Age groups: the elderly / old age Books

Book SynopsisThis multidisciplinary, comprehensive assessment of the state of aging and work addresses a wide range of topics relevant to academic researchers and practitioners, government and industry leaders, and workers and managers in the public and private sectors.Trade ReviewA comprehensive, well-written volume addressing the numerous issues created by the interface of an aging workforce with the array of economic, global, information and technology-driven changes occurring in society. The conclusion provides an excellent summary of the volume and an outline of needed future directions for research and policy changes. This insightful volume will be of particular interest to researchers and practitioners concerned about the complex issues surrounding work and an aging population. Choice 2010Table of ContentsList of ContributorsForeword, by Richard Suzman Acknowledgments Introduction: Emerging Challenges for Organizations and Older Workers in the Twenty-first Century Part I: Employment Patterns and DemographicsChapter 1. Institutional and Individual Responses to Structural Lag: The Changing Patterns of Work at Older AgesChapter 2. Caregiving and Employment Chapter 3. Aging and Work: An International PerspectivePart II: Implications of an Aging WorkforceChapter 4. The Politics of Work and Aging: Public Policy for the New EldersChapter 5. Implications of an Aging Workforce: An Industry PerspectivePart III: The Changing Nature of JobsChapter 6. Trends in Job Demands and the Implications for Older Workers Chapter 7. Telework and Older WorkersChapter 8. Collaborative Work: What's Age Got to Do with It? Chapter 9. The Issues and Opportunities of Entrepreneurship after Age 50 Part IV: Work Performance IssuesChapter 10. Managers' Attitudes toward Older Workers: A Review of the Evidence Chapter 11. Work and Older Adults: Motivation and Performance Chapter 12. Skill Acquisition in Older Adults: Psychological Mechanisms Chapter 13. Preparing Organizations and Workers for Current and Future Employment: Training and Retraining Chapter 14. Age and Performance Measures of Knowledge-Based Work: A Cognitive PerspectivePart V: Workplace and Ergonomic IssuesChapter 15. Ergonomic Design of Workplaces for the Aging Population Chapter 16. Safety and Health Issues for an Aging WorkforceChapter 17. Work Organization and Health in an Aging Workforce: Observations from the NIOSH Quality of Life Survey Chapter 18. Health Promotion and Wellness Programs for Older Workers Conclusion. Synthesis and Future Directions Index

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive guide works at the nexus of the humanities and health professions to provide the intellectual rationale, history, and a substantive overview of humanistic gerontology as it has emerged in the United States and Europe.Trade ReviewRecommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Humanistic Study of Aging Past and Present, or Why Gerontology Still Needs Interpretive InquiryPart I: Disciplinary PerspectivesChapter 1. The History of Aging and Old Age in "Western" CulturesChapter 2. Resilience and Creativity in Aging: The Realms of SilverChapter 3. Literary Texts and Literary Critics Team Up Against AgismChapter 4. Philosophy of Aging, Time, and FinitudeChapter 5. Aging in World Religions: An OverviewPart II: Interdisciplinary PerspectivesChapter 6. The Value and Meaning of Friendship in Later LifeChapter 7. Encountering the Numinous: Relationality, the Arts, and Religion in Later LifeChapter 8. Creativity and Aging: Psychological Growth, Health, and Well-BeingChapter 9. The Five People You Meet in RetirementChapter 10. The Age of Reflexive Longevity: How the Clinic and Changing Expectations of the Life Course are Reshaping Old AgeChapter 11. Ethics and Aging, Retrospectively and ProspectivelyPart III: Age Studies in the Public SphereChapter 12. Age, Meaning, and Place: Cultural Narratives and Retirement CommunitiesChapter 13. Old Age and GlobalizationChapter 14. Agism and Social Change: The New Regime of DeclinePart IV: Personal PerspectivesChapter 15. Treadmilling to the Far Side: An Informal Guide to Coming of Age with MortalityChapter 16. The Experience of Aging in Feature-Length Films: A Selected and Annotated FilmographyIndex

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Book SynopsisBased on a three-year study of assisted living workers, this important, original analytical snapshot of the assisted living industry provides teachable, practicable lessons for researchers, scholars, and professionals in gerontology and assisted living.Trade Review"This is an excellent resource for scholars and researchers studying any type of residential long-term care, as well as for administrators of long-term care facilities and policy experts who deal with assisted living." - Nancy Sheehan, UConn Center on Aging"Table of ContentsList of Contributors Preface AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Foundation for the BookPart I: Frontline Workers: The Long-Term Care ContextChapter 1. Direct Care Workers in Long-Term Care and Implications for Assisted LivingChapter 2. Research and Regulation in Assisted Living: Achieving the VisionPart II: Assisted Living Work and WorkersChapter 3. Overview of ResearchChapter 4. Pathways to CaregivingChapter 5. "We Do It All": Universal Workers in Assisted LivingChapter 6. Co-worker Relationships in Assisted Living: The Influence of Social Network TiesChapter 7. Connections with Residents: "It's All about the Residents for Me"Chapter 8. Job Satisfaction and Racism in the Service Sector: A Study of Work in Assisted LivingChapter 9. Staff Turnover in Assisted Living: A Multilevel AnalysisPart III: Lessons LearnedChapter 10. Hiring and Training WorkersChapter 11. Rewarding WorkersConclusion: Informing Policy and PracticeIndex

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Book SynopsisDrawing on medicine, social science, philosophy, and religion to provide a broad perspective on aging, Aging Together offers a vision of relationships filled with love, joy, and hope in the face of a condition that all too often elicits anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.Trade ReviewA serious, scholarly, and sensitive book. -- Mary Gergen PsycCRITIQUES This must-read volume will inspire the reader to contemplate the call to care for others with self-giving love. Highly recommended. Choice This is not a how-to handbook but a kindly and perhaps over-optimistic general discussion that will be of interest to caregivers, particularly Americans, and particularly those coming from a religious background. The rest of us can all gain something from it too, however... Aging Together reminds us that warmth and friendship can be maintained in trying situations. -- Martin Guha International Psychogeriatrics Readable and useful...Anyone who wants to teach, practise or encourage person-centred care for people with dementia will find a lot in this book. -- Ibadete Fetahu Nursing Times This is not just a book about ageing, dementia, and friendship; it is a book that will take the reader on a journey that will, hopefully, leave them in a better place than where they started... An excellent account of travelling along the dementia road. -- Kathryn Mitchell Ageing and Society A compelling call to arms for a more caring, related society-a flourishing community-from which all can benefit, and in which all have a part to play. -- Justine McGovern LMSW Journal of Gerontological Social Work Aging Together offers a prophetic perspective by challenging our socially constructed versions of reality and our tendency to look for medical miracles and cures. Instead we should work to create communities that are hospitable to the cognitively impaired. -- Anthony B. Robinson Christian CenturyTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Dilemmas of Dementia Diagnoses2. Receiving the Diagnosis3. Personhood4. What Is Friendship?5. When Our Friends Travel the Dementia Road6. Dementia Fear and Anxiety7. Beyond Fear and Anxiety8. The Flourishing Community9. Congregations as Schools for Friendship10. The Things That Abide11. Practicing Friendship in the "Thin Places"12. Memory, Forgetting, and the Present TimeDiscussion QuestionsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe fastest growing segment of the workforce is women age sixty-five and older. Women Still at Work draws on national survey data and in-depth interviews to show the many reasons why women are working well past the traditional retirement age. The book is filled with profiles of real working women with a focus on women in the professional workforce.Trade ReviewFideler tells the stories of older working women, backing them up with comparisons to national data and the latest research. Her stories are particularly compelling as they document the lives of a group of women who have been rejecting social norms all along the way, with working in retirement being the latest iteration. Hers is just the kind of groundbreaking work that spawns more theory and research for a new stage of life that is yet to be fully delineated. -- Jacquelyn B. James, director of research, Sloan Center on Aging & Work; research professor, Boston CollegeIn exploring the phenomenon of older working women, Elizabeth Fideler weaves together substantive interviews and contemporary statistical data to create a very optimistic work. The strong, vibrant older women who shared their stories with Fideler are compelling examples of the benefits of staying on the job and 'off the shelf' in later life. Fideler’s evident empathy with her subjects allows her to unveil the 'personal truths' of their lives in an even-handed and comprehensive manner. While the high-powered women interviewed here are by no means typical, they provide wonderful examples of the importance of mentoring, persistence and positivity for women who have the opportunities to stay active and engaged in the workplace well beyond modern thresholds of old age. -- Susannah Ottaway, Carleton CollegeElizabeth F. Fideler has provided an extraordinary study on older women who continue to work in the labor force of this nation. The case studies of these women are beautifully written and presented, as if the author is having a conversation with the subjects and the readers. -- Charles V. Willie, Charles William Eliot Professor Emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of EducationThanks to Liz Fideler for profiling ‘our’ cohort—middle class women over 65 still at work. It’s good to know that the graying of female professionals is no barrier to continued employment. I enjoyed reading about the interesting women Fideler introduces and learning how they manage their lives in and out of work. -- Sharon Feiman-NemserThis book challenges assumptions about why women work after the age of sixty, and thoughtfully explores how such women manage the boundaries between their professional and personal lives. Most importantly, the author’s research shows that women can have real agency in structuring long and productive careers, and can help institutions shape more responsive policies and environments for all older workers. -- Mary Deane Sorcinelli, University of Massachusetts AmherstA book for every woman for whom traditional paradigms of work are falling away. Match the map in your head with those of different women depicted in the book and consider what's next for you. -- Mary Kay Thompson Tetreault, provost emerita, Portland State UniversityEngagingly written, Fideler's book illustrates a relatively new and largely positive trend among older women in the workforce. The women Fideler profiles—many of whom have seen doors open to them in the second half of their lives that were closed when they came of age—offer examples for all of the necessary qualities to remain productive, vital, creative and fulfilled in their work lives at later and later ages. -- Tatjana Meschede, Brandeis UniversityFidler’s narrative is not the dry, ridged prose of a scientific article. It is, instead, lively, hopeful, and even emotional—she is speaking directly to women, particularly to us older women, sparking our confidence and encouraging us through the eyes of others. * Monthly Labor Review *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Realities of Work and Aging in America Chapter 3: Beyond Age Discrimination Chapter 4: The Employment Situation for Adult Workers in the United States Chapter 5: Over Sixty and On the Job Chapter 6: Where Older Women Work Chapter 7: Why Older Women Work Chapter 8: Personal Challenges and Concerns Chapter 9: And If There Is Time to Spare… Chapter 10: Women Still at Work Discussion Questions

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Book SynopsisSubstance use and addiction is an increasing problem amongst older people. The identification of this problem is often more difficult in older patients and is frequently missed, particularly in the primary care context and in emergency departments. This book shows how to recognise and treat substance problems in older patients.Table of ContentsContributors xvii Foreword xxi Introduction xxiv List of Abbreviations xxvi Section 1 Legal and ethical aspects of care for older people with substance misuse 1 1 Negotiating capacity and consent in substance misuse 3 Kritika Samsi Introduction 3 Substance abuse and capacity 3 Mental capacity legislation 4 Mental Capacity Act 2005 4 Capacity assessment 5 Capacity and unwise decisions 6 Consent, barriers to decision making and substituted decision making 6 Best interest decisions 8 Independent decision makers 8 Conclusion 9 References 9 2 Elder abuse 11 Jill Manthorpe Introduction 11 Defining elder abuse 11 Main reviews 12 Alcohol and substance misuse risk factors 12 Risk factors among older people 13 The effects of elder abuse 14 Discussion 15 Conclusions and next steps 15 References 16 3 The United States perspective 18 Cynthia M.A. Geppert and Peter J. Taylor The ageing of the baby boomers and its impact on substance abuse 18 Ethical and legal aspects of substance misuse in older adults 19 Confidentiality 19 Informed consent 20 Capacity 21 Coercion 24 Conclusion 25 References 25 4 The European perspective 27 Abdi Sanati and Mohammed Abou-Saleh Introduction 27 Use and possession 28 Crime 28 European Convention of Human Rights 28 Delivering services for the elderly with substance misuse – ethical aspects 29 Research and development 30 Policy making 31 Some differences between Europe and the USA 31 Ethical issues regarding treatment 32 Stigma 32 Underprescribing controlled drugs 32 Summary 33 References 34 5 Clinical medicine and substance misuse: research, assessments and treatment 35 Amit Arora, Andrew O’Neill, Peter Crome and Finbarr C. Martin Introduction 35 Why is clinical medicine important? 36 Identification 37 The health effects of substance abuse 39 Challenges for the future 46 Research 47 Identification tools 47 Training and support 48 Conclusions 49 References 49 Section 2 Epidemiology and demography 57 6 Cigarette smoking among adults aged 45 and older in the United States, 2002–2011 59 Shanta R. Dube and Li-Tzy Wu Introduction 59 Evaluation methodology 61 Results 62 Sociodemographic characteristics of older adults: 2002 versus 2011 62 National trend in current smoking prevalence: 2002–2011 65 Current smoking prevalence by socioeconomic status: 2002 versus 2011 66 Adjusted odds ratios of correlates of current smoking: 2002 versus 2011 66 Discussion 71 Conclusion 72 References 73 7 Epidemiology and demography of alcohol and the older person 75 Stephan Arndt and Susan K. Schultz Introduction 75 Main reviews 76 Epidemiological estimates of prevalence of alcohol use 76 Estimates of alcohol problems based on amount of drinking 76 Importance of threshold selection for defining problem use 80 Estimating problem use from survey samples 80 Summary of epidemiological estimates 81 Specific problematic drinking behaviours: binge drinking 81 Diagnoses of abuse or dependence 83 Older substance abuse treatment populations 84 Special populations of older substance users 85 Demographic correlates of problem use 86 Discussion 87 Conclusions and next steps 87 References 88 8 Epidemiology and demography of illicit drug use and drug use disorders among adults aged 50 and older 91 Shawna L. Carroll Chapman and Li-Tzy Wu Introduction 91 Survey studies 92 Studies of treatment-seeking or clinical patients 101 Health implications 104 Discussion 105 Next steps 106 References 106 9 Epidemiology and demography of nonmedical prescription drug use 109 Jane Carlisle Maxwell Introduction 109 Findings 110 National surveys 110 Emergency department cases 112 Treatment admissions 113 Drug poisoning deaths 114 Discussion 116 Conclusions 118 Acknowledgement 118 References 118 Section 3 Longitudinal studies of ageing and substance abuse 121 10 Ageing and the development of alcohol use and misuse 123 Marja Aartsen Background 123 Results 124 Differences in alcohol use across cohorts 125 Developments in alcohol use within people 126 Gender differences 126 Different trajectories 126 Age and onset of problem drinking 127 Discussion 127 Explanations for age differences in alcohol use 127 Conclusions 128 References 129 11 Progression from substance use to the development of substance use disorders 133 Carla L. Storr and Kerry M. Green Introduction 133 Substance use progression process 134 Risk factors influencing substance use progression 137 Individual factors 137 Substance properties 139 Environmental influences 140 Future direction 141 Conclusions 143 Acknowledgement 144 References 144 12 Psychopharmacology and the consequences of alcohol and drug interactions 149 Vijay A. Ramchandani, Patricia W. Slattum, Ashwin A. Patkar, Li-Tzy Wu, Jonathan C. Lee, Maitreyee Mohanty, Marion Coe and Ting-Kai Li The extent of alcohol and drug misuse among older adults 149 Substance misuse in the general population 149 Substance misuse or addiction in clinical settings 150 Co-morbidities among older substance misusers 151 Psychopharmacology of alcohol and drug misuse in older people 152 Neurocircuitry of abused substances 152 Alcohol–drug interactions in older adults 155 Mechanisms of alcohol–medication interactions 156 Significance of the problem 156 Concurrent use of alcohol and potentially interacting medications 157 Consequences of concurrent use of alcohol and medications 158 Clinical presentation and evaluation of substance use disorders in the elderly 158 Clinical presentations (case vignettes) 159 Medical co-morbidities 161 Screening for substance use disorders 161 Evaluation of substance use disorders 162 Cognitive impairment in the elderly with substance use disorders 163 Safety assessment of the elderly with substance use disorders 164 Medications for individuals with substance use disorders 164 Conclusions 166 References 166 Section 4 Comprehensive geriatric assessment and special needs of older people 171 13 Comprehensive geriatric assessment and the special needs of older people 173 Dan Wilson, Stephen Jackson, Ilana B. Crome, Rahul (Tony) Rao and Peter Crome Background 173 Assessment 175 Setting 176 Barriers to assessment 176 High-risk groups 177 Presenting problems 177 Collateral information 178 General principles of assessment 179 Screening 182 Psychiatric assessment 183 Case presentations 184 Driving and substance misuse 184 Older women and alcohol misuse 184 Polysubstance misuse 185 The frequent attender 185 Alcohol and cognitive impairment 186 Pain and substance misuse 187 Discussion 187 Conclusion 187 References 188 Section 5 Screening and intervention in health care settings 193 14 Screening and brief intervention in the psychiatric setting 195 M. Shafi Siddiqui and Michael Fleming Overview 195 Screening and assessment for alcohol use disorders 197 Single question screen for an alcohol use disorder 197 Quantity and frequency questions 198 Proxy questions such as CAGE 198 Symptoms of abuse or dependence 199 Alcohol biomarkers 199 Illicit drugs 202 Rationale for screening older adults for marijuana, cocaine and other illicit drugs 202 Screening for illegal drugs in the psychiatric setting 202 Recommended screening questions to detect drug use 202 Screening for drug abuse/dependence 203 Screening for illicit drug use with toxicology screening 203 Prescription drug abuse 204 Rationale for screening older adults 204 Screening for prescription drug abuse 205 Brief intervention for alcohol, prescription drug abuse and illegal drug use 206 Summary 208 References 209 15 Tobacco use cessation 212 Daniel J. Pilowsky and Li-Tzy Wu Introduction 212 Smoking cessation interventions among older adults 214 Multimodal interventions 214 Medication-based interventions 216 Counselling and behavioural interventions 217 Physician-delivered interventions 217 Other interventions 218 Conclusions 218 References 219 Section 6 Use of substance abuse treatment services among older adults 223 16 Epidemiology of use of treatment services for substance use problems 225 Shawna L. Carroll Chapman and Li-Tzy Wu Introduction 225 Tobacco cessation service use and characteristics 225 Alcohol treatment use and characteristics 230 Trend in substance abuse treatment admissions 238 Drug abuse treatment use and outcomes 243 Substance abuse treatment in general health care settings 245 Discussion and conclusion 246 References 247 17 Implications for primary care 249 Devoshree Chatterjee and Steve Iliffe Background 249 Implications for primary care 249 Different populations at risk 250 Screening in primary care 251 Scale of benefit 252 Co-morbidities and social context 252 Conclusions 253 References 253 18 Addiction liaison services 255 Roger Bloor and Derrett Watts Introduction 255 Organizing an addiction liaison service to a general hospital 256 Case vignette 1 256 Addiction liaison services for older adults 257 Essential elements of liaison service provision for older adults 258 Screening for alcohol problems in older adults 259 Screening for drug use problems 260 Case vignette 2 260 Summary 261 References 262 19 Current healthcare models and clinical practices 265 Rahul (Tony) Rao, Ilana B. Crome, Peter Crome and Finbarr C. Martin Introduction 265 An ageing population 265 Service development and provision 266 Integrated care and workforce development 267 Conclusions and recommendations 269 References 269 Section 7 Age-specific treatment interventions and outcomes 271 20 Pharmacological and integrated treatments in older adults with substance use disorders 273 Paolo Mannelli, Li-Tzy Wu and Kathleen T. Brady Introduction 273 Tobacco 274 Alcohol 275 Opioids 277 Benzodiazepines 278 Other substances of abuse 280 Stimulants 280 Cannabis 281 Integrated treatments 281 Conclusion and future directions 284 References 285 21 The assessment and prevention of potentially inappropriate prescribing 295 Denis O’Mahony Introduction 295 Inappropriate psychotropic use in elderly patients 296 Implicit IP criteria 297 Explicit IP criteria 298 Applying STOPP/START criteria as an intervention 299 Other methods of detection and prevention of IP in older people 307 Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) 307 Pharmacist review and intervention 308 Prescriber education, audit and feedback 308 Computerized provider order entry with clinical decision support 309 Conclusions 309 References 310 22 Age-sensitive psychosocial treatment for older adults with substance abuse 314 Kathleen Schutte, Sonne Lemke, Rudolf H. Moos and Penny L. Brennan Introduction 314 Seven characteristics of age-sensitive treatment 316 1 – Supportive and nonconfrontational 316 2 – Flexible 316 3 – Sensitive to gender differences 317 4 – Sensitive to cultural differences 317 5 – Focus on client functioning 318 6 – Holistic 319 7 – Focus on coping and social skills 319 Six components of age-sensitive psychosocial treatment 320 1 – Biopsychosocial assessment 320 2 – Treatment planning 321 3 – Attention to co-occurring conditions 322 4 – Referrals and care coordination 325 5 – Empirically-supported psychosocial interventions 325 6 – Adjuncts to psychosocial interventions 328 Age-segregated or mixed-age treatment 329 Future directions 330 Acknowledgements 331 References 332 23 Integrated treatment models for co-morbid disorders 340 Rahul (Tony) Rao Introduction 340 Methodological approach to examining SMCD in older people 341 A. Current systems of care for substance misuse and mental disorders 341 B. Service implications 342 C. Principles underlying integrated treatment models for SMCD in older people 342 D. Developing integrated treatment models for older people with substance misuse and co-morbid psychiatric disorders 344 E. Research evidence for integrated treatment models 346 Future direction and challenges 347 References 347 Section 8 Policy: proposals for development 351 24 Proposals for policy development: drugs 353 Susanne MacGregor Introduction 353 Recognition of a need or problem and arguments made to justify the development of policy 354 Policy options 356 Policy design and implementation 359 Conclusion 360 References 360 25 Proposals for alcohol-related policy development United States 364 Ralph Hingson and Ting-Kai Li Recommended low-risk alcohol consumption levels 364 Traffic crash risks among the elderly 365 Driving policy questions 365 Factors to consider when contemplating legal policies 365 Summary and conclusions 369 References 370 26 Proposals for policy development: tobacco 372 Michael Givel Introduction 372 Past and present approaches to reduce tobacco consumption 372 Phase three anti-tobacco efforts 373 Legal approach 373 Regulatory and tobacco tax approaches 374 Anti-tobacco counter-marketing campaigns 376 Recent anti-tobacco proposals 376 Product modification and ‘safer’ cigarettes 376 Harm reduction 377 Cigarette neo-prohibitionism 377 Smoke-free movies 377 Policy proposals to further reduce tobacco prevalence 378 References 378 27 Recommendations 383 Ilana B. Crome, Peter Crome, Rahul (Tony) Rao and Li-Tzy Wu Background 383 Epidemiology 384 Clinical presentations 384 Education and training 385 Who gets treatment – treatment interventions 386 Concluding remarks 386 Index 388

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Book SynopsisThe Dementia Care Partner’s Workbook is a new resource from Companion Press that is both a support group participant’s manual and self-study guide for care partners who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Its ten concise lessons not only walk you through the types, brain biology, and progressive symptoms of dementia but also offer practical tips for managing behaviors, coping with emotional issues, prioritizing self-care, and planning ahead—everything from diagnosis to end-of-life.The Manual provides general information about establishing and leading support groups, counseling skills for leaders and co-leaders, how to handle challenging group participants, step-by-step instructions on how to run each of the ten individual weekly meetings (including meeting-specific handouts), and lots of practical advice.

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Book Synopsis“Landslide is that rare book that somehow succeeds in being both knowing and open-hearted, both formally sly and emotionally direct. Its timeless subjects—grief, storytelling, the giving up of childish things—are rendered in ways that are as movingly honest as they are probing and unfamiliar. A swift, compelling read.” —Adam Haslett, author of Imagine Me GoneMinna Zallman Proctor's Landslide is a captivating collection of interconnected personal essays. These “true stories” explore the author’s complicated relationship with her mother—who was diagnosed with cancer at age fifty-seven and died fifteen years later—and the ways in which their connection was long the “prime mover” of Proctor’s life, the subtle force coursing beneath her adulthood. As such, these vibrant essays also narrate the trials and triumphs of Proctor’s own life—shifting between America and Italy (and loving “being a foreigner, the constant sense of unfamiliarity that supplanted all of my expectations and disappointments”), her bumpy first marriage, the profound pleasure she takes in motherhood, and the confounding experience of trying to arrange a Jewish burial for her “Jewish, not quite Jewish” mother. Proctor has an integrity and humor that is never extinguished despite life’s mounting difficulties. She also slyly questions her own narrative throughout. “Not having told this story before means I never fixed many details in my memory,” she writes. “[I] have to rely on flashes, the transparent stills that hang in my mind, made of smell, the way the light casts, the wind on skin.” The essays in this book are a sharply intelligent exploration of what happens when death and divorce unmoor you from certainties, and about the unreliable stories we tell ourselves, and others, in order to live.

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Book Synopsis· Going Out in Style by Susan Opalka is about creating a celebration-of-life event for you or someone you love that is positive, meaningful and personal. An event that reflects you, your personality; the things you love. Going Out in Style is a collection of stories focused on celebrating the uniqueness of the individual who has passed with an event reflecting who they were in life. The how-to guide, along with the ideas from the stories, will help anyone plan their own send-off or celebration-of-life event, whether it be a service, a party, whatever. Going Out in Style is author Susan Opalka's book about the shift from traditional solemn memorial services to a whole new paradigm of positive and personal "send-off celebrations." This significant shift speaks to all ages with a collection of unique stories demonstrating how individuals have gone out in style - their own personal style. Inspirational and informative, Going Out in Style includes a step-by-step how-to guide to create your own Celebration of Life with easy-to-follow templates and examples. Going Out in Style represents and documents a major trend that is taking place in our society today. Actually, it's more than a major trend. It's a significant culture shift. It's a shift from the traditional, solemn, serious memorial services, to a whole new paradigm of positive and personal "send-off celebrations." It's about wearing big hats Black golf balls Fishing lure earrings Sweet potato curly fries A horned toad And chocolate! · Going Out in Style is a collection of unique, joyful, and heart-warming stories that demonstrate how individuals have gone out in style - their own personal style! But it's not just about elders: It's about 11 year-old Nicky and his Zombie birthday party, A kindergartener named Maya, And Pualani, a high school student. It's about stories that represent all ages. Book Reviews: "I read it from start to finish in one sitting, each story resonating with the joy of life lived, and the unique celebration of the individual by their loved ones. These send-offs will make you laugh, cry, and think - how do I want to go out in style?" ~ Patti Wade, contributing author, Chicken Soup for the Soul "As an Art Therapist, Grief and Bereavement Counselor, and Counselor trainer, I continually witnessed the ways in which the utilization of ritual can be key to helping people honor the lives of those whom they had loved and lost. This book explores the need to give voice to personal loss, and it is filled with moving portraits of individuals striving to celebrate the essences of those whom they still continue to miss after death. Through these heartfelt examinations, the book also highlights the creative and expressive ways in which each person has chosen to share his or her own story. These personal accounts embrace the intricacies of life, love, loss, and remembrance and provide an initial glimpse into the subsequent journey to healing. This must-read is a celebratory gift; it is caring and respectful and is filled with a sense of joyous inspiration. ~ Gail F. Jarson, M.A., Retired from Art Therapy and Counseling "The way we honor and celebrate the life of someone who has died is taking on new and very individual forms. Boomers are not content with the rote services of our parents and are looking to participate in how our loved ones send us off. Going Out in Style is a joy-filled expression of how some of us have custom built highly personal tributes. It is a wonderful read and a trove of inspiration for those of us who are getting closer to the finish line. ~ Marian Lindholtz, M.I.M. Professional WriterTrade ReviewGoing Out in Style is a collection of unique, joyful, and heart-warming stories that demonstrate how individuals have gone out in style -- their own personal style! But it's not just about elders: It's about 11 year-old Nicky and his Zombie birthday party, A kindergartener named Maya, And Pualani, a high school student. It's about stories that represent all ages. Book Reviews: "I read it from start to finish in one sitting, each story resonating with the joy of life lived, and the unique celebration of the individual by their loved ones. These send-offs will make you laugh, cry, and think -- how do I want to go out in style?" -- Patti Wade, contributing author, Chicken Soup for the Soul"As an Art Therapist, Grief and Bereavement Counselor, and Counselor trainer, I continually witnessed the ways in which the utilization of ritual can be key to helping people honor the lives of those whom they had loved and lost. This book explores the need to give voice to personal loss, and it is filled with moving portraits of individuals striving to celebrate the essences of those whom they still continue to miss after death. Through these heartfelt examinations, the book also highlights the creative and expressive ways in which each person has chosen to share his or her own story. These personal accounts embrace the intricacies of life, love, loss, and remembrance and provide an initial glimpse into the subsequent journey to healing. This must-read is a celebratory gift; it is caring and respectful and is filled with a sense of joyous inspiration. -- Gail F Jarson, M.A., Retired from Art Therapy and Counseling"The way we honor and celebrate the life of someone who has died is taking on new and very individual forms. Boomers are not content with the rote services of our parents and are looking to participate in how our loved ones send us off. Going Out in Style is a joy-filled expression of how some of us have custom built highly personal tributes. It is a wonderful read and a trove of inspiration for those of us who are getting closer to the finish line. -- Marian Lindholtz, M.I.M. Professional Writer

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Book SynopsisAn invaluable resource for everyone concerned for the vulnerable people in their lives.Estimates suggest almost half of the adult population will someday be a caregiver, whether for an aging parent, an ailing partner, or a disabled family member. It is a role that tends to fall on people without warning, and almost certainly without preparation or training. Even Dr. Kimberly Fraser, a nurse who ran a large home support business, found it a struggle when her father and husband needed increasing levels of care. In this timely and urgently needed book, she gives readers sound, practical advice on how to meet with humanity and optimism the bewildering array of challenges facing caregivers: where to find help, how to navigate a confusing healthcare system, how to deal with constant demands, how to keep one’s own life from being overwhelmed by new responsibilities. Based on personal experience, prodigious research, and extensive interviews, The Accidental Caregiver is an invaluable resource for everyone concerned for vulnerable people in their lives and communities.

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Book SynopsisAgeing Europe, social policy on older people, deinstitutionalization the social services, social farming

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