Paul Kusuda’s column
Growing older has its drawbacks
Growing older has its drawbacks
Part 1 of 2
By Paul H. Kusuda
When a person lives for a number of years, an artificial marker appears, sometimes it’s 50 and
sometimes it’s 60 or 65. For some, that milestone marks the beginning of what some call the
GOLDEN YEARS! For others, it’s more of a millstone. For example, if a person loses a job,
persons with hiring decisions find reasons other than age, of course, to place an employment
application into a “pending” or “look at later” file. One rationale used is that the applicant is
overqualified, “not too old” or “might be ready soon for retirement.” Many covert decisions are
made to the detriment of the person who has the millstone. Is that a good threshold to the
GOLDEN YEARS? Just ask the person who has reached it and is looking for employment. How
easy would it be to prove age discrimination?
Many of us in our GOLDEN YEARS see our relatives and friends become physically, mentally, or
By Paul H. Kusuda
When a person lives for a number of years, an artificial marker appears, sometimes it’s 50 and
sometimes it’s 60 or 65. For some, that milestone marks the beginning of what some call the
GOLDEN YEARS! For others, it’s more of a millstone. For example, if a person loses a job,
persons with hiring decisions find reasons other than age, of course, to place an employment
application into a “pending” or “look at later” file. One rationale used is that the applicant is
overqualified, “not too old” or “might be ready soon for retirement.” Many covert decisions are
made to the detriment of the person who has the millstone. Is that a good threshold to the
GOLDEN YEARS? Just ask the person who has reached it and is looking for employment. How
easy would it be to prove age discrimination?
Many of us in our GOLDEN YEARS see our relatives and friends become physically, mentally, or
emotionally impaired or even die. We join the group who daily examine newspaper obituaries; so long as our names are
not included, our families do not have to arrange visitations, funerals, or memorials. GOLDEN YEARS! Our former
coworkers die off; we have to attend sorrowful visitations and memorials. It seems as if the older one is before death, the
fewer the mourners, unless the one who passed on was famous in some way.
When my older brother died at age 78, I went from Madison to Los Angeles for the memorial service. The minister who
presided over the family gathering was the Rector from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church my brother, sister, and I attended when
we were children. I don’t think my brother attended that church after he returned to LA from Chicago after leaving the
Manzanar Relocation Center near Death Valley, California. Anyway, the minister, a stranger to both my sister and me, didn’t
know my brother but conducted a memorial service nonetheless, and did a nice job of talking about someone she didn’t
even know. So, most of the people my brother knew were probably aware that he died because the local newspaper had a
brief obituary submitted by staff of the funeral home that made necessary arrangements.
The GOLDEN YEARS take their toll. Many of the people with whom I worked, supervisors and coworkers are now gone.
Sometimes, I think about them—Public Welfare Director Wilbur J. Schmidt, Deputy Director George M. Keith, Bureau of
Research and Statistics Chief John W. Mannering, Child Welfare Director Fred P. DelliQuadri, Child Welfare Director
Dorothy Waite, Child Welfare Director Frank W. Newgent, Supervisor William P. Lentz, Supervisor Blanche I. Neyhart,
Corrections Director Sanger B. Powers, Mental Hygiene Director Leonard P. Ganser, Public Assistance Director Thomas J.
Lucas, Sr., and coworkers Perry C. Baker, Theodore M. Johnson, Carl F. Sam, Max Wald, Ernest Goranson, Leonard
Meshak, Joseph C. Gale, Geraldine Walters, Esther Nielsen, and too many others.
Many of those of us in our GOLDEN YEARS have a variety of health problems with which we have to deal. A long-time social
work colleague of mine had a stroke after retirement. I visited him and found that he was partly paralyzed on one side and
had some difficulty speaking. With therapy, his condition improved. Then, he had another stroke and then others.
Eventually, he and his wife moved to an assisted living facility, then, he had to enter a nursing home. After exhausting his
savings, his nursing home costs were borne by the Medical Assistance Program. A couple of years later, his wife suffered
a stroke and had to enter the same nursing home. Then, they had to move to another area in the state where one of their
son lives. Unfortunately, the sequence of events did not fit requirements established for Medicare even though he met the
age criterion.
On the other hand, my wife Atsuko met the age and other criteria for Medicare. Because of a heart condition (she had triple-
bypass surgery more than 20 years ago), she has been taking a variety of medications to keep her vascular system in
equilibrium and to enable her to participate in numerous volunteer activities. For many months, she endured what she
thought was post-shingles neuralgia. It was; however, some other condition bothered her more and more. One day, she
decided that her long-lasting pain, periodic stomach aches, and general tiredness might be related to a possibly negative
interaction of the medications she had been taking for many years. She called her cardiologist and talked with her
physician’s assistant who agreed that my wife might discontinue one medication and reduce dosage of another, both of
which related to controlling her blood pressure.
About a week later, following her cardiologist’s suggestion, Atsuko had an appointment with her primary care physician
who, on the basis of diagnosing her as being anemic and possibly having stomach ulcers, placed her in a hospital for an
endoscopy and biopsy. The upshot was that she had three stomach ulcerations. Two sets of endoscopic procedures were
followed because the surgeons wanted to be sure that cancer was not present. Atsuko’s parents had cancer as cause of
death many years ago when each was about 60 years of age, so the surgeons were especially concerned. After a couple of
months, a third endoscopy and biopsy took place to confirm the absence of cancer and to review progress of recovery from
the ulcerations.
The major point is that because of Medicare, my wife and I did not have to delay any decision about contacting medical staff
or accepting the need for hospital stay. Often, endoscopy is an outpatient medical procedure, but since Atsuko is a heart
patient, special precautions were taken. We were relieved of concerns about the financial costs because we knew that
Medicare coverage is such that the major portion is covered by that social insurance program we entered while both of us
were employed.
Others I know have conditions that require the services of physicians and others. The only bright part of the GOLDEN
YEARS is that after age 65, Medicare is the safety net that reduces the horrible anxiety of how to pay for medical services.
The large part of the worry about the financial burden of medical and related tests and provision of services is taken care of.
not included, our families do not have to arrange visitations, funerals, or memorials. GOLDEN YEARS! Our former
coworkers die off; we have to attend sorrowful visitations and memorials. It seems as if the older one is before death, the
fewer the mourners, unless the one who passed on was famous in some way.
When my older brother died at age 78, I went from Madison to Los Angeles for the memorial service. The minister who
presided over the family gathering was the Rector from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church my brother, sister, and I attended when
we were children. I don’t think my brother attended that church after he returned to LA from Chicago after leaving the
Manzanar Relocation Center near Death Valley, California. Anyway, the minister, a stranger to both my sister and me, didn’t
know my brother but conducted a memorial service nonetheless, and did a nice job of talking about someone she didn’t
even know. So, most of the people my brother knew were probably aware that he died because the local newspaper had a
brief obituary submitted by staff of the funeral home that made necessary arrangements.
The GOLDEN YEARS take their toll. Many of the people with whom I worked, supervisors and coworkers are now gone.
Sometimes, I think about them—Public Welfare Director Wilbur J. Schmidt, Deputy Director George M. Keith, Bureau of
Research and Statistics Chief John W. Mannering, Child Welfare Director Fred P. DelliQuadri, Child Welfare Director
Dorothy Waite, Child Welfare Director Frank W. Newgent, Supervisor William P. Lentz, Supervisor Blanche I. Neyhart,
Corrections Director Sanger B. Powers, Mental Hygiene Director Leonard P. Ganser, Public Assistance Director Thomas J.
Lucas, Sr., and coworkers Perry C. Baker, Theodore M. Johnson, Carl F. Sam, Max Wald, Ernest Goranson, Leonard
Meshak, Joseph C. Gale, Geraldine Walters, Esther Nielsen, and too many others.
Many of those of us in our GOLDEN YEARS have a variety of health problems with which we have to deal. A long-time social
work colleague of mine had a stroke after retirement. I visited him and found that he was partly paralyzed on one side and
had some difficulty speaking. With therapy, his condition improved. Then, he had another stroke and then others.
Eventually, he and his wife moved to an assisted living facility, then, he had to enter a nursing home. After exhausting his
savings, his nursing home costs were borne by the Medical Assistance Program. A couple of years later, his wife suffered
a stroke and had to enter the same nursing home. Then, they had to move to another area in the state where one of their
son lives. Unfortunately, the sequence of events did not fit requirements established for Medicare even though he met the
age criterion.
On the other hand, my wife Atsuko met the age and other criteria for Medicare. Because of a heart condition (she had triple-
bypass surgery more than 20 years ago), she has been taking a variety of medications to keep her vascular system in
equilibrium and to enable her to participate in numerous volunteer activities. For many months, she endured what she
thought was post-shingles neuralgia. It was; however, some other condition bothered her more and more. One day, she
decided that her long-lasting pain, periodic stomach aches, and general tiredness might be related to a possibly negative
interaction of the medications she had been taking for many years. She called her cardiologist and talked with her
physician’s assistant who agreed that my wife might discontinue one medication and reduce dosage of another, both of
which related to controlling her blood pressure.
About a week later, following her cardiologist’s suggestion, Atsuko had an appointment with her primary care physician
who, on the basis of diagnosing her as being anemic and possibly having stomach ulcers, placed her in a hospital for an
endoscopy and biopsy. The upshot was that she had three stomach ulcerations. Two sets of endoscopic procedures were
followed because the surgeons wanted to be sure that cancer was not present. Atsuko’s parents had cancer as cause of
death many years ago when each was about 60 years of age, so the surgeons were especially concerned. After a couple of
months, a third endoscopy and biopsy took place to confirm the absence of cancer and to review progress of recovery from
the ulcerations.
The major point is that because of Medicare, my wife and I did not have to delay any decision about contacting medical staff
or accepting the need for hospital stay. Often, endoscopy is an outpatient medical procedure, but since Atsuko is a heart
patient, special precautions were taken. We were relieved of concerns about the financial costs because we knew that
Medicare coverage is such that the major portion is covered by that social insurance program we entered while both of us
were employed.
Others I know have conditions that require the services of physicians and others. The only bright part of the GOLDEN
YEARS is that after age 65, Medicare is the safety net that reduces the horrible anxiety of how to pay for medical services.
The large part of the worry about the financial burden of medical and related tests and provision of services is taken care of.
Of course, if we had comprehensive universal
health care, the worry would be reduced for
everyone to payment of monthly premiums,
the so-called single payer plan. Sometime, I’ll
write about the plan developed but never
carried out in Wisconsin. However, for those
GOLDEN AGERS 65 years of age and older,
Medicare is here. I’ll have to explain why I
support it and why politicos should not make
negative changes to the program. That’ll have
to be next month.
