A Clearer Map For Healthy Aging: How Geriatricians Can Help Seniors Thrive

University of California, San Francisco Professor Louise Aronson says geriatricians too often concentrate on treating "the oldest and the frailest," rather than focusing on healthy aging, reports National Public Radio . She argues this approach must be rethought. "If somebody comes in with disease symptoms and they're an older person, we do sometimes find that single unifying diagnosis, but that's actually the exception," Aronson says. "If we're being careful, we more likely find something new and maybe a few other things. We add to a list and, we end up with a larger list, not a smaller one, if we're really paying attention to everything going on in that person's life and with their health." Aronson also is adamant of the need to optimize vaccines for older adults. "We're all different throughout our life spans, and we need to target our interventions to all of us, not just to certain segments of the population, namely children and adults, leaving seniors out," she contends. Moreover, Aronson emphasizes that medication's effects on older adults can change over time, and "what really matters is the interaction between the medication and the person. So even if the medication stays the same, the person may be changing."