Christine K. Cassel - Böcker

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."

A comprehensive and user-friendly reference for agingOne of the most daunting aspects of growing older is the torrent of advice we face about maintaining our physical health and our mental acuity. Entire books have been written on how to manage finances, how to avoid falls, how to care for aging parents. Yet, too often, the advice offered is overwhelmingly complicated or diffuse and difficult to locate precisely when it is needed most.In this comprehensive reference, authorities in their respective fields discuss topics such as the normal processes of aging, how laws affect the elderly, what forms of exercise are most beneficial at various stages of life, family issues, and more. Informative charts and graphs supplement the concise, accessible chapters, which are followed by a comprehensive listing of major national and regional organizations serving the elderly.Ideal as an upbeat, forward-looking gift or as a personal resource, The Practical Guide to Aging is a user-friendly book for young and old, a helpful guide regardless of age or circumstance.

A comprehensive and user-friendly reference for agingOne of the most daunting aspects of growing older is the torrent of advice we face about maintaining our physical health and our mental acuity. Entire books have been written on how to manage finances, how to avoid falls, how to care for aging parents. Yet, too often, the advice offered is overwhelmingly complicated or diffuse and difficult to locate precisely when it is needed most.In this comprehensive reference, authorities in their respective fields discuss topics such as the normal processes of aging, how laws affect the elderly, what forms of exercise are most beneficial at various stages of life, family issues, and more. Informative charts and graphs supplement the concise, accessible chapters, which are followed by a comprehensive listing of major national and regional organizations serving the elderly.Ideal as an upbeat, forward-looking gift or as a personal resource, The Practical Guide to Aging is a user-friendly book for young and old, a helpful guide regardless of age or circumstance.