What Every Senior Needs to Know About Health Care

At a time when astonishing medical advances appear in the media almost daily, access to even the most routine health care and satisfactory doctor-patient relationships is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Moreover, the rapidly growing population of seniors does not want to settle for just getting old - seniors want to be physically and emotionally healthy, active, and secure as they age. Written by an earlier pioneer in the field of heart transplant research, What Every Senior Needs to Know About Health Care is a guide to the medical, financial, and social issues of today's complex American health care system, specifically for people age 50 and older.

The guide includes information on:

· Changes in health insurance, Medicare, Medigap, HMOs, and the quality of medical care;

· The promises and dangers of medications;

· The aging process and how treatments and medications are influenced by aging;

· The ten leading causes of death and disability for seniors;

· Health maintenance strategies involving nutrition, fitness, and the avoidance of risk factors; and

· Mental and social health, elder abuse, retirement, and end-of-life issues.

What Every Senior Needs to Know About Health Care is an indispensable resource for both older Americans and those with aging relatives.

James J. Nora is professor emeritus of preventive medicine, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, and biometrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the author of numerous books, including The Whole Heart Book, The New Whole Heart Book, and Medical Genetics (with F. C. Fraser).