Someone Else's Job?

Your actions can be guided by your beliefs. And if you believe any of these myths, you may be going down the wrong health path. Here are five common myths about caring for yourself as you get older, and the real truth about them, from Vicki Rackner, MD, a Seattle-based surgeon who helps patients get the health care they want and deserve.

Myth #1: Taking care of my aging body is someone else’s job.

Do you remember full-service gas stations? All you did was drive in and your friendly attendant pumped your gas, cleaned your windshields, and checked under the hood. You may have even gotten a set of tumblers as a premium.

That’s the way most people managed their health. They pulled into the doctor’s office as if they had just driven into the gas station and the doctor offered a full range of services with each visit. The doctor even sent the bill to the insurance company; it seemed like the care was free. You may have thought that you deserved this full-service care at both the gas station and the doctor’s office because that’s the way it worked.

We’re in transition to a self-service health care system. Just as you still go to the gas station for gas, you still go to your doctor for solutions to medical problems. However, your doctor, like the gas station attendant, expects you to pitch in. Just as you now pump your own gas, your doctor is counting on you to take your medication as prescribed and to follow through with the care plan. Just as the job of keeping track of oil changes now falls on your shoulders, smart patients take responsibility for keeping their bodies in top shape.