Roughly one in ten adult Americans find their walking slowed by progressive chronic conditions like arthritis, back problems, heart and lung diseases, and diabetes. In this passionate and deeply informed book, Lisa I. Iezzoni describes the personal experiences of and societal responses to adults whose mobility makes it difficult for them to live as they wish—partly because of physical and emotional conditions and partly because of persisting societal and environmental barriers.
Basing her conclusions on personal experience, a wealth of survey data, and extensive interviews with dozens of people from a wide social spectrum, Iezzoni explains who has mobility problems and why; how mobility difficulties affect people's physical comfort, attitudes, daily activities, and relationships with family and friends throughout their communities; strategies for improving mobility; and how the health care system addresses mobility difficulties, providing and financing services and assistive technologies.
Iezzoni claims that, although strategies exist to improve mobility, many people do not know where to turn for advice. She addresses the need to inform policymakers about areas where changes will better accommodate people with difficulty walking. This straightforward and engaging narrative clearly demonstrates that improving people's ability to move freely and independently will enhance overall health and quality of life, not only for these persons, but also for society as a whole.
Lisa I. Iezzoni is Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care. She is the editor of Risk Adjustment for Measuring Healthcare Outcomes (1997).
"In this warm and engaging book, Lisa Iezzoni sends the important message that life should not stop when walking fails. Using the stories of ordinary people, she suggests strategies for remaining active and independent. Iezzoni's book will inspire families, health care professionals, and political representatives to help remove the barriers and enable all those with mobility challenges to lead full and productive lives."—Rosalynn Carter
"Iezzoni turns a spotlight on the sociocultural and policy shadows that must be illuminated to address the growing needs of Americans with mobility limitations. Her evocative portrait of the challenges faced by both those with walking difficulties and the clinicians who try to serve their needs is a compelling wake-up call for Americans and a must-read for all health professionals and policy makers."—Alan M. Jette, Dean, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University
"Blending an epidemiologist's hard data with a reformer's passionate, personal appeals, Iezzoni leads us through the parallel universe of people with mobility problems—a dimension largely invisible to those of us who can move around without even thinking about it, but all too real to those who live there."—Frank Davidoff, Editor Emeritus, Annals of Internal Medicine
"Lisa Iezzoni has written a truly remarkable book. She takes the proposition that health professionals need to worry about their patients' functional capacities as well as their illnesses, and uses that as the basis for a pathbreaking analysis of the effects of failure in one of the basic human functions—walking. Everyone involved in providing, studying, analyzing, administering, or making policy about health care for those with chronic illnesses or disabilities should read this book."—Bruce C. Vladeck, Senior Vice President and Professor, Mount Sinai Medical Center
"From both a personal and professional perspective, Lisa Iezzoni opens the hidden world of mobility problems, revealing the creative ways in which individuals adjust emotionally and practically, and the mostly short-sighted and frustrating ways in which health professionals, policy makers, and insurers have responded to their needs. This book is an essential resource for everyone who has or may have a problem walking, as well as for their family members and doctors."—Carol Levine, Director, Families and Health Care Project, United Hospital Fund of New York
"Thoughts and emotions associated with the loss and restoration of mobility are presented through users’ and rehabilitation professionals’ words, which makes this a reader-friendly book."—Catherine A. Trombly, Professor Emerita of Occupational Therapy, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Services, Boston University
"Dr. Iezzoni has accomplished the daunting task of explicating the experience of people with mobility problems as they have lived it in the context of health care and public policy. Part autobiography, part interview, she unsentimentally tells her own story and the stories of others who have been challenged by a world that too often presumes the ability to walk. Dr. Iezzoni also succinctly exposes the challenges to individuals with mobility problems created by policies that may not be in anyone's interest. An important contribution to the study of disability and ability, this book has valuable insights for patients, health professionals and policy makers."—Andrew A. Guccione, Senior Vice President, Division of Practice and Research, American Physical Therapy Association
366 pp.6 x 9Illus: 10 b/w photographs, 5 line illustrations, 18 tables
9780520238190$34.95|£30.00Paper
Jun 2003