The Golden Rule cover art

The Golden Rule

Lessons in living from a doctor of ageing

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The Golden Rule

By: Lucy Pollock
Narrated by: Lucy Pollock
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In a society obsessed with staying young, how can we age with confidence?


Today, we are living longer lives, and have choices now as never before about how we will age.
What will make us happy?
What are we frightened of, and what might allay those fears?
What changes, made right now, will help us to flourish as we age?

This book contains lessons Lucy Pollock learned from thirty years of working with older people and those close to them. It looks at problems that can be fixed with tests and tablets, and problems that require a different sort of medicine. Lucy explains what she have been taught about loss, about impossible families, about becoming older without children, and the important things I have learned about sexuality, race, love and living with uncertainty.
The Golden Rule sets out guiding principles we can all try to live by, in the hope that together we can bring about positive change, and all benefit from a kinder, more compassionate society.
Here is how we may meet our futures with optimism and confidence.

©2024 Lucy Pollock (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Aging & Longevity Aging Parents Parenting & Families Personal Development Personal Success Relationships Inspiring Medicine

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Critic reviews

The Golden Rule is part manifesto for better integration and appreciation between generations, and part reflection on a career spent looking after our elders, [. . .] with good humour, sanity, wisdom and quite a few jokes . . . her messages are clear and I’d love to see them headline every statement on health policy . . . [Lucy] offers advice not just on how to live to a ripe old age but also how to enjoy it
Compassionate and wise, it makes for empowering reading
If you are old or care for someone old, or indeed intend to become old one day yourself, please read this beautifully written book. With wisdom, clarity and kindness, Lucy Pollock generously shares what she has learned from caring for elderly people professionally and in her own life. Rich with everyday stories, The Golden Rule will inspire you to think differently about your own ageing and everyone else's.
The impression you have is how much you’d want Pollock as your medical practitioner
Beautiful and wise, filled with characters I know living through situations I recognise, filtered through the kindness of thoughtful storytelling
All stars
Most relevant
loved the honesty and courage, expressed eloquently and convincingly by a caring, experienced, credible geriatrician/ clinician, truly inspiring, needs to be shared widely

insights into real medicine

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Lucy Pollock should advise Wes Streeting on how to sensibly and sensitively cope with an ageing population. She's so caring but so practical; I sincerely hope that I'm treated by someone who has been trained in her philosophy. She also has a beautiful tone to her voice, which makes the audio book very comforting. Recommended to anyone interested in NHS policy or sociology or human stories.

Beautifully read & deeply sensible

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