My Mother, Your Mother

Book excerpt: “[A] geriatrician’s guide to stepping in as escort, caregiver and advocate for your parent’s final journey . . . comforting in its compassion and detail.” —St. Petersburg Times Geriatrician Dennis McCullough has spent his life helping families to cope with their parents’ aging and eventual final passage, experiences he faced with his own mother. In this comforting and much-needed book, he recommends a new approach, which he terms “Slow Medicine.” Shaped by common sense and kindness, grounded in traditional medicine yet receptive to alternative therapies, Slow Medicine advocates for careful anticipatory “attending” to an elder’s changing needs rather than waiting for crises that force acute medical interventions—an approach that improves the quality of elders’ extended late lives without bankrupting their families financially or emotionally. As Dr. McCullough argues, we need to learn that time and kindness are sometimes more important and humane at these late stages than state-of-the-art medical interventions. My Mother, Your Mother will help you learn how to: Form an early and strong partnership with your parents and siblings Strategize on connecting with doctors and other care providers Navigate medical crises Create a committed Advocacy Team Reach out with greater empathy and awareness Face the end-of-life time with confidence and skill Although taking care of those who have always cared for us is not an easily navigated time of life, My Mother, Your Mother will help you and your family to prepare for this complex journey. This is not a plan for getting ready to die; it is a plan for understanding, for caring, and for helping those you love live well during their final years. And the time to start is now.