Coming out isn’t a sport, but if you’ve stepped out of the closet you can come play in Copenhagen at the World Out Games 2009 from July 25 to August 2.

By Nif Leder

It’s not all fun and games, but a meeting of the minds as well. Copenhagen’s Pride festival runs parallel to the schedule, so you are bound to be surrounded by a buffet of gays, lesbians and transsexuals (oh my!). There are five pillars that support The Out Games message of elevating the quality of life of gay peoples: sustainability, cultural diversity, social innovation, transparency, and generosity.

Originally held in Montreal, Canada in 2006, Copenhagen, Denmark won out against other capital cities to host the second annual event that had over 18,000 participants attend in its inaugural year. Denmark was the first country to legalize same-sex unions in 1989, so visitors shouldn’t fret about feeling comfortable at all. The city’s slogan is “Love of freedom. Freedom to love.” It accentuates the acceptance of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and you don’t even have to be an athlete. The idea in general is to touch every aspect of life: body through the physical sports, mind through lectures and conferences, and spirits through the meeting of gay brothers and sisters from all over the world. Cultural events and some just for fun sign-ups allow everyone to enjoy some time horsing around and not necessarily taking score. Surround yourself with other semi-pros by signing up for a workshop (Ultimate Frisbee to Tai Chi), volunteering to organize an event, or register to compete in the dance category and make your partner your partner on the dance floor.

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This is just another reason to stay with your doctor, if at all possible. I have been with my family practioner for over 14 years now, and she really makes me feel like family. I wouldn’t know what to do if we moved, which is a real possibility in the near future. I do know that I would seek out an experienced older doctor, no offense to the grad students, I know there are some great ones out there, but finding them is the problem. Many of us have parents around this age.
This is a very interesting look at something we all probably don’t consider, and yet another reason to have a living will.
By ROSANNE M. LEIPZIG
NY Times
Rosanne M. Leipzig, a physician, is a professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
AS they do every July, hospitals across America are welcoming new interns, fresh from medical school graduation. Given how much these trainees have yet to learn, common wisdom holds that it’s not a good time of year to get sick. This may be particularly true for older patients, because American medical schools require no training in geriatric medicine.

Often even experienced doctors are unaware that 80-year-olds are not the same as 50-year-olds. Pneumonia in a 50-year-old causes fever, cough and difficulty breathing; an 80-year-old with the same illness may have none of these symptoms, but just seem “not herself” — confused and unsteady, unable to get out of bed.

She may end up in a hospital, where a doctor prescribes a dose of antibiotic that would be right for a woman in her 50s, but is twice as much as an 80-year-old patient should get, and so she develops kidney failure, and grows weaker and more confused. In her confusion, she pulls the tube from her arm and the catheter from her bladder. Read the rest of this entry »