I don’t have much to say today. I am feeling decidedly low energy and tired. One of those days, when you just want to simply catch up on email and reading. And that is precisely what I have been doing. However, I do want to share two stories that fall in the must-read category. They have nothing to do with technology or tech economy. instead, they focus on elders, elder care, and why society needs to reevaluate its relationship with the seniors. Also, they point to the inherent flaws in over-reliance on a profit-driven, scale-focused private healthcare system. 

I was reading these stories, and at the same time comparing them to the treatment my parents got in the hospital in India. My parents weren’t the easiest of patients, yet I can only be grateful for the hospital staff’s work. And I think it is just that some societies value their seniors more and don’t see them as a profit center. 

These stories are worth your time and a good reminder that we have the pandemic ripping apart our social fabric beyond the headlines. And they are also examples of what I think is good journalism.

What happened in Room 10: The California Sunday Magazine reports on the early days of the pandemic in the Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, was the first COVID hot spot in the U.S. This is a riveting story, heart-wrenching, and sad at the same time. 

Sent Home To Die: ProPublica reports that many seniors in New Orleans were sent back from the hospitals to their homes. And fingers point to Ochsner medical system in Lousiana. 

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I had discussed the importance of elders and history with John Markoff, who writes about science and technology for the New York Times. It might be worth a listen.