Rich Astor's Poor Treatment

The scandal over whether or not 104 year old philanthropist Brooke Astor is being denied a decent life by her son hits all the papers today. It turns out that Astor, whose grandson, Philip Marshall, accused his father, Anthony Marshall, of skimping on Astor's medical treatment and basic needs, has been taken to Lenox Hill Hospital for treatment, and is "improving" (overall, we suppose?). Neither Marshall has commented, but Anthony Marshall's friends deny that he's capable of making his mother sit in a urine-smelling couch and tatty nightgowns - he fought in World War II, was a CIA operative, and is now a Broadway producer. However, one of Astor's employees told reporters as she left the Park Avenue apartment building, "I think it’s great that the truth has finally come out." The Daily News, who broke the story, has five articles today, from explaining the history of the Astors to why she matters to New Yorkers.

If there's one good thing about the scandal, it's that the problem of elder abuse will get attention, as the NY Times has an article about how the elderly in classes can be at risk. Like the very young, the old can be too easily exploited and neglected.

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By Jen Chung in News on July 27, 2006 8:31 AM

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otherobject

I feel bad for the conditions in which Mrs. Astor is being held in but I gotta wonder why everyone is so concerned about a wealthy old lady when in reality, there are millions of elderly people who can't afford adequate care and if they can afford it, they are treated so horribly by the institutions that are there to help them.

Ha!

Thank you, virgil, for a hearty laugh.

Brightliner

jmchez,

You've been listening to the wrong people. Most experts say changing your lifestyle for the better may not add many years to your lifespan, which is at least partially genetically determined (although it may help prevent premature death), but they'll add quality to your last years, what's called the "square quality of life curve." Plotting your quality of life, someone who doesn't take care of themselves will see a fairly straight decline from the 30s to death, more or less a triangle. But exercise, diet, etc. should net you a more gradual decline until the very end, when you finally buy the farm, forming a curve that's more of a square. So go ahead and slack off if you want. You'll live to 75-80 and still have a miserable last 20 years of your life where you can't walk anywhere on your own.

As for the son, all his accomplishments mean nothing. There are plenty of successful people who are quite detestable. GW Bush for one. The Donald. Steve Ballmer. The list goes on and on.

jmchez

So, who's caring for the 82 year old son?

Frankly, that's why I don't understand all of the health nuts that tell me that certain activities will add ten years to my life. Yes, but they'll be the worst ten years! I'd rather die at 75-80 while I still can walk to the corner deli by myself than at 90-100 when I'll be at the mercy of ungrateful children (or sadistic nurses). ;)

virgil

You rightly point out that it's all too easy to exploit both the elderly and the young, but you fail to note that one of the worst things about exploiting the elderly is that they're simply not around long enough to exploit thoroughly, which can be quite frustrating to the exploiter.

In most cases, the inevitable passing of the elderly victim leads to a sense of emptiness in their erstwhile tormenter, and results in a marked loss of appetite and a general sense of malaise.

In addition, exploitatin of the very young makes for better headlines; we can all relate to the very young, since we've all been very young ourselves, but very, very few of us have been very, very old.

pugsley

It's impossible to tell if any of the allegations are valid. More likely it has something to do with who is going to inheret what's left of the fortune. It could be that Brooke enjoys her ratty old sofa and refuses to get a new one and it gets parlayed into elder abuse.

it takes a village

And yet I can't help but chuckle at how "non-partisan" Vote Or Die sells Social Security to young people by saying it gives you the freedom to live wherever you want because your parents can fend for themselves.