Nasty, Brutish and Long: Adventures in Eldercare

(Paperback)

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Description

In nursing homes across the country, members of the Greatest Generation are living out their last days. Life is a succession of pokes and prods, medications, TV, bingo and, possibly, talking to Ira Rosofsky. With a compassionate eye but mordant wit, Rosofsky, a psychologist charged with gauging the mental health of his elders, reveals a culture based not in the empathy of caretaking, but rather in the coolly detached bureaucracy of Nursing Homes. A portrayal of what is increasingly becoming the last slice of life for many, NASTY, BRUTISH AND LONG is also a baby boomer's poignant meditation on mortality, a reflection on his caregiving for his parents' final days, and an examination of the choices that we, as a society, have made about health care for the elderly who are no longer of sound mind and body.

Reviews

aSuch rich humanity in these meditations! Rosofsky tenders both the light touch and lifeas sure gravities of age and decrepitudeathe memorable and meaningless, the wince and grin, belly laughs and heartbreaks, the pharmaceutical blur and the clarity of aancient glittering eyes.a A book for policymakers, caregivers, the halt and lame, upright and unencumbered: anyone who ever intends to grow old.a
aThomas Lynch, author of "The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade"
aWith an eye for detail and a dark sense of humor, Ira Rosofsky takes us into a world most of us never wanted to see, and where we often avert our eyes when forced to look. In this fascinating book, Rosofsky asks us to consider how we spend the extra years of life that our modern world has given us. The answer isnat pretty. Intertwining the stories of his parentsa decline and death with the stories of those he cares for who live in nursing homes, Rosofsky takes us down the modern version of the road to dusky death. The destination is the same, but this road is newly paved.a
aLisa Sanders, M.D., author of "Diagnosis: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Medical Mysteries"
aAs a society we are far better at innovating than sustaining. In this sharply observed, personal account of life among the elderly, Ira Rosofsky illuminates the paradox of growing old in America, which too often means a greater accumulation of years with sadly diminishing returns.a
aJulie Salamon, author of Hospital: "Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids"
aWhen it comes to Hell, Dante Alighieri is the definitive tour guide. But for today's (and quite possiblytomorrow's) living hell, you'll want to take Ira Rosofsky's delightfully wry narrative along for the ride. He accomplishes what few authors are capable ofa taking an unnerving topic and turning it into a book so enthralling you won't want to put down. Indeed, it's a meditation worthy of Marcus Aurelius and Jerry Seinfeld.a
aAndrew D. Blechman, author of "Leisureville: Adventures in a World without Children"
aIra Rosofsky paints his tale with compassion and sensitivity, and itas a story that needs telling. From his perspective as an eldercare psychologist and the son of an aging father, he urges us to question the direction we have taken in our efforts to prolong life. If you are like me, his story will make you hope to escape such a fate.a
aJohn Elder Robison, bestselling author of "Look Me in the Eye"
aIn "Nasty, Brutish, and Long," Ira Rosofsky provides a rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of the aging. As a psychologist who has worked in nursing homes and an immensely talented and sensitive writer, he manages to find the perfect telling details to bring this often neglected world alive for the reader.a aGail Konop Baker, author of "Cancer is a Bitch (Or, Iad Rather be Having a Midlife Crisis")
aIn an intriguing combination of personal story, social commentary, and scientific observation, a psychologist lifts the veil on nursing homes. Ira Rosofskyas presentationa laced with sharp humoratreats us to the nursing home experience from the variety of these viewpoints. All who have had experiences with nursing homesawhether as residents, relatives of residents, or as professionalsashould read "Nasty, Brutish, and Long," as should any who are interested in apenetrating view of how we as a society care for and care about those too frail or elderly to care for themselves.a
aLaurie Stillman, Director of Public Health Policy and Advocacy, "The Medical Foundation"
a"Nasty, Brutish, and Long" is as much about the last years of life and the meaning of existence during old age as it is about nursing homes. Ira Rosofskyas personal narrative--along with the tales of the elderly he treats--contributes to a picture of the author as a fully engaged human being who tells his story with style and humor. And the story is an insightful and sensitive perspective on issues as varied as psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, the institutionalization of the aged, and our inevitable mortality.a
aDavid Hall, former Principal, Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, University of Chicago
aA psychologist who has worked for years in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, Rosofsky presents a disturbing, often moving account of the lives of some of the two million men and women who reside in Americaas 18,000 nursing homes. Like the police officer or bartender whose perspective on society is shaped by his work, Rosofsky, who professionally sees only problematic residents of institutions, has a slightly skewed (and very grim) sample. However, the dispiriting tenor of the title and the emphasis on confused and depressed men and women are leavened with the authoras bursts of wit, his welcome guidance on how to evaluate nursing homes and assisted-living centers and his frank ruminations on his own aging and health issues and the deaths of his parents and mother-in-law. What could have been a morose account of loss, suffering and death is lightened by thehumorous and helpful treatment of an emotionally laden topic.a
a"Publishers Weekly"

Author Bio

Ira Rosofsky is a psychologist who has years of experience serving residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and the Advocate newspapers of New England. He lives with his wife and their three children in New Haven, CT.