One of the essentials related to doing well as we grow older is remembering that ageism is alive and well and it can be lethal. For instance: various national healthcare organizations question routine blood screening for prostate cancer for men 70 and older. (The screening test can produce false positives and cause unnecessary and sometimes harmful follow-up procedures. However, this exam, called a PSA, also finds many prostate cancers and saves many lives.) The reason for not screening men after age 70? Given our life expectancy (10 years more or less) something else is likely to kill us before prostate cancer does. What if a guy would have lived well into his 80s or beyond? Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 01:23:21 +0000