Lessons on Aging from Three Nations The Art of Caring for Older Adults

The global phenomenon of the aging of societies during a period of outstanding scientific, economic, and technological advancements is a blessing for humanity. These fundamental changes, however, create new needs and problems in all areas of life, often difficult to address. In some countries, the trend is towards compression of the period of age-related morbidity - fewer years of living with disabilities - but the absolute numbers of elderly people living with disabilities are increasing worldwide. This book highlights a series of global threats, problems and challenges in the areas of care and caregiving, through the prism of three multicultural nations: the United States, Israel and Australia. The contributors to this book, experts in their fields, focus on the art of caregiving at the national level, including the interface between family and state responsibilities, policies and practices in the provision of services, and the demands for education and training, as well as the problems and difficulties faced by family caregivers. This is the second of two edited volumes on aging and caregiving. The first, ""Lessons on Aging from Three Nations - Volume I: The Art of Aging Well"", examines positive aspects of and successful adaptations to aging. This book will be of interest to students of gerontology and geriatrics; those working in nongovernmental organizations - private, for-profit and non-profit agencies, including voluntary charitable and religious groups, those working in national regional and local governments, and all general readers intrigued with the aging of societies and longevity.

Section 1: The Art of Caregiving: Policies and Services Introduction, Carol A. Morse 1. The Interface Between Family Responsibility and State Responsibility in Caring for the Elderly in Israel, Esther Iecovich 2. Consumer-Directed Services at Home for Older People in the United States, A. E. Benjamin 3. Residential Care: Informed Choices, Cheryl Tilse, Jill Wilson, And Deborah Setterlund 4. New Demands on Education and Training for the Care of Old People: The Case of Israel, David Galinsky Section 2: The Art of Family Care Introduction, Joann Damron-Rodriguez 5. In Care and on Call: The Endangered System of Australian Family-Based Caregiving, Carol A. Morse And Rosalind Lau 6. The Challenges and Issues Confronting Family Caregivers to Elderly Cancer Patients, Victoria H. Raveis 7. Letting Go and Holding On: Support for the Carer and Dementia Care in the Final Stages, Suzanne Aberdeen Section 3: The Art of Letting Go Introduction, Sara Carmel 8. Bioethics and End-Of-Life Issues, Gail Tulloch 9. End-Of-Life Care in Israel, Sara Carmel 10. The Dying Patient: Israeli Attitudes and Proposals, Avraham Steinberg 11. Advance Directives, Jiska Cohen-Mansfield 12. Resources, Autonomy, and Lack of Focus on the Common Good: End-Of-Life Decision Making For Older Patients in the United States, Neil S. Wenger and James W. Davis 13. Palliative Care for the Aged Community: An Australian Perspective, Linda J. Kristjanson, Jayne Walton, and Christine Toye

Sara Carmel, Carol A. Morse, Fernando M. Torres-Gil, Series Editor Jon Hendricks