G–I

generational health-care perspectives Aware-
ness of, respect for, and accommodation of the dif-
ferent viewpoints toward health care across
generations. Each generation has inherently dif-
ferent expectations around what medical care can
accomplish as well as how doctors and hospitals
should provide such care. These differences in
expectations shape the nature and outcome of
many medical interventions, from preventive to
therapeutic efforts. Health-care providers must
consider these differences when evaluating treat-
ment options and approaches.
People who are today in their 80s lived much
of their lives in a time when medical care was lim-
ited and doctors came to them to provide care.
Most of the drugs, surgical operations, and tech-
nologies that are the mainstay of medical treat-
ment today were developed after 1950 and many
only since the 1980s. The elderly may view illness
as inevitable to certain degree, expect the doctor
to take a leadership role in health care, and be
unknowledgeable about the ways in which
lifestyle influences health and illness.
By contrast, people who are today in their 30s
have lived all of their lives in a time in which
medicine prevents many of the illnesses that were
common causes of death in earlier generations
and treats or cures nearly every sort of illness and
injury. They have grown up knowing of the
health significance of lifestyle factors such as diet,
exercise, and cigarette smoking. They may view
illness as either avoidable or curable and expect to
participate in considering options and making
decisions about their health care.
The structure of the practice of medicine to
some extent supports generational separations
through its model of specialization. The very
young—the newest generation—see health-care

providers who specialize in meeting the unique

needs of infants and children (pediatricians).

These doctors and other health-care providers are

often around the same age as the parents—the

middle generations—and can personally identify

with some of the life circumstances and issues

they face. The very old—the oldest see health-care

providers who similarly specialize in treating

health conditions common in or unique to aging

(geriatricians). These health-care providers are

often significantly younger than the patients they

treat and have little personal identification with

their perspectives and life circumstances.

Generational perspectives and perceptions

influence the point at which an individual will

seek medical care for a health concern, which

may have significant effect on the outcome

of treatment. Many health conditions, from DIA-

BETESto CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE(CVD) to cancer,

are treatable or curable with early diagnosis and

treatment. Generational views on what informa-

tion is private and personal also affect health out-

comes.

See also ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATIONS; CULTURAL AND

ETHNIC HEALTH-CARE PERSPECTIVES; SPIRITUAL BELIEFS

AND HEALTH CARE; VACCINE.

grief Emotions and feelings, often intense, of

irretrievable loss. Grief may be a response to the

loss of a loved one through death or the end of a

relationship or to the diagnosis of a health condi-

tion that signifies the end of a certain way of liv-

ing. It is natural and normal for people to mourn

losses of function, potential, and other aspects of

their own health as well as to grieve the prospect

of their own impending deaths. Some people also

experience grief during significant life transitions,

such as when a child leaves home.

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