Medicine is not just aimed at helping us to live longer, but at helping us to live better for longer. No researcher is interested in prolonging our stays in care homes. Emphasis is on isolating genes that cause debilitating illnesses and the shortening of otherwise healthy lives, of using stem cell research to help our organs repair themselves, and of educating people that lifestyle can greatly enhance well-being into old age. Prescription drugs now decrease disease processes and prolong life in almost all areas of medicine and surgical procedures replace faulty joints and organs.