Aging Books

The Elder Within provides insights and tools for men to connect with younger generations and equally important, to pass on a living legacy. This book continues to give me much to think about, as it challenges men to act in making a positive difference with present and future generations.

Eric Allenbaugh
"Wakeup Calls", Discovery Pub. 1992

Terry has written a landmark book for men who are entering the last phase of their life. It is an excellent handbook for tapping into the Elder within you, practical exercises and suggestions for being an effective Elder.

Highly recommended !...

In his book "The Elder Within", Terry Jones brings the insights of a wide range of mythologists, psychologists and other experts to bear on the meaning of mature masculinity in the 21st century. His passion to explore his own "eldership" fuels his re-visioning of the traditional male roles of protector, provider and teacher. Offering simple, practical ways of becoming an elder in the family and community, Jones pictures the elder as generative, accessible, a listener, a steward of the planet, one who blesses, who makes himself available in quiet, attentive ways to being a resource. Jones's approach is gentle, invitational, inclusive, embodying his own idea of eldership. Readers will find comfort, encouragement and fresh ideas about their own process of embracing the elder within and living their own wisdom to the benefit of others. The book will be useful for group study as well as personal reflection.

In a society where father-hunger is of epidemic proportions and where retirement is commonly viewed as self-indulgent withdrawal, Terry Jones' vision of eldership is enormously important. Drawing on the rich history of eldership in other ages and cultures, Jones calls men to an egalitarian, non-patriarchal "mature masculinity" which is life-giving not only to men but also to women, children and the planet. I hope this book will be widely read and its message given embodiment.
James B. Nelson
Emeritus Professor of Christian Ethics
United Theological Seminary of th Twin Cities

Jones, in very simple English, tells us what happened, where we're at, and where we need to go. I couldn't put the book down. There is so much wisdom in less than two hundred pages.

I spoke to two men who seldom finish a book, and both said they only read a third of the book, but what they did read was good. I told them that all they read was how we got off track. The how-to, the action to take, the gold, is in the last third of the book, just like it is in the last third of life.

Jones dispels the belief that our final years should be either of self-indulgence in our motor homes and on the Florida beaches, or of sitting around wondering why we can't be young. He provides all sorts of ways to be in truly enjoyable service, and suggests that our indulgence can come in the form of sharing our stories and watching as our mentorship makes a difference in the earth, our community, or in the life of a mentee.

Since the majority of Americans are going to be in the over-fifty range soon, the book could not be more timely. This book will change your way of looking at either what you've been missing (if you are over 50) or what you have to look forward to (if you are under fifty). At 54 and recently laid off from my sales career, The Elder Within has shown me the path for the rest of my life. It will be my handbook from here on out.

I'm off to see the rabbi in South Bend.

Dr. Bertman's "Facing Death"  has helped me and my clients.  A new favorite, I refer to it often. As a therapist, I find it to be the most valuable relevent addition to my library.   Loaded with tools and comforting observations made by children and  adults of many walks of life, we're shown the relevance of the grieving process to us all regardless of our ethnic background, sosioeconomic status, or age.  I share these quotations and observations with my clients.

As an individual,  trying to make sence of my own grieving process, I find  the book to be a refreshing  sorce of  emotional comfort. It's full of theraputic gifts.  Were I currently teaching I would insist my students read this book.

I thought the book gave an excelent view of living with death. I got the book to help me with my studdies and I found it very usefull.

Bertman has done an excellant job of jam packing a book full of paintings, sculpture, line art, cartoons and diagrams on the subject of death. Thoough her focus is mostly on dying the images are relevant, as well, in exploring mortality in general. Bertman has not made the mistake of making her work too theoretical or logocentric. She offers advice for creating art related to dying as well as advice on interpreting such art.
This book serves well in a death education course,or for the art therapist working in a hospice or similar setting as well as individuals who wish to explore ideas on death that are manifested in art.

As a medical educator, it can be difficult to find ways of helping students explore their emotional responses to suffering, death, and grief in ways that are safe and accessible, but challenging and useful. Dr. Bertman's book has turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. This collection of visual representations with explanatory text is a great starting place for discussions about the issues of life, death, and illness for learners at any level, from children to patients and families, to health care practitioners.

Facing Death is an extraordinary resource for health care professionals and teachers, religious leaders, and for anyone either contemplating death in the abstract or facing it personally or as a friend or relative of someone with a fatal illness. It is an exquisite and empathic blend of reflect, review, verbal and visual images, and practical suggestions. It contains poignant quotes from poets, novelists, and families; powerful photographs of the interactions of family members with a dying grandparent; drawings by students asked to depict their feelings about death; and photographs of great and powerful works of visual art. The author uses the arts as stimuli to help patients and students acknowledge and explore their own feelings and behaviors. This book is enormously useful to me as a mortal middle-aged human being, as a physician caring for patients, and as a teacher.

My husband had received this book for his 50th birthday so he knew it was good. Our neighbor is enjoying it too.

Knowledgeably edited by Ronnie Sellers, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is an informed and thought-provoking collection of fifty writers contributing ideas, advice, observations, and instructions upon turning fifty years old. As an ideal how-to and what-to-do book informing its readers of the many fears and beliefs that might concern most fifty-year-olds, and explores why they might feel as they do and what to do to avoid or confront such barriers. Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is very strongly recommended to all readers who have or are contemplating turning fifty-something as the ultimate guideline of staying young as an explorative and practical fifty-year-old.

This is a compilation from various authors writing on the subject of turning 50. The first contributor really lays it on the line by saying "Stop complaining" and get your act together so that you'll get through many years after 50. I appreciated that these 50 writers "provided essays on a pro-bono basis" and profits from the book will go toward non-profit organizations focused on cancer research. This is a great book to give as a gift to friends reaching this sometimes challenging milestone.

Knowledgeably edited by Ronnie Sellers, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is an informed and thought-provoking collection of fifty writers contributing ideas, advice, observations, and instructions upon turning fifty years old. As an ideal how-to and what-to-do book informing its readers of the many fears and beliefs that might concern most fifty-year-olds, and explores why they might feel as they do and what to do to avoid or confront such barriers. Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is very strongly recommended to all readers who have or are contemplating turning fifty-something as the ultimate guideline of staying young as an explorative and practical fifty-year-old.

Knowledgeably edited by Ronnie Sellers, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is an informed and thought-provoking collection of fifty writers contributing ideas, advice, observations, and instructions upon turning fifty years old. As an ideal how-to and what-to-do book informing its readers of the many fears and beliefs that might concern most fifty-year-olds, and explores why they might feel as they do and what to do to avoid or confront such barriers. Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty is very strongly recommended to all readers who have or are contemplating turning fifty-something as the ultimate guideline of staying young as an explorative and practical fifty-year-old.

I was introduced to this book while visiting a friend in Nevada, MO, who took me to a dramatic reading of this gem of a collection of thoughts and observations on the wins and losses of the aging process, though Ms. Thornton manages to turn even the losses into wins with her ability to find the humor in everything from the difficulty of dealing with a newly organized purse to how to get out of a rocker with a new grandchild weighing you down. I laughed until my side hurt at the performance, and upon reading the book itself, surprised myself by chortling even more. The book also contains more than its share of profound observations on life, all colored with Ms. Thornton's obvious love and zest for the humor and beauty that surrounds us. I recommend this book unequivocally.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Carolyn's sense of humor and her outlook on life creates positive energy and seems to lighten the road for us who haven't yet reached middle age. It's a fun, easy reading novel that will bring many laughs and enjoyment for all ages. Highly recommended!

Winning the Book of the Year Award in Missouri, this book is a classic read for anyone turning 50 and beyond. Ms. Thornton has an amazing amount of talent, and her wit and charm come through every page of this excellent book. Her column has been a success for years, and now with her publications, the trend continues. Read this book. You will love it. 5 stars and beyond.

You'll certainly be enchanted by this author's writings. I found myself laughing aloud at some of her tales! Yup, been there, done that myself :o) Carolyn Gray Thornton will take you down a pleasant 'memory-lane' throughout the book. I wanted to quote some of my favorite passages here, but I'd be quoting the WHOLE BOOK. Only bad thing about this is trying to lay it down for the night! It's a MUST read for "the Joy of Middle Age-Plus" or for the younger-set to learn of their heritage. And a great gift for your Senior family and friends!!

This book gives delightful tales that anyone getting older can relate to. The author provides a number of entertaining essays on various subjects dealing with life as a middle-aged plus person (her term for older people). A wonderful book for those over-the-hill birthdays. The recipient will enjoy this gift long after the black balloons have deflated and the cake appeared around the waistline. The author teaches you to laugh at the aging process and keep going. She is an inspiration to everyone that life does not end at 30, it only gets richer.

Carl Helvie's Healthy Holistic Aging offers a thoughtful and insightful guide for any of us who want to be healthy throughout our lifetimes and to prolong the time of our lives that is disease free.

His book provides an approach that is very holistic and that embraces our physical, mental and spiritual aspects as well as our interactions with each other and our environment. The reader is offered many ways to evaluate her/his health in each of these areas as well as a number of checklists and questionnaires that help the reader make self assessments and find practical solutions to health-related issues. Many examples of positive physical, mental and spiritual health behaviors are presented.

The book is soundly based on scientific research, but includes an overarching wisdom drawn from Helvie's considerable experience as a nurse, nursing educator and public health practitioner. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on positive mental and spiritual health behaviors and the many passages relating to health and relationships and also to health and our environment. I liked Helvie's stress on the importance of intervention and advocacy in matters of the environment and health.

I think this is a good book to use to make a solid self-assessment as to one's health from a holitstic perspective, with lots of good information and ideas for contending with health concerns in contemporary society. I recommend it to [...] buyers.

Carl Helvie's book, Healthy Holistic Aging, strikes a chord with many of his wise and economical suggestions for living to a drug-free old age. His list of herbs and their uses was especialy helpful. The book is written using his own experiences with the western medical regime (he has earned a doctorate in Public Health Nursing) versus his healing with alternative, gentler methods during his bout with lung cancer. His book also addresses the importance of healthy relationships to prolonging life--a topic that isn't readily addressed in other discussions of old age. Each topic is discussed candidly and clearly, from protecting one's environment to becoming a legislative activist; from surrounding oneself with beauty to eating and exercising wisely and well. Many studies are cited if the reader would like to explore furthur. I highly recommend this book as a general reference as well as for casual reading.

It is clear from the start that Dr. Helvie's intention is for each individual's total health - body, mind and spirit. He takes you step by step, (sometimes baby steps which are greatly appreciated), through the process of awareness, to understanding, and then offers directions to the path of healing. It is evident that the author believes in and practices what he preaches. The book is written to appeal to a wide audience and in easy to understand terms. I also suggest opening the book to a random page and read the pearls of wisdom offered. Do this often and the words will encourage you and support you on your road to Healthy Holistic Aging.

This blueprint advances the field of aging and efforts to improve the population's health and quality of life through direct education and information to the population as a whole. Dr. Helvie highlights the role of the community in assisting the individual and population to successfully attain optimum in health, environment and aging. This population - based approach goes further in its dissemination, beyond the confines of the book to include an interactive component that welcomes the reader to add information and update current research and information. In so doing, the author has engaged the populace in not only one's individual health and well being but that of the entire population. There are no boundaries using this dissemination and interaction approach.

What is exemplary about Healthy Holistic Aging is that the book not only provides an easy to follow blueprint for health and holistic aging, but the author is an exceptional role model for his program. Can you live a healthy and independent life to the age of 100? Can you enjoy positive relationships? Can you maintain a healthy environment? Carl Helvie says you can and at age 74, he's a perfect example of the right things to do. He has no chronic illnesses and is among the 11% of the age 65-and-overs who take no prescribed medications. As a professor emeritus and a doctor of public health, he knows whereof he speaks and cites overwhelming scientific evidence that good diet, exercise, adequate sleep, prayer, meditation, positive relationship with others and a clean and safe environment can ensure successful aging.

I just hope all of us will listen.

Carolyn Chambers Clark, RN, EdD
Author, Living Well with Anxiety

I found the book most useful as it gave me inside views of the worker and patient that I, as an advocate, had not thought of. It verified a lot of feelings and frustrations I have had in assisting my mother with her care and gave me new angles to use in my planning with her. I was grateful to find an uncluttered index and the large type makes it easy to find information throughout the book. I wish I had had this book five years ago, when care for my mother first became necessary.

A wonderful book. I only wish I had read its contents when I was helping take care of seventy golden agers in a nursing home. Although the book is for homecare, many of the concepts can apply in any setting. It is heartwarming to know a human being with a compassionate heart will never be replaced by a machine.

I was the primary care provider when my wife had lung cancer. When my 94 year old mother fell I was lucky enough to get a copy of the book. It provides answers without time consuming research. I was so impressed I bought a dozen copies for friends and family.

Finally a book on home care that is reader friendly!! So much info, so easy to understand. If you have questions, this book has the answers!!

I found this book to be comprehensive, yet simple to follow. It contains valuable information about every aspect of homecare--much of which, experience is the only other source. The author has created an excellent support and reference tool.

As a senior myself I found Invent Your Retirement to be an excellent resource guide providing me not only with information in areas where I have an interest like prescription drugs, memory loss and continuing education, but also web sites and books where I can find more detailed information on these and a host of other senior related topics. Great find!

Very highly recommended and informative reading, Invent Your Retirement: Resources For The Good Life by Art Koff is a quality reference for soon-to-be retirees searching for a "user-friendly" guide in preparing for retirement. Educating readers on all aspects and foresight into retirement, Invent Your Retirement covers a decision process consisting of tips and tactics to determine an ideal residential location, longevity via exercise, working, volunteering, further schooling, dietary adjustments, adopting a pet, understanding memory loss, beginning a business or home office, becoming computer literate, protecting credit, funding retirement, estate planning, investment strategies, insightful health matters, prescription drugs, assisted living, long-term care insurance, nursing homes, and understanding how Social Security and Medicare. Invent Your Retirement is a superb collection of useful and instructive material for successful retired living.

As an RN I found Invent Your Retirement to be a very informative book. It is an excellent resource for those thinking about retirement as well as seniors who have already retired. The book is clearly written and provides concise information. We don't just stop when we retire. Art Koff understands this and explores ways seniors can stay intellectually active, keep health care coverage and medical costs down and, suggests places where seniors who want to work can apply to get part time or temporary employment. This book is filled with web sites that yield valuable information. It sensitively but thoroughly explores emotional issues such as assisted living, memory loss and, estate planning. It is very easy to read and is written is an uncomplicated and straightforward manner. I found it insightful and educational. I highly recommend it if you either are a senior, have a loved one who is a senior, or are approaching your retirement. I give it 5 stars.

Reviewed by Robert Watson for Reader Views (4/06)

Retirement! Some can't wait, some hold off as long as possible and some have no clue what retirement really means to them.

Art Koff has designed a concise and positive manual for the senior who is facing the challenges of the next phase of their life. A guide to nurture that new business, develop new social ties, make a difference with all that new available time, or just become computer literate, it's all there. Any aspect of life that could possibly effect or influence the retiree is detailed in this hand book, allowing the reader to develop a renewed attitude towards retirement.

Approaching the retirement zone myself at sixty-five years, I had many questions needing answers and Koff provided the necessary tools to find the positive direction I needed to continue. He also inspired me to stretch and look outside the box for the real answers. This encouraged me to remain in the working world for an additional, maybe five, possibly ten, more fulfilling years.

Koff's style and simplicity in creating this book make it a joy to have on your shelf for a future reference as well as being an informative read.

If you are retired, close to retirement, or have family members or friends close to retirement, this book is for you. Author Art Koff (a senior who surely knows how to keep busy) has compiled a wealth of readable and informative material that covers almost every conceivable subject and question a senior or retiree can have.

Retirement, says Koff, doesn't mean sitting back in the rocking chair and watching the world pass you by. Seniors today have more choices and more opportunity than ever before. But a multitude of choices also means a multitude of questions. Are you puzzled about social security and health costs and insurance questions? Are you thinking of going back to work or volunteering? Do you want to learn how to use e-mail? Are you concerned about memory loss?

This book provides you with the answers to these and other questions. Koff has brought together information from numerous sources, including federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration and Medicare and the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, State, and the Food and Drug Administration, plus private individuals and organizations like the AARP and the Alzheimer's Association.

If you want to become computer literate and a proficient Internet user (and Koff strongly thinks seniors should do this), the book supplies an understandable computer primer. This gives specific commands to do everything from forwarding e-mail to playing music CDs to renaming Word documents.

You may not have thought about many of the topics Koff discusses, including protecting your credit, setting up your home office, the best employers for part-time workers, and choosing a pet. (Learn why Koff thinks long-haired cats are good choices for retirees.)

Throughout the book are numerous references, websites, addresses, and phone numbers to help you get more information. Presumably this material will be updated in future editions.

Invent Your Retirement is an invaluable and readable resource for seniors. Don't retire without it.

This is a fine book to read in in small bites in waiting rooms, on a lunch break, or in a cafe. Upbeat and sensible advice about mastering middle age is offered in short, chapters and sidebars, a lot like web-page layout. Swartz manages to make aging sound like fun, a rare treasure when so many books bum me out with their third-trimester-of-life, winding down for the big ending approach.

There is something especially rewarding about reading a non-fiction book that has you just nodding your head in agreement throughout. The book jacket says it's about life after 50, a point I haven't reached yet, from the female perspective, a point I'm not aiming at. It is that, but it's more. It's about life in general, and you'll want to read it straight through, guaranteed. Honest, wise, humor which is totally unforced, and a very easy-to-read style that only comes from a writer who works as hard as possible to ensure the reader isn't aware she's worked at all. I've been assembling a little "reference shelf" of books that I won't sell to the local used bookshops. This book is on that shelf.

I'm not quite fifty yet, but I knew I had to read this book after Susan interviewed me for her chapter, Take Care of Those Tootsies. The chapters dedicated to medical problems in women over fifty are short, smart and funny. Susan Swartz is able to bring humor to difficult subjects. "Make the Damned Appointment" is how she starts these chapters and this tone is carried throughout her book. I love the short chapters, the tips listed in the columns and the humor injected into the absurd things women deal with throughout life. I would recommend this book not only to ALL women over fifty, but also to women approaching fifty.

This is the kind of practical, fun to read and inspiring book that reminds us of our ripe side.

In sharing it with friends and suggesting it at associations of professional women when I speak at their annual conferences I always suggest that they find a good woman friend and read sections out loud to each other (been such a rich experience for me)- to reinforce in each other that we can all be scouts (and share what we discover) for the adventures and contributions we can create for these next chapters of our life stories - as we choose to live them.

Kudos to Susan... and when is your next book coming out?!

Here's a new image of the 50+ age woman: someone who enjoys her lushness and gets the most out of life. Here experience is an asset and women's power is touted as a strength, not something to be ashamed of. THE JUICY TOMATOES GUIDE TO RIPE LIVING AFTER 50 uses the biographical sketches of women who live this ideal to demonstrate how the best years can be lived after 50.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This book is an easy read, yet each message can be savored and prayed. Both humor and inspirations abound. The large print (about 16 pt font) is appealing for those with failing vision.

Missy Buchanan has written a wonderful book. She has a very great understanding and feeling for us older folks. As I read the vaious pages I so very often found myself saying, "yes,yes. that is how it is.". I plan to re-read this book soon as it is so inspirng. It is the kind of book you wish wold just keep going on and on.

































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I recently ordered a copy of Living With Purpose in a Worn Out Body for my eight-five year old mother-in-law who has been a resident of an assisted living facility for six years.

Author, Missy Buchanan has done a wonderful job of describing Mom's discouragement, doubts, and fears. She has captured the atmosphere in which Mom and others like her live.

I am thankful for her words of hope and encouragement that will help these dear ones find purpose in their last years.

Mom has found this book meaningful and it has lifted her spirits.
Large type also makes it easier for her to read.

I plan to order additional copies for gifts.

God is good! And God has blessed Missy Buchanan with the ability to relate what it is to be one of the frail elderly. My mother died last year at the age of 93, and reading through Missy's pages I am reminded again and again of how she endured those years of her failing health with such hope and grace.
I plan to share her book with the Stephen Ministers in our church, as several are caring for some of our older church members. It is perfect for this ministry.
Marilyn Hamilton
Dallas, Texas

I bought this book to use with my patients. I facilitate an outpatient gero-psych therapy group and also assist the social worker in the nursing home our facility operates. This book exceeded my expectations! One of our patients was so touched by it; we sent it home with her. We've purchased 10 more. We have the best discussions with our patients after praying and studying with this resource.

This book really spoke to me. My mother is suffering from Alzheimer's much like the Author's did. I am several states away from my parents and I could relate to Charlotte's brother who didn't live near their mother. I have 2 sisters that help care for my parents but I had been having problems understanding the disease and my sister's words about what was going on with my mother. This book gave me insite to what my sister might be feeling as well as somethings my own mother might yet go through. I purchased the book for my sister and called her just to talk to her. That is something I hadn't done for a long time. I suggest this book to anyone that has a loved one with Alzheimers.

This book is full of real life; so enjoyable to read; the kind you do not want to put down until you are done--and I didn't. Then it leaves you with thinking and feeling about the very important things in life around us, like those we love and care for every day.

I cried and I laughed throughout the entire book, and at the end I felt as though I had somehow shared part of the authors road with her for a brief time. She was so vulnerable with all that she walked through in her own personal experience with caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's. I really appreciated that about this book.

The author did an outstanding job presenting the reality of Alzheimer's from a medical standpoint, as well as that of being a family member affected by the disease. Then she walks you through the role of being the actual caregiver. Wow!

Being a health care professional myself, I felt the facts and new insights that were presented in this book were excellent. It is a great resource for those working with Alzheimer patients and for any person who has been called to the care of their own loved one with Alzheimer's. It was a beautiful illustration of laying one's own life down and all that entails. It is a challenge to those dealing with caring for their own ill loved one, as well a great source of encouragement!

I highly recommend this book to health professionals dealing with Alzheimer's, and the friends and most of all, families, of those whose lives this tragic disease has struck. You will not regret the time devoted to this very meaningful book.

The Long Road Called Goodbye is a chronicle of the progress of Alzheimer's in the life of a elderly woman. I must admit I had a hard time putting the book down and read it in only two days. This book was invaluable to me, because my mother also has also been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. About five years ago I was certain something was wrong with my mother. When I tried to discuss it with my siblings they acted as if I was off my rocker! My siblings couldn't see it. How Alzheimer patients can put on a front at times and seem perfectly disease free is discussed in the book.

Alzheimer’s feels like a journey into a black hole—a wide expanse of unknown, uncharted territory. This book sheds some light on what we can expect in the years to come, ways to help out, loving options for patient care, and ways to cope. It has also helped me identify where my mother is in the process at this time. This book gives hope and understanding. If you know anyone or any family suffering from this disease I recommend you read this book. The Long Road Called Goodbye is written in plain language (not medical jargon) and is a wonderful step in getting the disease out into the open, so it can be understood rather than just feared.

A very informative book written without the medicinal coldness of medical terminology. A truly real life journey of a beloved family member and the family through the anguish, confusion, sorrow, and most of all the challenges faced with the oncoming and changing stages of Alzheimer's Disease. As a spouse of an Alzheimer's victim, I wish this book had been available 6 years ago, It would have helped even more than it has today. The author has given us all a new insight and awareness to this disease and shines a new more hopeful light on how to deal with this terrible disease. Even Medical Professionals could learn something from this book this book is a precursor to the delema we will be facing in ten years when some 14,000,000 boomers will be on the Alzheimers journey.

This book looks at some of the hard decisions caregivers, esp. of Alzheimer's patients, "get" to make. How much social contact should a person with Alzheimer's have at various stages of the disease? What is "life support" for Alzheimer's patients? What type of care (nursing home, foster care, assisted living, live-in help) is best for someone battling dementia? And does a caregiver get through these decisions guilt-free? If you know anyone with Alzheimer's Disease, read this book. If you are a caregiver, it will help you make your own decisions; if you are a friend of a caregiver, it will help you support the caregiver; if you are a friend of the Alzheimer's patient, it will help you "find" your "lost" friend.