This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager

DOCTOR DAVID TALKS SENSE ABOUT AGING SUCCESSFULLY

^a Department of Preventive Medicine University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, 53705

With a personal, direct, humorous style, Dr. David Lipschitz has become rather well-known across the United States through his television series, Aging Successfully With Doctor David, which is carried by PBS stations. This first season features 13 half-hour episodes dealing with such issues as exercise, memory loss, death and dying, and the delightful initial episode, "There's Nothing an Older Person Can't Do." With the financial support of the Reynolds Center on Aging, which Dr. Lipschitz directs at the University of Arkansas, this series has been aired in numerous markets including Miami, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, and Washington, DC, on local PBS affiliates.

"Doctor David," as he is called on camera, approaches complex issues affecting older persons with a charm and directness that leaves one not only better informed but also with the feeling that growing old can be an adventure in living. His adroit presentations of the findings of medical science in "down-home" language carries the audience along from problem analysis to solutions adapted for individuals at various stages in their aging process. Doctor David weaves in personal stories—his own and those of his patients—to add verisimilitude and good humor. When appropriate to the subject, he invites experts to join in a dialogue with him and the audience that elucidates and personalizes the subjects. His adroit use of a few slides provides specific and timely data; his specific demonstrations make the application of principles and protocols easy for the viewer and his appreciative audiences to understand. Taping his presentations before live audiences adds a dynamic that certainly enlivens the presentations of complicated subjects.

For example, in the episode on exercise, Doctor David explains the value of both endurance and resistance training exercise regimes. He highlights the achievements of members of his audience in restoring and maintaining high levels of function. Inviting members of his audience to describe their efforts and successes he provides on-camera evidence of the value of the exercise routines he presents. Doctor David discusses the results of an important investigation into strength building exercises with very frail elders and provides dramatic videos of older people overcoming tremendous odds to rebuild their strength and thus reduce the probability of falling and other problems associated with the atrophying of their muscles. In this segment, Dr. William Evans, a nationally recognized expert on exercise, joins Doctor David in explaining the rationale and techniques for effective exercise.

In a program on death and dying, Doctor David approaches the subject by telling a poignant story from his own experience. Then he leads the viewers through the minefields of worry and grief associated with the dying process from the standpoint of both the patient and family members going through the trauma of approaching death. Doctor David interviews a guest from a local hospice program who provides important insights into pain management, special relationships, and realities of dying. This program searches for answers in a manner this reviewer has seldom experienced despite attending numerous sessions on death and dying, caregiving, and grief counseling. Doctor David uses a matter-of-fact approach to the subjects and is particularly helpful in raising issues and suggesting ways in which final months may be made less threatening. As one who has cared for many individuals facing death and living, Doctor David combines his clinical training, his communication skills, and his humanity effectively.

The first season opened with "There's Nothing an Older Person Can't Do," a clever discussion by Dr. Lipschitz about the expectations and realities of aging leading nicely to his conclusion that "it's never too early or too late" to have a quality life. He explains that with aging one has reduced reserve capacity requiring one to adapt to one's changing capacities, but he moves quickly to the theme of this episode—there is (almost) nothing an older person can't do. His graphic descriptions of the effects of aging on the body are clear and concise. This episode provides viewers with the facts that demythologize aging and leaves them with positive feelings about their own age. Doctor David has a particular style of discussing complicated issues in simple terms. This series is a valuable resource for individuals, teachers, family members, and, I dare say, a useful and inspiring guide for physicians eager to help their patients understand not only their pathologies but also the possibilities for their successful aging.

Videotapes of the episodes are available for purchase via the World Wide Web at www.aetn.org/drdavid ($24.95 each). The topics addressed in the first season (in addition to the four mentioned in this review) include stress management, graying of America, nutrition, health screenings, depression, polypharmacy, Alzheimer's, children caring for parents, and alternative medicine. The Arkansas Educational Television Network, PBS, and the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences have announced a second season covering topics such as coronary artery disease, hearing and vision loss, cancer, rural health care, malnutrition, nursing home care, osteoporosis, elder abuse, and sexuality and aging. Based on the quality of the programs in the first season, their timeliness and solid scientific and clinical foundation, gerontologists should consider urging their PBS affiliates to air both series to viewers in their areas.

Footnotes

Note: The editors of The Gerontologist will welcome suggestions about material available on the web that readers think warrants the attention of a wider audience.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager