58 The QUEE NS Courier • health • june 2, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶health Two Queens physicians recognized for outstanding service Queens Hospital’s assistant director of medicine and an attending physician at Elmhurst Hospital were among 23 medical professionals recognized during NYC Health + Hospitals’ annual “Doctors’ Day” celebration on May 24. Dr. Ram Raju, NYC Health + Hospitals president and CEO, honored Dr. Vincent Rizzo of Queens Hospital and Dr. Nestor Benjamin Nestor of Elmhurst Hospital for their overall excellence and commitment to patient care. Doctor Rizzo joined Queens Hospital as a resident in internal medicine and was named in 2010 as the hospital’s associate director of medicine. Under his leadership, the hospital adopted a number of new clinical initiatives, including training staff to provide patient-centered communication. He also coauthored the “Care Pathways” for congestive heart failure and sickle cell anemia; led a redesign of the hospital’s weekend discharge process; and helped improve preparation for the hospital’s adaptation of a new electronic medical record program. Rizzo was previously recognized as Attending of the Year in 2012 and was named one of America’s Top Doctors by the Consumer Research Council of America in 2015. Doctor Nestor, meanwhile, began his medical career at Elmhurst Hospital in 2009 as an attending physician and quickly earned a reputation for his unique ability to understand and plan solutions for complex administrative issues. He helped redesign the Emergency Department’s operation and improved employee behavior standards to improve the overall patient experience. “Today’s honorees are examples of the skill, dedication and compassion that make up the bounty of physicians who provide excellent care and experiences for our patients and their families each day,” Doctor Raju said. “I am extremely grateful for their talents and for their devotion to helping the most vulnerable New Yorkers live their healthiest lives possible.” From NYC Health + Hospitals RETIREMENT AND AGING Is it necessary that our lives place so much emphasis on employment, productivity, earnings? Both disengagement and conflict theories give a lot of attention to the meaning of work. This, I believe, is justifiable. The achievements and social status associated with occupation are major ingredients in the way we judge ourselves and others. When asked who we are, don’t we often answer in terms of our work? As long as values associated with work remain dominant in our society, they will continue being important for the old as well as the young. The barren thought that there really is no life worth mentioning after work has been disproved many times. Increasingly, studies of the retirement years reveal their diversity. Not all retirees stay retired! Many continue to be active in fields related to their lifelong interests. Others cultivate new interests or return to those interests that they could not find time for earlier in life. It is probable that values such as learning, self-discovery and helping other people will come to be regarded with the same respect as workplace productivity. There are already signs in the culture that using time for pleasure and recreation is less accompanied by guilt as it was before. Non-work activities therefore will not be looked upon as merely marking time. In fact, with this philosophy going forward, the older adult will begin demanding more opportunities to enjoy these activities. Still, the prevalence of stereotyping is a way of rationalizing the exclusion of the old from positions of opportunity in the workforce. The young may be dismissed as irresponsible and frivolous, while the old are perceived as used up and rigid. Age stereotyping then begins to take on a sinister character. I am, however, convinced there is a more constructive approach where society has, for too long, created definitions that set people apart from others, but with time may also foster a clearer vision to re-define and integrate. There is more than one way to retain the process of sharing in a mutual and civil manner that is not necessarily the worst way to adopt. I am further convinced that the more people become aware of the damage that age-based exclusions cause, the more chances there will be to develop alternatives. The young as well as the old can benefit by standing together on many issues that affect them. So then, I strongly urge everyone to take control of their health so that retirement may be viewed as a time for growth and not a downward spiraling. Eubie Blake, the noted jazz pianist said it best at his 100th birthday: “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” Sheldon Ornstein Ed.D, RN Dr. Sheldon Ornstein is a registered professional nurse with a doctoral degree in nursing organization. He has specialized in the care of older adults and has published many articles on the subject. He has done post-graduate work in gerontology and has taught at several universities. In 2013, he was inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame at Teachers College, Columbia University.
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