The Unsaid Truth About Aging
Written by Ayebamiebi Yousuo
During my Junior Posting about 5 months ago I got to rotate all units of Internal Medicine at our University Teaching Hospital: Neurology, Respiratory, Cardiology, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Dermatology, Endocrinology, and Geriatrics.
Geriatrics was my last, and I enjoyed learning under our Geriatric Professor. My highlight from my training in the Geriatric Unit was the new perspective I garnered on what aging is and what it is not, and how to better relate with our dear ones who are ageing to ensure they age healthily. It helped me come up with some resolutions to ensure my parents age healthily. I got to understand how the seemingly little things like listening, positive reaffirmation, some family time, and engaging them in some meaningful activities can better improve their state of well-being and ensure healthy aging. Also, how neglect can be detrimental to aging, driving the aging into a state of depression where they see no meaning in life and feel like it has all been wasted years.
I got to understand that aging is not a death sentence, and just the way there are requirements to grow healthily, there are also requirements to age healthily, and how the people dearest to those aging play a very important role in ensuring a healthy pathway to aging.
She encouraged us to be good doctors, and above all to be good children to our parents, and great humans to society. I hope you will approach aging differently and play your part in the healthy aging of your parents.
Written by Ayebamiebi Yousuo from MEDILOQUY