Hurts
Chapter 2: Osteoporosis – Falling Doesn’t Mean You Have to Break
Chapter 3: Falls – I’m Just Resting . . . On the Floor
Chapter 4: Skin Care – Smile Through the Wrinkles
Chapter 5: Hair Loss – Your Favorite Hairs Are Vanishing
Chapter 6: Oral Health – Open Wide!
Chapter 7: Urinary Tract Infections – Mama Said to Drink Cranberry Juice . . .
Chapter 8: Urinary Incontinence – Leaky Pipes
Chapter 9: Prolapses – Oops, I Think Something Fell Out
Chapter 10: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – Bedtime Peeing Hotshot
Chapter 11: Constipation – Constipation Makes Me Wait
Chapter 12: Sexual Dysfunction – The Spark Can’t Light the Fire
Chapter 13: Insomnia – One Sheep, Two Sheep, Three Sheep . . .
Chapter 14: Dizziness – Round and Round and Up Then Down
Chapter 15: Lower Leg Swelling – Still a Rose to Me
Chapter 16: Foot Care – Support Your Foundation
Chapter 17: Medication Dosing – Start Low and Go Slow
Chapter 18: Sensory Loss – “It Helps to Be a Little Deaf”
Chapter 19: Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia – It’s Just a Senior Moment, Right?
Chapter 20: Retirement – Are You Really Ready?
Chapter 21: Grief and Loss – How Much More Can I Lose?
Chapter 22: Depression and Anxiety – Two Sides of the Same Coin
Chapter 23: Resiliency – Be a Rubber Ball
Chapter 24: Advance Directives – Have a Say Over Your Life.
Chapter 25: Home Safety – On the Same Level
Chapter 26: Elder Abuse – Look Out For Each Other
Chapter 27: Adaptation – Mountains to Climb
Chapter 28: Conclusion – You Have More Life To Live
Bibliography & Resources
Index
About the Author
Everybody ages, so why not embrace it? Filled with practical advice for happy, healthy, and independent aging to understand and overcome the changes ahead.
In this practical guide, Guerrasio, a medical doctor, shares her tips for addressing the challenges of getting older, including hair loss, wrinkles, osteoarthritis, incontinence, insomnia, and diminished sexual function. Much of her sensible advice is the usual—hydrate, eat healthy foods, exercise, avoid tobacco, limit alcohol and caffeine. But then Guerrasio will throw a curve ball, moving into more intimate territory and offering technical sexual advice for coping with disorders like erectile dysfunction. Forget trying to turn back the clock. Guerrasio instead empowers people to take control of how they age. Learn something new, she suggests, celebrate small wins, write in a journal, connect with others. Make a retirement plan with a sense of purpose and new identity, and find common ground with community members. Guerrasio sprinkles in anecdotes from her own life and refers frequently to her likable patients. A constipated woman makes a “poop chart.” An active 83-year-old says, “If you rest, you rust!” And Guerrasio reminds readers to smile. It releases feel-good hormones like endorphins and serotonin. A book full of good and useful words of wisdom.
— Booklist
Dr Guerrasios compassion for seniors shines throughout this book. With gentle humor and real-life examples, she convincingly conveys how everyone can live out our fullest lives healthfully and safely.
— Jane S. Kim, MD, Geriatric Medicine Associates
At last—a reasonable and common-sense approach to an elder patient’s “owner’s manual.” Dr. Guerrasio’s book provides helpful information on managing so many diverse medical and life issues. What I love about the book is the way she empowers her patients to take charge of their own heath care. I highly recommend this book for all of us to age well, with grace and vigor.
— Dr. C, author of “Possibilities with Parkinsons: A Fresh Look"
This book helps you find your aging superpowers! Dr. Guerrasio uses patient stories, straightforward advice, and laughs to help you live your best life. I want her in my corner as I age!
— Judy Zerzan-Thul, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor, medicine, University of Washington, 2008-2009 Health and Aging Policy Fellow, and chief medical officer, Washington State Health Care Authority
Dr. Guerrasio is an incredibly interesting and entertaining writer. She tells a story that you cannot wait to keep reading. I think this book might be the secret ingredient we all need as we contemplate aging. After reading Embrace Aging, I feel more confident about what my future holds.
— Natalie B., 52
Dr. Guerrasio’s book has challenged and changed me. Even though I am in the midst of my 87th year, I no longer consider myself aged or elderly, but aging. I am a work in progress. I loved Dr.
Guerrasio’s warmth, vast medical knowledge, and gentle humor, so present in the book. The way she engages the most difficult, complex, and uncomfortable subjects is remarkable. Embracing Aging is a resource for anyone, regardless of their age, wishing to move forward confident and well-informed as they address their ongoing journey.
— Jim B., 87
Embrace Aging is so incredibly well written and easy to understand. Dr. Guerrasio is a brilliant doctor. Thank you for sharing this information.
— Barb F., 74
