Embracing the ageing patient

Abstract

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature, and everyone is a rose, but even more complex than a mere flower. Everyone is made up of infinitely layered petals, and everyone has something indescribably precious at the heart of their being”. (Gérard de Nerval and Mary Balogh). To carry this analogy further, the petals may be likened to a person’s life, with each one representing the different people or activities they encounter. The associates may include their spouse, children, work colleagues, friends, family, medical practitioners, as well as any number of strangers met during daily activities. Activities could revolve around work, family, sports, hobbies, education, social life, health, religion, or leisure. In a young bud the petals are tightly packed with no spaces between them. As the flower ages and opens some of the petals spread apart, and even begin to fall out. By old age there may be very few petals left. Those that remain gain importance as they occupy so much more of the individual’s time and thought processes. Medical and dental practitioners are often amongst the last petals to be lost, and may become central figures in the lives of their patients. Visits are often more about the social interaction than the actual provision of treatment.