Winning Strategies for Successful Aging

December 10, 2012
Deftly distilling wisdom culled from his lifelong career as a psychiatrist and gerontologist into this accessible guide to the farther side of the hill, Pfeiffer offers practical, well-organized, and compassionately personal advice for making the best of the years after 65—after all, that basically constitutes “a whole generation of life left to live.” Pfeiffer recommends remaining active in every arena of life—mental, physical, social, creative, spiritual, and even sexual—while being mindful to take advantage of the freedom afforded by retirement and the successful sending-off of the kids. He advises to live where you want, travel, pursue lifelong dreams, and to strive, like one of his inspirational patients, to be able to say, “I like where I live, I know who I am, and I am not alone.” That’s all well and good if one’s wallet is flush enough to make it so; accordingly, Pfeiffer offers financial advice to help folks plan for retirement and end-of-life care. He also delves into the darker hours of the twilight years, addressing such topics as grief, addiction to pain meds, memory loss, and the possibility of having to become a caretaker for an ailing spouse. The result is a comforting and valuable blend of professional authority and sage insights.

March 15, 2013

The most touching and effective scene in Pfeiffer's (psychiatry, emeritus, Univ. of South Florida; The Art of Caregiving in Alzheimer's Disease) book on healthy aging involves an elderly couple's walks. Rain or shine, twice a day for ten years they walked briskly hand-in-hand--if pausing often to chat with neighbors. The scene illustrates, in a nutshell, the book's thesis: it is important for elderly people to exercise often, nurture relationships, interact with the community, and dream about what to be "when they grow up." Pfeiffer suggests daily vitamins and notes the possible benefit of limited hormone use for the recently menopausal, bypassing floods of studies on types and doses of both. Still, his counsel is always careful and caring. The writing reflects the humor he advises readers to retain, as when he discusses doctors embarrassed to prescribe sex to patients old enough to be their grandparents, despite its health benefits. "Educate your doctors about sex," he says wryly. Some fledgling doctors may think it is just for the young but "you and I know better." VERDICT A valuable guide to aging for a general audience.--Cynthia Fox, Brooklyn, NY

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