Our executive director, Christian John Lillis, wrote this essay for Pharmacy Times Health Systems Edition. In it, he looks at how failing to protect the elderly from disease has consequences beyond nursing homes.

My grandmother Dorothy Daly died in August 2016 at aged 93 years. Though she had dementia for the last few years, it felt too soon. Well into her 80s, my grandmother, whom we called Nanny, was the sharp, funny, and loving matriarch of our large Irish Catholic family. Her life was one of immense contributions and devastating losses.

Though Nanny had dementia, that wasn’t what killed her. In August 2016, Nanny fell, breaking her hip and wrist. Thirty-day mortality for someone, her age with a broken hip, is extremely high. We debated whether to subject her to hip surgery, ultimately deciding it was worthwhile. After the surgery, she was transferred to a long-term care facility.

Real the full essay on Pharmacy Times.