At Peace

At Peace
Author: Samuel Harrington
Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2018-02-06
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1478917431

The authoritative, informative, and reassuring guide on end-of-life care for our aging population. Most people say they would like to die quietly at home. But overly aggressive medical advice, coupled with an unrealistic sense of invincibility or overconfidence in our health-care system, results in the majority of elderly patients misguidedly dying in institutions. Many undergo painful procedures instead of having the better and more peaceful death they deserve. At Peace outlines specific active and passive steps that older patients and their health-care proxies can take to ensure loved ones live their last days comfortably at home and/or in hospice when further aggressive care is inappropriate. Through Dr. Samuel Harrington's own experience with the aging and deaths of his parents and of working with patients, he describes the terminal patterns of the six most common chronic diseases; how to recognize a terminal diagnosis even when the doctor is not clear about it; how to have the hard conversation about end-of-life wishes; how to minimize painful treatments; when to seek hospice care; and how to deal with dementia and other special issues. Informed by more than thirty years of clinical practice, Dr. Harrington came to understand that the American health-care system wasn't designed to treat the aging population with care and compassion. His work as a hospice trustee and later as a hospital trustee drove his passion for helping patients make appropriate end-of-life decisions.

Dying Well

Dying Well
Author: Ira Byock
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 321
Release: 1998-03-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 110150028X

From Ira Byock, prominent palliative care physician and expert in end of life decisions, a lesson in Dying Well. Nobody should have to die in pain. Nobody should have to die alone. This is Ira Byock's dream, and he is dedicating his life to making it come true. Dying Well brings us to the homes and bedsides of families with whom Dr. Byock has worked, telling stories of love and reconciliation in the face of tragedy, pain, medical drama, and conflict. Through the true stories of patients, he shows us that a lot of important emotional work can be accomplished in the final months, weeks, and even days of life. It is a companion for families, showing them how to deal with doctors, how to talk to loved ones—and how to make the end of life as meaningful and enriching as the beginning. Ira Byock is also the author of The Best Care Possible: A Physician's Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life.

Approaching Death

Approaching Death
Author: Committee on Care at the End of Life
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 457
Release: 1997-10-30
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309518253

When the end of life makes its inevitable appearance, people should be able to expect reliable, humane, and effective caregiving. Yet too many dying people suffer unnecessarily. While an "overtreated" dying is feared, untreated pain or emotional abandonment are equally frightening. Approaching Death reflects a wide-ranging effort to understand what we know about care at the end of life, what we have yet to learn, and what we know but do not adequately apply. It seeks to build understanding of what constitutes good care for the dying and offers recommendations to decisionmakers that address specific barriers to achieving good care. This volume offers a profile of when, where, and how Americans die. It examines the dimensions of caring at the end of life: Determining diagnosis and prognosis and communicating these to patient and family. Establishing clinical and personal goals. Matching physical, psychological, spiritual, and practical care strategies to the patient's values and circumstances. Approaching Death considers the dying experience in hospitals, nursing homes, and other settings and the role of interdisciplinary teams and managed care. It offers perspectives on quality measurement and improvement, the role of practice guidelines, cost concerns, and legal issues such as assisted suicide. The book proposes how health professionals can become better prepared to care well for those who are dying and to understand that these are not patients for whom "nothing can be done."

Living Well at the End of Life

Living Well at the End of Life
Author: Joanne Lynn
Publisher: RAND Corporation
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2003
Genre: Medical
ISBN:

Self-care deficits and a slowly dwindling course to death, which usually results from frailty or dementia. Effective and reliable care for persons coming to the end of life will require changes in the organization and financing of care to match these trajectories, as well as compassionate and skillful clinicians. (Available from the publisher or libraries holding the journal.).

Aging with a Plan

Aging with a Plan
Author: Sharona Hoffman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2015-05-12
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN:

This book offers a concise, comprehensive resource for middle-aged readers who are facing the prospects of their own aging and of caring for elderly relatives—an often overwhelming task for which little in life prepares us. Everyone ages, and nearly everyone will also experience having to support aging relatives. Being prepared is the best way to handle this inevitable life stage. This book addresses a breadth of topics that are relevant to aging and caring for the elderly, analyzing each thoroughly and providing up-to-date, practical advice. It can serve as a concise and comprehensive resource read start-to-finish to plan for an individual's own old age or to anticipate the needs of aging relatives, or as a quick-reference guide on specific issues and topics as relevant to each reader's situation and needs. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Aging with a Plan: How a Little Thought Today Can Vastly Improve Your Tomorrow develops recommendations for building sustainable social, legal, medical, and financial support systems that can promote a good quality of life throughout the aging process. Chapters address critical topics such as retirement savings and expenses, residential settings, legal planning, the elderly and driving, long-term care, and end-of-life decisions. The author combines analysis of recent research on the challenges of aging with engaging anecdotes and personal observations. By following the recommendations in this book, readers in their 40s, 50s, and early 60s will greatly benefit from learning about the issues regarding aging in the 21st century—and from investing some effort in planning for their old age and that of their loved ones.

Creating the Good Will

Creating the Good Will
Author: Elizabeth Arnold
Publisher: Portfolio
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2006-12-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781591841456

Leave your family peace of mind with this new approach to wills and estates Whenever Elizabeth Arnold tells people her specialty, they usually share their own family dilemmas. Maybe Dad left behind a misguided or inadequate will. Maybe Aunt Sue nabbed the vase that wasn’t in Grandma’s will and Aunt Pat hasn’t spoken a kind word to her since. Maybe Sis can’t decide who should get the kids in case of a tragedy, so she doesn’t have any will at all. Such tales of woe have nothing to do with legal or tax problems. The real issues behind wills gone wrong—or wills that never get off the ground—are the human ones. Creating the Good Will tackles the important human dimensions that most books about wills fail to address. Arnold teaches her readers that wills are not just legal documents but also heartfelt emotional tools.

The Merck Manual of Health & Aging

The Merck Manual of Health & Aging
Author: Merck & Co., Inc.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 994
Release: 2005-11-29
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 0345482743

"A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR ANYONE WHO SEEKS A HEALTHIER OLD AGE FOR THEMSELVES OR THEIR LOVED ONES.” –William D. Novelli, CEO, AARP If aging were an open book, it would be The Merck Manual of Health & Aging. From one of the most trusted names in medical reference comes an accessible, all-inclusive guide for older adults that shares what measures to take to optimize the aging process, prevent disease, and improve your overall health. This comprehensive book also explains the health care system and the disorders seniors are most likely to experience. Inside you’ll discover clear, authoritative information on • preventive medical care and good nutrition • common medical disorders in older adults • strategies for coping with disease • steps for finding the best in medical care • how to communicate with health care practitioners • the role of alternative and complementary medicine • the benefits and risks of medical tests • the challenges of caregiving and rehabilitation • how the body ages • safe, easy-to-follow cardio exercises • the social, legal, and ethical issues of aging Also featuring candid essays by seniors who share their insights and personal experiences on growing older, The Merck Manual of Health & Aging is an essential home reference for making your later years truly golden.

Squint

Squint
Author: Margit Novack
Publisher: Extra Step Media
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2021-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780578933030

"Squint," Margit Novack's unique memoir, opens our eyes to the abundant possibilities of later life. She pairs profound and memorable personal stories with larger themes -- downsizing, caregiving, forgiveness, estrangement, and more -- and shows that with the right perspective and "re-visioning," the future is rich with possibility. Realistic, compassionate, substantive, and uplifting, Margit Novack's "Squint" is a guidebook that leaves us better equipped for the years ahead.

Seniors Guide to Pain-free Living

Seniors Guide to Pain-free Living
Author: Doug Dollemore
Publisher: Rodale Books
Total Pages: 616
Release: 2000
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781579541279

Seniors take more prescription and over-the-counter drugs than any other group. And more than any other group, seniors assume that pain is a natural part of aging -- now the experts at Prevention magazine prove that it is not. No other book focuses specifically on pain in the elderly. Offering all-natural remedies for more than 100 painful conditions, this reference also identifies the top 20 pains that plague seniors in particular. Any reader with pain problems -- and evidence suggests that over 90 percent of people over 60 have dealt with at least one of these 20 problems -- can easily find the remedy. In addition to this section, the book covers each ailment in three distinct ways: -- Immediate Relief: the first section in each chapter offers options on quick and effective relief-- More Lasting Relief: the chapter then discusses how to gain long-term, non-drug pain relief-- Pain Prevention: the end of the chapter shows how to prevent -- even remove -- pain