Aging and the Meaning of Time: A Multidisciplinary Exploration [Paperback]

Susan McFadden PhD (Editor), Robert Atchley PhD (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2006

As we confront our own mortality, we might ask, "What has my long life meant and how have the years shaped me?" or "How long must I suffer?" Such questions reflect time-consciousness, the focus of this classic volume.

The authors, from diverse disciplines in gerontology, act as guides in the exploration of the realms of time in later life and their meanings. As they examine how the study of time can give new meanings to aging, they also consider the religious and spiritual questions raised when human beings consider the temporal boundaries of life.

This volume honors Melvin Kimble's contributions to gerontology and represents a new direction in the study of religion, spirituality, and aging.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan H. McFadden (PhD), is Professor and Chair of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Along with Melvin Kimble, James Ellor, and James Seeber, she founded the Center for Aging, Spirituality, and Religion in St. Paul, Minnesota, and co-edited Aging, Spirituality, and Religion: A Handbook. She has worked for many years to raise awareness of religion, spirituality, and aging in the American Society on Aging, the Gerontological Society of America, and the American Psychological Association.

Robert C. Atchley (PhD), is Professor and Chair of the Department of Gerontology at Naropa University in Boulder. His gerontology interests include adult development, spiritual development, long-term care, public policy, work and retirement, health change and disability, and family issues. He wrote the widely used introductory gerontology text, Social Forces and Aging and was the founding editor of the journal Contemporary Gerontology.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

chapter

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Springer Publishing Company; 1 edition (May 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826102654
• ISBN-13: 978-0826102652
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,586,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a Psychology Professor at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where I teach undergraduate and graduate students and do research on aging, religion, and spirituality. I've worked with people who have progressive memory loss (AKA dementia) for many years, primarily trying to understand their connectedness to other persons and their ability to express themselves creatively even when their ability to communicate with words is challenged.

In 2008, I had a sabbatical to study how those in the early stages of memory loss feel about friendship and their ties to their communities. I interviewed many people who told me their friends don't include them as much any more. Thinking that faith communities might be more willing reach out to those with dementia, I also interviewed clergy. I learned that few of them had given much thought to how people who have dementia might continue to participate in their congregations.

I decided that it would be good to write a book on friendship and dementia and ways we might ensure that our communities support these friendships. My husband, John, is an ordained clergyperson in the United Church of Christ. He's a wonderful writer and story-teller and he thinks deeply about humanistic and theological issues. I enlisted his assistance as co-author of a book that would have scholarly integrity while also being accessible to people who don't usually read the literature of the social sciences, theology, or pastoral care. We think we have managed to do this. Readers will find plenty of citations and endnotes, but they'll also discover that we've illustrated our points with stories and have provided discussion questions for each chapter. We'd like for this book to be read by groups of friends who are willing to wrestle with some of the most challenging issues of our time.

So much of the literature on the social relationships of people who have dementia focuses on family members or on paid care providers. However, with 78 million baby boomers moving into old age, it seems obvious that nearly all will have at least one friend diagnosed with dementia of some kind. With no cure in sight, John and I think we all must learn new ways to stay connected in meaningful ways with one another, even as some of us (it could be me, it could be John, it could be any of our dear friends) journey into dementia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A college-level text perfect for courses on philosophy and health alike, August 16, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aging and the Meaning of Time: A Multidisciplinary Exploration (Paperback)

What has life meant and how long is it worth living for? These and other questions are answered in the multidisciplinary survey AGING AND THE MEANING OF TIME, a college-level text perfect for courses on philosophy and health alike. Chapters juxtapose the personal experience of aging with insights on philosophy, health, and metaphysics to provide an excellent survey. A top pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch