Talk to a person aged 60 or older, by telephone or in person, and ask that person what healthcare was like in his or her youth. What was different then than today? For example, how long did women remain in the hospital after having a baby when they were young (compared to overnight stays today)? Did the older person have mumps or measles as a child (although there are vaccines today)? Did the older person know anyone who died of diseases that are effectively treated today (such as diabetes or kidney failure)? Did the older person know anyone who was shunned because he or she had a disease such as epilepsy or psychiatric disorders, which were not well understood? Were there women doctors? Were men nurses? How did doctors, nurses, and others DRESS? Did nurses wear caps, for example? Talk to the person and discover three things that were different about healthcare 50 years ago compared to today. You may also use the information you find in these two articles:
Medical technology advances of the past 50 years and Hospital of Yesterday. The Biggest Changes in Health Care.pdf
Use no other outside print sources. TALK to someone who is older and see how healthcare has changed.
THEN, write a comparison/contrast essay, using what you have learned, explaining that your essay is based on reflections of the older American adult compared to today. How was healthcare in the United States different 50 years ago, compared to today?
Be sure you have a clear, responsive thesis statement that is something like this:
Three ways that American healthcare was different 50 years ago is PT1, PT2, and PT3.
Be sure you give an explanation and AN EXAMPLE for each point. Your interviewee should be able to give you some memories for your examples, and the articles listed here will help.
Your target audience: Typical readers of newspapers in the Greater Baton Rouge/New Orleans Areas. This is the sort of general-interest article a newspaper might run to get readers thinking and talking.
Purpose: To get readers to think about changes in healthcare and how healthcare has advanced in the past 50 years. They may feel more optimistic about the future of healthcare as a result.
Length: Your essay should be written as a compare/contrast essay of NO FEWER THAN 600 WORDS.
TITLE your work as follows -> Compare and Contrast Essay: Healthcare Then and Now
USE APA FORMAT