Doctor Curmudgeon ® Thank You, Doctor – You See Me!

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By Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D. FAAFP

After her examination and history of a very lovely woman of a certain age, Doctor Curmudgeon® exited the door of her exam room.

She uses “of a certain age,” as this woman was in her eighties, and, by no means, could she be called, “old,” She was working, exercising, eating well and in better shape than many patients in their twenties.

As the doctor turned to grasp the door handle, her patient said, “Thank you so much, Doctor.”

Turning back into the room to face her patient, the doctor smiled.

“You really SEE me”, the patient continued.

“See you?”

“Yes, Doctor Curmudgeon®, “You see me as a woman, as a human being as someone with a modicum of intelligence.”

“Well, of course I do,” said Doctor Curmudgeon®

The woman continued, “It is far too often that older people, especially women are ignored. We just get patted on our heads and are not really listened to. These wrinkles on my face, sagging skin and a couple of extra pounds do not imply a lack of intelligence, motivation and the enduring ability to make significant contributions.”

Doctor Curmudgeon® had not thought about this before, at least on a conscious level.

This situation is quite true.

She recalled being in stores where older people would ask for sales help and were not treated with the same consideration and thoughtfulness as those who were younger.

And there had been some letter on the op-ed page where a reader commented that since having reached the age of sixty five, things were a bit different. If she were in a minor accident creating a scratch on another car, bystanders muttered that it was time for the “old bag, to consider giving up her license. Had she been a young woman, this minor accident would have been described as a fender bender, a simple mishap.

And there are many reports and articles that women, even just over the tender age of 45 are often ignored in many aspects in contemporary society.

Don’t ignore us!

We are tough!

We have been around a long time.

Many of us have greater purchasing power.

Many of us are caretakers for younger people.

Many of us work and contribute a great deal in many ways.

Remember, you, too, will be an older person someday (Hopefully!)

Please, SEE us!

Doctor Curmudgeon® is Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D., a physician-satirist. This column originally appeared on SERMO, the leading global social network for doctors.

SERMO www.sermo.com “talk real world medicine”

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