Warning, the following post contains sarcasm. Do not read if you are sarcasm impaired.

Expendable Me

Why do we “waste” time and attention on diseases of the elderly?

I recently got a note from a young researcher who passed on a few disturbing questions from her uncle. He wanted to know why we invest so much effort in understanding and treating diseases that primarily affect the elderly. He asked, with overpopulation straining our planet, aren’t these illnesses simply part of the natural cycle of life? And should we not let them be so we can preserve a healthy balance? I will try to answer in a calm, rational way.

Why study and treat diseases of the elderly? This suggests a false choice, that we must decide between alleviating miseries of old people and some other good. But why can’t we do both? Or choose not to do some other expensive activity. Fighting wars predicated on false premises might be a good place to start. Or giving tax breaks to billionaires. Or name your own pet peeve, but why pick on old people? 

The fact is, most everyone wants to live to a ripe old age, but nobody wants to get sick in their would-be golden years. And make no mistake, the ravages of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other diseases of the elderly are cruel in the extreme. Given that most of us will pursue those two universal goals, to live not only long but also healthy lives, it makes sense to try to figure out ways to lessen the impacts of diseases of the elderly as more and more of us live into old age. 

Further, these diseases affect not only those who suffer directly from them, but others in their families and wider circles of care. And, even further, these diseases are not exclusive to the older generation. Parkinson’s for instance, can show up in middle age or even younger.

With overpopulation straining our planet, aren’t these illnesses simply part of the natural cycle of life? No. There is ample evidence that, in Parkinson’s anyway, many cases are brought on by chemicals such as pesticides which we manufacture and introduce into what’s left of the environment. What is natural about that? We are sacrificing a portion of the population in the name of greater efficiency in growing and harvesting crops that then trigger a catastrophic disease when we consume them.

Furthermore, even if it were natural, why would we put up with it? Measles, smallpox, and malaria are natural, and that doesn’t and shouldn’t stop us from trying to eradicate them. 

That leaves the argument that overpopulation is straining our planet’s resources, and we should let disease thin the human herd. Again, why pick on the elderly? There are plenty of people around who are putting strain on the natural systems. Let’s make wasting food a capital offense. Or how about air conditioning your office to subzero temperatures during the dog days of August?

Or we could simply ask for volunteers. (No fair volunteering others.)

In the end, I cannot argue more eloquently than the niece herself, who wrote the following in reply to her uncle, “When an artist loses their ability to create, when a musician forgets their melodies, when a writer can no longer find their words – these are not just personal tragedies but losses for all of us. This work is not just about science. It’s about people, about lives, and about making sure that when the time comes, the years behind us remain filled with meaning, rather than suffering.” 

by Peter Dunlap-Shohl
NW Parkinson’s Blogger and Person with Parkinson’s

“It is the work of the creative to be a prosthetic imagination for the distracted and the dull”
– Maxwell Hubert Maxwell, playwright, butterfly collector, amateur surgeon and snob.