|
Aging Successfully
The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has provided funding for a 26-part series on health issues and the elderly starring Dr.
David Lipschitz, entitled Aging Successfully with Doctor David. Through a partnership with Arkansas Educational
Television Network (AETN), Aging Successfully with Doctor David is a major education effort, geared to the general
public. In this series, Doctor David addresses preventive, rehabilitative, and clinical aspects of an aging society's
healthcare.
The series originally ran statewide on AETN, but PBS recently acquired the rights to Aging Successfully with Doctor
David and it will soon appear nationwide. For more information, please visit
Aging Successfully on
the AETN website.
Episode
Guide (Click on a title to view a Real
Media video clip - provided by AETN)
Series 1
There's
Nothing an Older Person Can't Do
Doctor David discusses the effects of aging on the body including
memory loss, muscle loss and minor decreases in function.
He emphasizes the positive effects of a good diet, exercise,
stress management, health screenings and positive self-esteem.
Nutrition
Doctor David explains nutrition's role in health and longevity
and takes a humorous look at healthy foods. He discusses the
changing nutritional needs of aging adults and how weight
loss can become a problem.
Exercise
Focusing on the benefits of exercise, Doctor David explains
the difference between endurance and resistance conditioning.
He expounds on the effect of aging on muscle and the problems
that arise from reduced muscle mass.
Health
Screenings
Doctor David stresses the importance of early diagnosis and
treatment of life-threatening illness. He emphasizes the importance
of health screenings and highlights check-ups for high blood
pressure, stroke, heart disease and different types of cancer.
Stress
Management
Exploring the correlation between stress and illness, Doctor
David discusses ways to prevent stress including exercise,
massage, meditation, prayer, family contact and relaxation
exercises.
Depression
Doctor David summarizes the symptoms and triggers of depression
and discusses metabolic changes caused by the disorder. He
emphasizes depression as a common and treatable malady and
reviews treatment methods including psychotherapy and medications.
Graying
of America
Doctor David promotes health for independent living. He discusses
the increasing senior population and the issues facing older
Americans. Issues addressed include retirement options, social
security, independence and health care.
Memory
Loss
Doctor David describes the difference between benign forgetfulness
and memory loss, focusing on significant memory loss and its
symptoms. He discusses causes of memory loss, examining those
related to medication side effects.
Alzheimer's
Doctor David analyzes Alzheimer's and explains what happens
during the course of the disease. He discusses risk factors,
genetics and preventative measures such as estrogen, antioxidants,
ibuprofen and vitamin E.
Polypharmacy
Doctor David discusses the importance of medication management.
He examines the problem of drug interactions among the elderly
and offers easy-to-follow solutions.
Children
Caring for Parents
Doctor David stresses the importance of "care for the
caregiver." He focuses on care options such as home care,
assisted living and nursing home facilities.
Death
and Dying
Doctor David reminds viewers that part of having a successful
life is a successful death. He shares the palliative care
goal, which is to help manage the pain of a dying patient
and help the family and patient face death with comfort and
strength.
Alternative
Medicine
Emphasizing that herbal medications are drugs with side effects,
Doctor David explores alternative medicine. Doctor David shows
some examples of herbal medications and discusses their origins,
comparing them to conventional medicines.
Series 2
Coronary
Artery Disease
Doctor David examines the symptoms, treatment, and seriousness
of coronary artery disease. He delivers the message that with
early detection coronary artery disease is very treatable.
Hearing
and Vision Loss
Doctor David gives an in-depth view of what the major causes
of hearing and vision loss are and how they occur. He explains
that hearing and vision loss can complicate a more serious
illness.
Frailty
Doctor David explores the ways to minimize the chances of
dependency and offers hope for those who have become dependent.He
looks at how dependency occurs, the features of dependency,
factors that contribute to dependency including the role acute
illnesses play.
Vitamins
and Minerals
Consumption of vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements
has greatly increased over the past several years. Doctor
David discusses both the risks and benefits of taking vitamin
and mineral supplements.
Cancer
Doctor David discusses cancer as an age-related disease. He
stresses that just because you're older, doesn't necessarily
mean you should get different treatment than a younger person.
The key is prevention, detection, and treatment.
Rural
Health Care
Rural communities are older, poorer, and have less access
to health care. Doctor David discusses newer approaches that
can help rural communities receive the health care they need.
New
Theories
Doctor David delves into the science of aging. Theories regarding
the physiology of aging point to cells, genes and hormones
as possible keys. Doctor David also discusses factors that
affect our longevity including diet, stress, illness and genetics.
Osteoporosis
Doctor David explains what osteoporosis is, how it is diagnosed
and how it is treated. Doctor David stresses that Osteoporosis
is preventable.
Malnutrition
Doctor David takes a look at the shocking number of elderly
Americans suffering from malnutrition and why this condition
is so serious and prevalent in our older population. He looks
at the common causes of malnutrition.
Nursing
Home Care
Doctor David sorts through the issues of long-term care. He
delivers the very important message that something needs to
be done now to improve the quality of life for those living
in a nursing home.
Long-Term
Care
Doctor David discusses the need to prepare for long-term care
in later life. He explains how each solution has positive
and negative effects, and eventually helps show the way to
easing the crisis on long-term care.
Elder
Abuse
Doctor David warns that elder abuse can occur anywhere and
is a devastating problem in our society. The major kinds of
abuse are physical, emotional, neglect, self-neglect, abandonment,
and exploitation.
Creativity
and Aging
Doctor David celebrates aging and creativity. Creativity can
grow in our later years; it can even be born in our later
years. Creativity can add years to your life, reduce stress,
and improve your life. It's never too early or too late to
be creative.
Sexuality
and Aging
Doctor David talks about sexuality and aging with ease and
humor. Older adults continue to enjoy an active sex life but
Doctor David states that problems with sexuality do increase
with age.
| 
