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From the issue: April 2009 Quarterly
 Seniors have been flocking to their computers, as the Internet has become a regular past time for many of them. My 76-year-old mother-in-law just signed on to Facebook.com, an extremely popular "social networking" website, to make it easier to see videos of the grandchildren.Other people spend hours on email with friends and family across the country. The Internet allows for an easy and inexpensive connection with people we care about – people, for whatever reason, whom we don't get to see as often as we'd like.
As seniors get more familiar with the Internet,it's only natural that they would start seeking answers to pressing questions. Not surprisingly, medical questions top the list. There are literally millions of websites out there just waiting to offer you answers. Most of them have inaccurate or incomplete information – information that is often pushed out with the goal of selling you on their product or service.A few are just plain criminal, and literally try to steal your money providing no value to you at all.However, by separating the wheat from the chaff, there are some websites that have tremendous value, if only you know how to be discriminating.
Here's a roadmap to help you and your loved ones get quality information: If you go to a search engine,avoid the "sponsored links." That's a bold statement because there are reputable organizations that advertise,so they are listed right at the top when you search on Google or Live.com.You have to be really savvy to know whether a "good guy" is providing the ad,or if you should proceed with caution.
My advice is to look through the top links, just under the sponsored ones. On live.com, under "health results," you will find links to my group, Patient Power, Mayo Clinic, and Medline – all authoritative websites featured by Microsoft. These sites will help orient you to a health condition, and give you up-to-date information.
The next step is to go to the website of a leading patient-advocacy group.So,for heart questions go to the American Heart Association, www.heart.org. If you have concerns about cancer, visit The American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. For diabetes questions, you'll go to The American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org.You will find links there,to their local chapters, and local phone numbers. Locally, they can advise you about local doctors who are well qualified to treat you for your health concerns.
One other piece of advice: If you join an online support group, be VERY discriminating as you receive advice from others. First, everyone's situation is different, and what worked for him or her may not work for you. Second, they may have a hidden agenda in pushing you in one direction or another.
My general advice is, if you start seeing the same treatments, the same doctor's names, echoed by multiple sources as you search, then they most likely might be right. However, if a doctor or treatment is just presented on one glossy website, do not be wooed in by their approach.
There is so much more to talk about, and I am in the midst of writing a book on this subject.If you need medical guidance right now, it can be hard to resist the Internet when it's right at your fingertips. If you decide to take this route to obtain the medical information you desire, just be sure to follow a few simple rules: search smart, rely on trusted resources, and feel confident when more than one site says the same thing.
Wishing you and your family the best of health! Andrew
For more information, please visit www.patientpower.info
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