[Paleopsych] NYT: Social Security Underestimates Future LifeSpans, Critics Say

[Geraldine Reinhardt]

Being up to date is important not only in medicine but 
in most jobs.  The person who refuses to remain current 
is readying herself for the retirement pile.  A twinge 
of gray or lots of it shouldn't be a determining factor 
but for surgical procedures, be it eye or capillary, 
I'd prefer someone with a steady hand.

Gerry
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~waluk

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Hovland" <shovland at mindspring.com>
To: "'Geraldine Reinhardt'" <waluk at earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 9:14 PM
Subject: RE: [Paleopsych] NYT: Social Security 
Underestimates Future LifeSpans, Critics Say


> Personally, I would prefer someone with a twinge
> of gray who is up to date on procedures :-)
>
> Steve Hovland
> www.stevehovland.net
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Geraldine  Reinhardt [SMTP:waluk at earthlink.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 6:14 PM
> To: The new improved paleopsych list
> Cc: shovland at mindspring.com
> Subject: Re: [Paleopsych] NYT: Social Security 
> Underestimates Future LifeSpans, Critics Say
>
> Today on my way home I as usual took my designated 
> exit
> off the freeway.  There parked alongside the shoulder
> of road was an elderly gentleman in a fancy black
> sedan.  Usually I never stop but this person looked a
> bit bewildered.....actually confused, so I braked and
> asked if he needed help.
>
> Turns out that he was on his way to a medical
> appointment, an eye doctor to be exact, and he needed
> to know which direction for Pasteur Drive.  He then
> said he was from San Francisco, a doctor himself, 
> and
> had become very confused trying to decipher his
> secretary's directions.   He also mentioned he was
> recently widowed and was seeing his wife's
> ophthalmologist because she had spoken so highly of 
> his
> ability with glaucoma procedures.
>
> Now I knew very well where Pasteur Drive was (it was
> two exits beyond my apartment turn off) but I wasn't
> certain if the road was clearly marked.  I then asked
> the gentleman if he would like to follow me and I'd
> lead him to his turn off.  How happy he became!  I 
> then
> asked the name of the ophthalmologist he had his
> appointment with. "Dr. Rubin.....only I know I'll not
> make it in time".
>
> "Amazing",  I replied.  "He's the eye doctor for both
> my husband and me"!  "But.... I don't know if I'm
> continuing....he alarmed me during my last 
> appointment
> when he was talking about doing corrective eye
> surgery".
>
> "How old do you suppose Dr. Rubin is", asked the
> stranger.
>
> Not wishing to age Dr. Rubin more than his years, I
> replied: "Maybe in his late 50's or somewhere in his
> 60's".  I knew Rubin had to be hitting retirement 
> age.
>
> "Oh" replied the doctor from San Francisco,  "I
> performed capillary surgery until I was 73 and then
> decided I needed to give it up".  "Yet my hands 
> didn't
> falter and I was always on top of each case."
>
> As I drove to Pasteur Drive I thought about 
> comparisons
> between repairing eye stuff and capillary
> surgery....were they similar?  For me, the person who
> needs to operate on my eyes should be young, bright 
> and
> brilliant.  Yet why should eyes be that different 
> from
> capillaries?
>
> Could be that we "see with our eyes".  What if we
> "looked" with our hearts?
>
> Either way, when is a doctor too old to assume his 
> role
> of physician?  I'd say that if many of us can 
> continue
> with our calling, doctors need to do the same.
> But....I'd like my eye-surgeon to retain a younger
> partner.
>
> Gerry Reinhart-Waller
> Independent Scholar
> http://www.home.earthlink.net/~waluk
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Steve Hovland" <shovland at mindspring.com>
> To: "'The new improved paleopsych list'"
> <paleopsych at paleopsych.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 3:33 PM
> Subject: RE: [Paleopsych] NYT: Social Security
> Underestimates Future LifeSpans, Critics Say
>
>
>> Get ready to work longer than you expected :-)
>>
>> Steve Hovland
>> www.stevehovland.net
>>
>>
>> Social Security Underestimates Future Life Spans,
>> Critics Say
>> NYT December 31, 2004
>> By ROBERT PEAR
>
> --snip-- 
>
>
>