A Journey Called Aging

James C. Fisher, Henry C. Simmons

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Audience
Individual Experience of Age
Overview
Chapter 1. Mapping the Journey
Landmarks on the Road Ahead
The Research
The Tasks on the Road Ahead
Conclusion
Chapter 2. Entering Older Adulthood
Retirement
Time of Retirement
Postretirement Employment
Retirement Variations
Other Gateways
What About Homemakers?
The Core
Moving Out, Letting Go
The Challenge of Looking Ahead
Chapter 3. Extended Middle Age
Length of Days
Giving Time New Meaning
A Season in Search of a Purpose
A Substitute for Work
Middle-Aged Forever
Relationships and Solitude
Aloneness and Independence
Balancing Gains and Losses
The Role of Helping Professions
Chapter 4. The Early Transition
Voluntary and Involuntary Approaches
Betwixt and Between
Naming the Realities
Consequence of an Illness
Death and Loss in Later Life
Loss and Recovery
Meaning and Relationships
Growth in Recovery
Differences and Similarities
Preparing for the Early Transition
Chapter 5. An Older Adult Lifestyle
Who Survived?
Reinventing the Self
The Others in Life
Freedom
Purposes and Priorities
Old Age Is Not for Sissies
Chapter 6. The Later Transition
The Role of Professionals and Support Persons
Beginning the Journey
Timing the Transition
The Journey to Care
Chapter 7. While the Light Lasts
The Environment of Care
The Challenge for the Professional
Being Okay Amid Dependency and Frailty
The Blessing of Care
Engaging and Disengaging
Is Autonomy a Contradiction?
What’s the Point?
Journeying On
Chapter 8. Dying Well
The Beginning
The Medicalization of Dying
The Professional and the Process of Dying
Landmarks and Developmental Tasks of Dying
Dying and Relationships
Dying and Meaning
Preparation
The Need to Improve Care at the End of Life
Epilogue. Prevailing: A Challenge and a Vision
References
Index