On Episode 10 of Season 3 , I spoke with my grandmother, Sydell Aaron. Ultimately, we all become consumers of Healthcare, like it or not. On Healthcare Reimagined, I typically showcase healthcare innovation - the truth is that innovations are only interesting in so far as they are making life better for patients. Last week I spoke with my grandmother about her experience as a consumer of U.S. healthcare over the past 9 decades.

Sydell, or Meema as I call her, was born in 1932. In 1929, 3 years before she was born, the first polio patient was saved. In the 1940’s when Meema was a teenager, scientists succeeded in isolating penicillin and antibiotics became widely available for the first time. Before that, you could die from a simple infection. The first kidney transplant was done in 1952, when Meema was 20. In 1964, for the first time human blood was successfully stored. Meema was 32 years old, with 3 children.

Meema has already lived 50% longer than the average life expectancy for a woman the year she was born (it was 62 back then). We spoke about her family doctor making house calls, the awe and wonder of medicine before technology that made medical information available to all, and about the trade off between safety and independence as one gets older.

We discussed a few quotes from Atul Gawande's book Being Mortal, and the loss of independence as one ages. One of the quotes from Gawande's book really captured the essence of the challenge Meema faces in her interactions with her adult children. They want the best for her, as she knows, but at times, they infringe upon her freedom in an effort to protect her: "We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.”

We went on to discuss the framework in which death is addressed in U.S. Healthcare, and a system that selects for those who can and want to fix things (Doctors), when sometimes the best option is not to fix but to provide comfort in one's final days.

We closed with a discussion about Meema's own hopes, desires, and observations after over 9 decades on this pale blue dot we all call home.

Please make sure to check out the Society for HealthCare Innovation's (SHCI) website for more content.