Endnotes

An Intimate Look at the End of Life
Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-0-231-14460-5
Verlag: Columbia University Press

Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 218 mm x 147 mm, Gewicht: 342 g

Reihe: End-of-Life Care: A Series

In the summer of 1996, Ruth Ray, a gerontologist in her forties, befriended an eighty-two-year-old man suffering from Parkinson's. The two remained close until the end of his life, sharing stories and memories while building a deep relationship. Part memoir, part biography, Endnotes explores how people construct meaning through their interactions with others. With grace and wit, Ray situates her friend's past experiences and present relationships within the theories and literature of gerontology, providing a deeper understanding of autonomy at the end of life. She also delves into the complexities of sexuality and intimacy in old age, communication across disabilities and age groups, the disabling nature of nursing homes, and the trials of death and dying. Writing as both a woman and a gerontologist, Ray finds that the "quality of care" we provide for others requires not only an understanding of the relationships that have given a person's life meaning but also a willingness to accept and share deeply in the emotional process of physical and mental decline.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ray, Ruth E.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Entwicklungspsychologie Gerontopsychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Altersgruppen Alterssoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface1. Passionate Scholarship2. Home3. Making Ourselves Understood4. New Year's Eve5. A Lamentable Situation6. Those Little Ordinary Things7. Passion's Progress8. Activities9. Diaper Is a Dirty Word10. Care Conference11. Empty Rooms12. Ethics of CareEpilogueAcknowledgments

Über Autor(innen)

Ruth E. Ray teaches writing, composition theory, and women's studies at Wayne State University. She serves on the board of trustees of the Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization that operates a Center for Creative Aging, and she is co-founder of [e-mail], which supports community-based research and teaching, including projects on creative aging and intergenerational learning. She is the author of Beyond Nostalgia: Aging and Life-Story Writing and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Aging Studies.