Do you see ageing as a curse or a gift? Preparing for ageing is as important as preparing for childbirth, yet most people enter into the last stage of life without a clear intention. In Spirited Ageing you will learn how to embrace ageing so that it lifts you into a whole new stage of growth. Dr. Juliet Batten brings together the skills of a storyteller, scholar and psychotherapist. She includes a group of contributors, who responded to her questions for each of the ten chapters. With the breakthrough 'Star' model she powerfully redefines ageing so that it becomes an initiation into a path of deep satisfaction and inspiration. In each chapter she offers three 'supports', together with practical exercises and helpful examples. From Passion and Possessions to Dementia and Dying, her compassionate guidance takes the reader through the essential steps in preparing for a fulfilling phase of the life cycle.

Well-known authors in the field of ageing and spirituality present their considered contributions to current understandings in this fast-changing field.

Using selected conference material, this text explores how well-being among the elderly does not depend solely on physical health but also on having purpose in life and ongoing spiritual growth, and offers guidance on meeting the spiritual needs of this age group and providing meaningful care and support.

The anthology is far more culturally diverse than the few other literary collections on aging. Ranging from ancient Chinese poetry to Mary Oliver, Alice Walker, and Willie Nelson, the anthology includes poetry, fiction, philosophical essays, personal essays, humor, analyses of ageism, and folktales from Asia and Iraq. Fierce with Reality highlights writings by women, from late 19th century American literature to the present. Many facets of aging are explored, revealing the challenges and complexities of late life, and demonstrating that the aging process is both individual and social/cultural. Fierce with Reality, aimed at a general audience as well as students and professors, would be ideal for book groups.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by The Wellcome Trust. The Diseased Brain and the Failing Mind charts changing cultural understandings of dementia and alzheimer's disease in scientific and cultural texts across the 20th Century. Reading a range of texts from the US, UK, Europe and Japan, the book examines how the language of dementia – regarding the loss of identity, loss of agency, loss of self and life – is rooted in scientific discourse and expressed in popular and literary texts. Following changing scientific understandings of dementia, the book also demonstrates how cultural expressions of the experience and dementia have fed back into the way medical institutions have treated dementia patients. The book includes a glossary of scientific terms for non-specialist readers.

Applying interdisciplinary perspectives about everyday life to vital issues in the lives of older people, this book maps together the often taken-for-granted aspects of what it means to age in an ageist society. Part of the Ageing in a Global Context series, the two parts address the materialities and the embodiments of everyday life respectively. Topics covered include household possessions, public and private spaces, older drivers, media representations, dementia care, health-tracking, dress and sexuality. This focus on micro-sociological conditions allows us to rethink key questions which have shaped debates in the social aspects of ageing. International contributions, including from the UK, USA, Sweden and Canada, provide a critical guide to inform thinking and planning our ageing futures.

Winner of the 2014 Nautilus Award represents “Better Books for a Better World”—the Gold Award (Best Book of the Year) in the category of Religion/Spirituality: Other Traditions & Practices. Here is a prayer book that offers you the wisest, most comforting of prayers, while also guiding you on how to pray. Whatever your experience of prayer, you will find a new depth of inspiration and support in these pages. From the most ancient heartfelt prayers to those newly written by the author herself, this is a collection that meets us where we are—and takes us where we most want to go. As a writer and spiritual leader who has supported and guided many thousands of people to live more hopefully, Stephanie Dowrick has a rare understanding of what prayer is and how faithfully it can support you, whatever your faith background or journey. Some of the world’s most beautiful words are gathered here—as are many of the most uplifting and consoling. From prayers to be shared with family, friends or community, to prayers that take you within to your own soul’s depths, this is a collection to be used and cherished.