Life, Death and the Elderly

Life, Death and the Elderly PDF Author: Margaret Pelling
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134833520
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Debates on policy concerning medical care and social welfare of the elderly become ever more pressing, and many of the assumptions on which they are based are now open to question. This study sets out to provide a historical perspective on the economic, medical, class and gender relations of the elderly, which until now have received relatively little attention. In particular, the position of the elderly is linked to the fundamental issues of health, disability and medical care. With attention currently focused on the setting of the retirement age, community and family care, and pensions, as well as wider debates on the rights of the elderly, this volume aims to supply a historical context for such issues.

Life, Death and the Elderly

Life, Death and the Elderly PDF Author: Margaret Pelling
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134833520
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Debates on policy concerning medical care and social welfare of the elderly become ever more pressing, and many of the assumptions on which they are based are now open to question. This study sets out to provide a historical perspective on the economic, medical, class and gender relations of the elderly, which until now have received relatively little attention. In particular, the position of the elderly is linked to the fundamental issues of health, disability and medical care. With attention currently focused on the setting of the retirement age, community and family care, and pensions, as well as wider debates on the rights of the elderly, this volume aims to supply a historical context for such issues.

Death and Dying in India

Death and Dying in India PDF Author: Suhita Chopra Chatterjee
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1351857487
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
Most aged in India are experiencing a highly protracted death in hospitals, entangled in tubes and machines. Such ‘medicalised death’ entails huge psychological, social and financial costs for both patients and their caregivers. There are also many who are dying in abject neglect. However, Government response to end-of-life care has been almost negligible and there is an acute information deficit on dying matters. This book examines different settings where elderly die, including hospitals, family homes and palliative set-ups. The discourse is set in the backdrop of international attempts to restructure and reconfigure the health delivery system for ageing population. It makes critical commentaries on global developments, offers state-of-art reviews of recent advances, substantiates and corroborates facts by personal narratives and case histories. The book overcomes a segmental understanding of the field by weaving various sociological, medical, legal and cultural issues together. Finally, the authors critically examine biomedicine’s potential to meet the complex needs of the dying elderly. In an attempt to bring cultural sensitivity in end-of-life care, they explore the lost Indic ‘art of dying’ which has the potential to de- medicalise death. Increasing public sensitivity to poor dying conditions of the elderly in India and facilitating changes to improve care systems, this book also demonstrates the limitations of the western specialization of death. It will be of interest to academics in the field of Medical Sociology/Anthropology, Medicine, Palliative care, Public Health and Social Work, Social Policy and Asian Studies.

Aging, Death, and Human Longevity

Aging, Death, and Human Longevity PDF Author: Christine Overall
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520938809
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
With the help of medicine and technology we are living longer than ever before. As human life spans have increased, the moral and political issues surrounding longevity have become more complex. Should we desire to live as long as possible? What are the social ramifications of longer lives? How does a longer life span change the way we think about the value of our lives and about death and dying? Christine Overall offers a clear and intelligent discussion of the philosophical and cultural issues surrounding this difficult and often emotionally charged issue. Her book is unique in its comprehensive presentation and evaluation of the arguments—both ancient and contemporary—for and against prolonging life. It also proposes a progressive social policy for responding to dramatic increases in life expectancy. Writing from a feminist perspective, Overall highlights the ways that our biases about race, class, and gender have affected our views of elderly people and longevity, and her policy recommendations represent an effort to overcome these biases. She also covers the arguments surrounding the question of the "duty to die" and includes a provocative discussion of immortality. After judiciously weighing the benefits and the risks of prolonging human life, Overall persuasively concludes that the length of life does matter and that its duration can make a difference to the quality and value of our lives. Her book will be an essential guide as we consider our social responsibilities, the meaning of human life, and the prospects of living longer.

Life, Death and the Elderly

Life, Death and the Elderly PDF Author: Margaret Pelling
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780203297209
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description


Death Attitudes and the Older Adult

Death Attitudes and the Older Adult PDF Author: Adrian Tomer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317714644
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
This innovative and informative new text bridges the fields of gerontology and thanatology.

Getting Your Affairs in Order

Getting Your Affairs in Order PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Advance directives (Medical care)
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Book Description


Approaching Death

Approaching Death PDF Author: Committee on Care at the End of Life
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309518253
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 457

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Book Description
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."

Death Attitudes and the Older Adult

Death Attitudes and the Older Adult PDF Author: Adrian Tomer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317714652
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
This innovative and informative new text bridges the fields of gerontology and thanatology.

Your Turn for Care

Your Turn for Care PDF Author: Laura S. Brown
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781478274186
Category : Abused children
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Your Turn is the first book for adults who were abused and maltreated by older family members who are now faced with the aging and death of those abusive elders. This book discusses the reasons that this normal life passage has become especially difficult for adult survivors, drawing on psychological research about the long-term effects of childhood maltreatment. It then addresses how adult survivors can move through this time of time and make it into an opportunity for their own healing. Specific suggestions for self-care and strategies for decision-making are presented. An extensive list of written and on-line resources on a variety of related topics is included in the book. Your Turn is the only book that speaks to the special concerns of adult survivors of childhood maltreatment who are at this juncture in their lives.

At Peace

At Peace PDF Author: Samuel Harrington
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1478917431
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
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.