Letters: Fall/Winter 2024
Readers respond to our reporting on aging in America and other stories from our Spring/Summer 2024 issue.
By 2060, nearly 95 million Americans will be 65 and older. Last issue’s writers explored the challenges facing our aging population, including reliance on family caregivers, racial disparities in dementia, and the health toll of social isolation—as well as solutions, from the molecular to the societal. Other reporting covered Dobbs’ impact on OB-GYN training, biological causes of cancer disparities, adolescent food insecurity, the dangers of counterfeit drugs, and more.
You raised many good points about family caregivers, but you left a significant part out of your article. The most ignored and valuable unpaid caregiver of all is the spouse. I have been my husband's caregiver for about 25 years. It started small and was mostly wound dressing changes. I was able to work outside of the home.
Then he had a stroke. It was more debilitating than we were ready for. His doctor told me that he would require full-time care. The only option we had was for me to stop working and be that full-time caregiver.
America’s hidden heroes quietly serving. We stay while others leave. We run into the fire. —Alies Dalton via web, in response to “Health Care’s Hidden Workforce”
I’ve looked into the pay that “companions” receive, and it’s really low for what they will be asked to do. If that scale increases, there will be more people willing to pursue this as a career that they can actually make a fair living at. —makosmom4ever via Instagram, in response to “Health Care’s Hidden Workforce”
In the dance of science, where nations meet,
Borders dissolve, collaboration’s heartbeat.
Peter Agre’s vision shines, clear and bright,
Uniting minds for health’s noble fight.
Through shared knowledge, discoveries unfold and transform lives.
We are thankful for you, Peter. —Bakunda Louis Emmanuel via X, in response to “Peter Agre’s Third Act”
I was fortunate enough to be a research assistant in some of the earlier stages of this work during my first year as a doctoral student, and what a way it’s come since! It’s certainly not often that you get to see formative research turn into impactful community change within the span of six years. —Emma Clare Lewis, PhD, MS, via LinkedIn, in response to “The Hunger Gap”
Following a plant-based diet, I had to relearn how to cook, shop for healthier ingredients, and discern food labels. Also revamped my family's favorite Italian recipes to incorporate more fresh vegetables, variety, new ingredients, and less fat. Still working on this!
I continue to educate myself on new cooking and meal prep techniques, power foods, and immune-boosting choices. Here’s to healthier living! —Gina M. Wilson, MS, via LinkedIn, in response to “The Missing Ingredient”
While improving food access is critical, we also must find a way to facilitate community cooking instruction. Recently, I launched an educational website to encourage new home cooks to batch cook with economical, highly nutritious ingredients. I have also begun some outreach classes with local nonprofits. It’s challenging to scale but such a necessary part of changing habits for improved health. —Loraine Lippolis via web, in response to “The Missing Ingredient”
Some patients might perish without their prescribed medications. What about an accredited service patients can pay for that analyzes what is in a sample of the medication they have purchased from a foreign country? I think in probably a huge number of cases it would be well worth it to test their foreign-filled medications periodically to make sure their purchased medications are of the same quality. —Adrian Zolkover via web, in response to “Fake Drugs, Real Dangers”