What they say about hindsight is true, but those who have been there can help those preparing to go through it.  Jane Gross writes in “What I Wish I’d Done Differently” about the value of finding a doctor with experience in geriatric care.  The New York Times’ “The New Old Age Blog” offers up another beautiful piece with heart and wisdom.

Looking back on the last few years of my mother’s life, with 20/20 hindsight and the belated knowledge that came from four years of reporting about aging for The New York Times, my single biggest mistake was not finding a doctor with expertise in geriatrics to quarterback her care and attend to the quality of her life, not merely its length.

Given the crisis in supply and demand — too many old people and too few geriatricians — I may not have succeeded. But if I had, many of our crises might have been avoided. Those include unnecessary trips to the emergency room that left her in worse shape than she had been beforehand. It also includes surgery to remove a benign tumor from the outside of her spinal cord after it had already done the worst of its damage and with no regard for her advanced age.

Click here to read Jane Gross’ article on The New York Times.