Preface | Old Age is Not a Modern Invention
At times, it seems that Old Age is something that only we post-moderns have had to think about, let alone deal with its physical and economic consequences, or the cultural polarization that renders the elderly as wise or foolish, rich or poor, healthy or sick, or athletic of bed-bound. We are attuned to the media battles that pit youth against age, but there is another, more disturbing conflict that sets elderly people off against each other. Perhaps this is seen most clearly in the role of money and medicine in the life of older people. We can chart a clear demographic shift between people who have money and access to elective health care procedures and those who do not.