A manual for boomers and their parents to take control of their health in a broken health-care system. Too often our culture defines the aging process negatively instead of embracing it as a natural part of life. Nowhere is this problem more pronounced than in our health-care system, where "ageist" medicine often serves to worsen our medical issues instead of helping us figure out how to address or avoid them. Renowned geriatrician Mark Lachs takes readers on a grand tour of adult medicine, showing how we can navigate a complex and confusing system to make the best choices for ourselves and our loved ones. With gentle humor and wisdom, Lachs explains how being proactive and making smart decisions can lay the groundwork for a satisfying, active lifestyle that lasts well into the golden years.--From publisher description.

"You're a what"? : understanding how geriatricians think about aging -- The biology of aging : an embarrassment of riches that you were never supposed to need -- A geriatrician's perspective on ageism : it's not just grandpa who's being put out to pasture -- Do no harm, but for God's sake, do something -- Cookbook medicine : a recipe for disaster at any age -- Bedside matters : do you have an aging-friendly primary care doc? -- How many specialists does it take to screw in a lightbulb (or screw you up)? -- Care transitions as you get older : cracks you didn't even know you could fall through -- No place for sick people : hospitals as we get older -- You could become geriatric just waiting : how to emerge from the emergency room unscathed -- In search of an honorable discharge -- Maybe you're not the problem : disability caused by places and not people (or their diseases) -- Home away from home as we age -- Medications as we age -- Complementary and alternative medicine, vitamins, and supplements : who do you believe? -- Money and aging -- Financial gerontology : the good, the bad, and the phony -- It ain't over till it's over (and sometimes not even then) : a geriatrician talks about death and dying -- Staying in control : making and encouraging good choices as we age -- It's never too late.