The Old Age Challenge to the Biomedical Model: Paradigm Strain and Health Policy (Society and Aging Series) Book

Central to this book is the idea that the United States is in the midst of a health care crisis, one that will be exacerbated as the population continues to age. Longino and Murphy trace the philosophical and technological development of the biomedical model and show its inadequacy to deal with the massive chronic disease demand of the present and the future. They argue that the delivery of health care will meet and survive the old age challenge only if the medical system is thoroughly democratized. A more inclusive system must be devised that encourages a more reasonable allocation of resources, gives more attention to prevention, adopts a wider range of non-medical interventions, and invites citizens to become more involved in their own health care and the planning of services. The authors use postmodern theory, including the work of Foucault, Lyotard, Derrida, and Lacan, to advance a critique of current medical practice and develop an alternative, more democratic, version of health care. Contrary to some critics of postmodernism, this theory is illustrated to have radical political implications. Although some recent proposals show promise, Longino and Murphy use postmodernism to demonstrate how these health plans can be made more encompassing to represent real alternatives to the current system. In the end, the authors provide a truly revolutionary image of service delivery.Read More