Today we discussed cases 43 and 44 which focused on Medical
shows and elderly people having problems with retiring. The medical show case
was focused on shows that dramatize medicine and leave out the more ordinary
daily responsibly of doctors, as well as shows that make people compete for
medical care. The second case was about elderly people finding problems with
their retirement. Some did not want to retire, some can’t figure out what to do
with their time, and our society is having trouble finding funding for the baby
boomers.
I found that medical dramas like House are merely for
enjoyment and I do not think that they have as much of a negative effect as
McGee believes they do. I think that it is more likely that doctors are just
irritated by people who believe see them as being inferior to this imaginary infallible
doctor.
As for the elderly problem, we did not have much to add in
our discussion. I think this is because we are too distanced from the problem
to understand how a solution may come about. The only idea I came up with is
having a council of elders where the elderly are put to work to solve the great
mysteries of life, like “Why are we here?”
Toward the end of our discussion we ended up discussing the
inner workings of a tank. Which I have now been informed, works much
differently than I had thought. It takes several people to man one and one
person has to manually load the rounds.
I agree with Patrick about medical television programs. I think most people are aware that these are just shows on TV, and know that they don't accurately represent real life.
ReplyDeleteI also think that this "counsel of elders" is an interesting idea. It would give the elderly something to occupy their time, which I believe is needed. Retirement is not always the best plan for mental or physical health. With the human lifespan increasing, we would be remiss to assume that all people aged 65+ need to "take it easy" and quit the workforce. It can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, and possibly depression/dementia. This could occur if inactivity is compounded by lack of human interaction and no sense of accomplishment (things normally achieved from an active career). When we discussed this case in class, we were all in agreement that there is a problem, but no legitimate solution was suggested.
Also, in case anyone wants to drive a tank (and crush cars with it!) here's the website to the only place in the US that offers this as a payable experience: http://driveatank.com/index_BGY6.php
In my opinion shows such as House are not meant to be taken literally, but more for entertainment purposes. It is obvious, at least to me, that medical care is much more than the so called extreme treatments displayed on the show House. As far as the problem with retirement I am with the rest of our group and can not come up with a viable solution as to how to make elderly people more beneficial to our society. I do agree that we can use their wisdom and knowledge and this issue does need to be looked into further.
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