Lately, I am perceiving a disturbing trend here in our beloved hometown. Rather than respect for elders, I am seeing some callous treatment. More doctors are no longer accepting Medicare or new patients on Medicare. Concierge medicine is taking over.
Concierge medicine is a health care model in which patients pay an annual fee for enhanced primary care services. This fee is in addition to other insurance copays and deductibles. These enhanced primary care services are those we used to receive normally within a reasonable time frame. Not anymore.
If you are not a “member,” good luck getting an appointment in the next couple of months. Want to have more than 20 minutes with your doctor? Now you need to pay extra for it. Does anyone even remember what a house call is?
Don’t get me wrong – I think doctors are overworked and have to attend to too many patients these days, forcing them to be expeditious with patient visits. But this is not the way to go about it. Med schools need to turn out more doctors, and the corporations behind hospitals need to care more about patients and less about profits. Seniors who endure more doctor visits and depend on Medicare are disproportionately affected by these changes.
Many fitness clubs no longer accept SilverSneakers or Renew Active, which are programs for seniors that provide access to fitness and sports clubs. We oldies on fixed incomes need to keep moving, too, you know. We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.
Telluride has done away with its free ski pass for 75-year-olds. Really? How much could that really save them, and is it worth the loss of goodwill in the community? Hang in there, Purgatory, please.
When was the last time you saw a Boy Scout walk an old lady across the street in Durango? See, I told you so.
Natural food stores in Durango are also conspiring against us. They carry plenty of dark chocolate but almost no milk chocolate. Dark chocolate may be better for you, but I’m an adult, and I want my milk chocolate! Check me out on this.
Kudos to the liquor stores for offering senior discounts at certain times of day. We appreciate it. However, as I think about it, even that seemingly respectful and generous act may be a part of the plot to keep seniors calm with alcohol, so we don’t get too rowdy.
You young people should value your elders, too. Youth is more prone to stupidity. We can help you with that. We seniors can certainly do stupid things. We seem to be more prone to scams, perhaps because we are too trusting. Yes, we grew up in a world where trust was more prevalent.
American society overly values youth. We could learn from societies that have more respect and reverence for their older populations. Asian countries like Japan, China, Korea and India are good examples, as are our own Native Americans.
Wisdom and experience are valuable. My son, home for Christmas, and I recently watched an episode of the 1970s TV show “Kung Fu.” I really loved that show with its wisdom and teachings. My favorite quote was from the old blind man, teacher Master Po: “Close your eyes. What do you hear? … Do you hear the grasshopper which is at your feet?”
Pupil Caine: “No. Old man, how is it that you hear these things?”
Master Po: “Young man, how is it that you do not?”
We have buying power, and we know how to protest. Ignore us at your own peril. Oh, and I believe in reincarnation. I’ll remember this, and I’ll be back.
Jim Cross is a retired Fort Lewis College professor and basketball coach living in Durango. Reach him at cross_j@fortlewis.edu.
