Aging Books

I bought my first book by these nuts, called "Humans" at a garage sale, and have been hooked ever since.
If you think this one is good, you really should get "Humans" also.
You will love it.

My husband and I read this one together and that NEVER happens. The sketches are a riot. A great gift for a brother or sister who know how the "Coots" in the family operate. We were delighted. I'm going after"Biddys" so I can have a matched set. Gettin up there myself. Buy it Now!

This book was introduced to me at an Alzheimer's support group meeting that I just recently joined. The daily meditations are very inspiring and support my needs for help.

This book is an outstanding resource in finding useful caregiving tips when you really need them - which is daily. When my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, this book helped me understand how to lovingly deal with him. I knew someone who'd been through the same situations was helping our family during a difficult time. Every family member or friend affected by Alzheimer's needs to have this book!

Tiffany

Blending memory, anticipation, loss, and hope, Diane Payne weaves a moving tale about mortality, grief, and companionship. Caught between remembrance of a past that appears irretrievable and a future that portends only decrepitude, Payne tells the story of a man who, against all odds, manages to salvage a present that dispels the enveloping darkness and affirms life in all its exhilarating contingency.

Reading this great story made me want to get up and walk the dog, maybe even take a swim if it wasn't so cold outside.

This book is one of the greatests historical studies on aging that have been produced in the last years. Those who wants to think the medicalization of old age in a critical way will apreciate this book.

This book offers the reader a detailed insight into the formation of our current perceptions of our elders. A great find and well recommended to anyone interested in the field of gerontology, or developmental psychology.

This book is written in a very enjoyable format. Thru the exchange of a series of letters between 2 old friends, we connect with the woes-but ultimately the joys-of growing old. Together the 2 friends form an "encouragement team" to encourage each other to "keep on keepin' on"....always learning, always growing, staying connected.

The author reminds us that so many older adults feel useless because they have LEARNED to believe this about themselves. They believe they are powerless. But it is possible to UN-learn these unhelpful beliefs. This book is packed full of optimistic quotes and insights to urge us all to awaken to the joy and beauty of later life and to celebrate the aging process.

I don't know the publishing/literary terms to use, but when i held this book in my hands and opened it, it's one of those books that shouted "read me!" I appreciate the large type and bigger spaces between the lines.

Focusing on advice and inspiration for mid-life and beyond, Marsha Sinetar's latest book is a winner. She takes a whimsical new approach, exploring how to live a spirit-filled life through a correspondence between two lively, intellectually curious longtime friends.
The two friends discuss their contrasting viewpoints: one, which should be familiar to Sinetar's fans, looks at a prayerful life, while the other friend has a more secular style. But Sinetar ultimately shows readers how they can age well, with humor and an open heart. "Don't Call Me Old" is a charming, quick read, but a book readers will want to revisit again and again.

If you have an aging loved one in you life who may have to face hanging up the keys, this is a must read!!!

I purchased this book after seeing an interview with the author on Good Morning America last week. I have reason to suspect that my dad may be nearing the end of his driving career. After reading the Driving Dilemma, I feel much better about broaching this very delicate subject with my Dad. Dr. Dugan offers a very practical and conscientious way of evaluating driving skills. The premise of involving an older driver in the evaluation, discussion and decision making process is made easy with this reference guide.



If you're facing this challenge with a loved one, or know of someone who is - then reading this book will make an anxiety ridden process so much easier. I highly recommend this reference guide.

I will be using this in my classes as the practical side of the book is easy enough ( for me) to understand without the help of a teacher. The theory is clearly explained and the author obviously wants to take care of you ( like a big sister ) I feel motivated by her words. The illustrations add to the charm although I would have preferred more professional drawings, it doesn't stop you from understanding precisely where the point is to work on. The photos are there to help with how to position each part of your body. I found this good value for money and I will be looking at her other books as I feel this was a good investment.

The beautiful aspect of this book is it manages to let the reader get to know the joyful of Qi flowing into the theories - these theories tied in everything from basic understanding of qi gong history, principles to how practically practice qi gong - It gives a system and very nice-and-easy form for the readers to follow, and also includes a step by step instructions on the acupressure points massage for the eyesight improvement, a very helpful material! It is not a big book, but a simple yet powerful presentation on improving women 's general health with a very detailed and specific written in an authentic style. It makes sense that the healing aspect in qi gong practice builds on body's natural energy cultivation", and I also really like the chapter that says, "Finding the beauty in your true nature" shows the loving personalities of its author.

I've been teaching Qi Gong for over 10 years there are very few books written by women on Women's Qi Gong. There are even less books that I would recommend to someone who isn't already enrolled in a class. Earth Qi Gong for Women is an exception. The illustrations, photographs and instructions are thorough and easy to understand. Tina Zhang has taken her years of training in China and the U.S. and presented it in this gem of a book. She manages to effectively cover the principles and concepts of Qi Gong, its history and provides a complete workout in fewer than 150 pages. Of course I would recommend studying with Ms. Zhang, but if that is not an option please do not pass up the opportunity of reading her book.

I had been waiting since May for the release of this book! It is an honor and a privilege to see our elders dipicted with such natural grace & beauty. Chester Higgins is a absolutely centered photographer! He sees with such clarity. He captured everyone's beauty, emotion, prowess & coutenance. I walk around with the book to show it to everyone I encounter, especially the elders & the children. Everyones' first expression is Ahh! The elders start to reminisce, the rest of us can see how we will grow old 'gracefully'!

Chester Higgins captures the beauty, strength and courage of the African-American elders he photographs. I am awestruck by the depth he achieves in these portraits. This collection of photos along with tips from the subjects on how to get along in life is truly an inspiring book for anyone interested in viewing a piece of history.

Jane and Peggy Thayer bring an awareness and intelligence to the prospect so many of us now face--we are going to live a long time after our normal working days and family responsibilities are over. They speak of this as the "gift of longevity," and offer an inspired neologism, "elderescence." The first stages of life--childhood and adventuring youth, establishing our family, making our mark in our work and community--these are warming-up as we gain practical knowledge and experience for what can be the richest, more rewadingly productive stage of our life. Chronologically, this covers the period roughly from 60 to 90--ending when old-old age begins. Elderescence is a period when our life history provides us with tools and perspective for meeting purposefully the conundrums, tragedies, joys, and novel possibilities that come our way.

The Thayers are a mother-daughter team, both psychologists--the mother a psychotherapist, the daughter an artist, combining the psyche and soul to celebrate and shape wizened human capacity. Both pay acute attention to the themes of meaning, change, and the interaction of selves, as we stretch our limits in discovering our resources and powers for engaging life's rhythms and opportunities.

Most of us learn best from stories, and in this book examples of those whose lives pulse with personal meaning and social contribution abound. You will find many mentors, from luminaries such as Walter Cronkite and Carl Jung to relative unknowns such as Rose. Rose, in her 50's having moved to Martha's Vineyard, began to shape fragments of seaweed, picked up on the shore, into remarkable designs--artistic creations of the inventive mind joining nature's exquisite patterning. Her works have come to be in countless personal collections as well as recognized museums--and she continues well into her 90's.

Rose's story is model for a path the Thayers so provocatively offer, in which we can bring our powers into the ordinary routines of experience to discover and express depths and energies previously untapped. Life takes on meaning that transcends age and beomes a full, rich NOW. Reading this book, I found myself inspired by many specific ideas to prompt and guide me. I feel better about myself (at 71) and, as an engaged elderescent, significantly more interested in what's next

Here is book that can help people understand the meaning of longevity that is so clearly identified and explored as "Elderescence." This is and will be considered by many as a classic book because Jane and Peggy Thayer have given us a direction to life where existing theorists fall short. This work begins with experiential expressions of people then makes the move to identifying a way of talking about it, as "Elderescence." "Elderescence" is a theoretical term well grounded in experience. Jane and Peggy have shown us that the world is change and that is what we do too. It is important not only to those facing the later years but to those who want to know about the meaning of life itself. This work is truly a sound contribution to humanity.

James W. Kidd, Ph.D.
University of San Francisco

When he was almost 80 years old Skinner, the creator of behaviourism, decided to share with us his wisdom about old age. This is a very useful book for people approaching old age, or for those who have to deal with old people.

Whatever you think of behaviorism, or Skinner's other works, this book is an admirable effort, and his approach to old age can be profitably adapted by those of any age. Skinner takes a clear-eyed look at how to alter one's environment -- one's home, one's habits, developed over a lifetime but often suboptimal for the person one has become -- to minimize inconveniences and maximize enjoyment.

I first read this book in my early 20s, and I was profoundly struck by Skinner's pragmatic assessment of his circumstances and his focus on making positive steps to improve his life.

[Incidentally, I shared an elevator ride with Skinner around the time this book came out (before I had read it) -- we didn't talk, but he scowled at me.]