This book presents a sociological challenge to the long-held assumption that dying alone is a bad way to die and that for a death to be a good one the dying person should be accompanied. This assumption is represented in the deathbed scene, where the dying person is supported by religious or medical professionals, and accompanied by family and friends. This is a familiar scene to consumers of culture and is depicted in many texts including news media, fiction, television, drama and documentaries. The cultural script underpinning this assumption is examined, drawing on empirical data and published literature. Clarification is offered about what is meant when someone is said to die alone: are they alone at the precise moment of their death, or is it during the period before that? Questions are asked about whose interests are best served by the accompaniment of dying people, whether dying alone means dying lonely and whether, for some individuals, dying alone can be a choice and offer a good death? This book is suitable for scholars and students in the field of dying and death, as well as practitioners who work with dying people, some of whom may wish to be alone.

In this suspense-filled thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson, New Orleans Detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya match wits against a ruthless serial killer who is targeting twins . . . Never Drop Your Guard It should be the best day of their lives. Too bad they never get to see it. On the cusp of their twenty-first birthday, he strikes. His victims are always twins, their ritualistic murders planned in exquisite detail, down to the moment when they breathe their last together . . . Never Close Your Eyes A possibly innocent man is in prison, and Brianna Hayward needs to convince the New Orleans police. Not just to free her cousin, but to save others who will suffer until the true culprit is found. Reporter Jase Bridges is intrigued. It's a story that could make his career—as long as Brianna never guesses the secret in Jase's past . . . . . . Or You'll Never See Him Coming Detective Rick Bentz had doubts about the “21” conviction when he worked the case in L.A. Now the real murderer may be loose in Bentz's backyard. Twin sisters from All Saints College have vanished on the eve of their twenty-first birthday. And as Bentz and his partner, Reuben Montoya, desperately follow the trail, a killer prepares to unite his next victims in death forever . . .

Sandman highlights how our changing ideas about the value of life shape the concept of a good death. He explores the varying perspectives on the good death that come from friends, family, physicians, spiritual carers and others close to the dying person. Setting out a number of arguments for and against existing thinking about a good death, this book links to the practice of palliative care in several key areas. He concludes that it is difficult to find convincing reasons for any one way to die a good death and argues for a pluralist approach.

Examines the myriad of questions that arise when confronting the meaning of mortality, challenging many widely-held views about death and inviting readers to take a fresh look at the fact that they will die.

"The eighth edition of Aging Networks is particularly well-suited for use in the classroom, and can be used or adapted for a wide variety of disciplines including gerontology, social work, public health, public administration, nursing and other health professions... This small volume is not only an excellent learning tool, but also a ìmust-haveî handbook for aging professionals in many fields." --Noreen A. Shugrue Research Associate, University of Connecticut Center on Aging Farmington, CT Educational Gerontology As our population ages, the need for comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge about aging services in the United States becomes more and more crucial. This highly accessible and concise text about such resources provides students and practitioners of gerontologyóalong with all professionals whose work concerns the well-being of older adultsówith a current, detailed description and analysis of federal, state, local, and global programs and services for older people with or without cognitive, physical, and social needs. Thoroughly updated to encompass the new information available concerning later life, it reflects critical changes to legislation, health care, and current trends, and focuses on the strengths of older adults, their diversity, and the role our multilayered aging network plays in advocacy, community independence, and engagement. Commentary and critical thinking challenges from policymakers, program directors, and educators facilitate high-level thinking and independent analysis of the aging networks, past, present, and future. The eighth edition underscores recent policy changes and how these changes will impact the lives of older adults. "Perspectives" boxes throughout the text highlight complex themes addressed by experts, and "Critical Thinking" topics and questions encourage reflection and discussion. The new edition also describes initiatives that highlight best-practice approaches and model projects designed to facilitate positive change. Along with a vast amount of new and revised information reinforced with a variety of perspectives in historical and current contexts, the book features an international perspective highlighting the collaborative efforts driving many aspects of aging network programming. Additionally, the book focuses on the unique issues of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population along with programs designed to address them. NEW TO THE EIGHTH EDITION: Expert analyses and insights into complex themes Reflects reorganization of the aging network under the Administration for Community Living, and policy changes affecting practice International perspectives such as the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities Project Innovative and model projects and programs Expanded focus on issues unique to the LGBT population The influence of social determinants on older adults and the aging networks Caregiving issues Disaster and emergency preparedness Effects of economic downturn on the aging population Elder mistreatment Changes in employment and retirement patterns Supporting "aging in place" New and expanded educator's ancillary packet

While there has been a gradual increase in scholarship on men, ageing and masculinities, little attention has been paid to the social relations of men in later life and the implications for enhancing their social wellbeing and counteracting ageist discourse. Bringing together scholars in social gerontology and the social sciences from across Global North and South nations, this collection fills the gaps in key texts by foregrounding older men’s experiences. It provides new perspectives across the intersections of old age, ethnicities, class and sexual and gender identity, paying particular attention to older men from seldom heard or marginalised groups.

From acclaimed social scientist Dr. Bella DePaulo, the leading expert on single life, comes groundbreaking, comprehensive confirmation that a powerful, healthy, happy life is possible not in spite of being single, but because of it. All too often society issues dire warnings about the risks of living single. But is finding a spouse or romantic partner really a requirement for a full life? In Single at Heart, Dr. Bella DePaulo speaks on behalf of the millions of people across the globe who are powerfully drawn to single life for all it has to offer and shares what it means to not just be happy being single for a time, but to be happy being single always. This pivotal volume addresses misconceptions about single life head on, spotlighting, celebrating, and supporting those who plan to stay single and sharing research, case studies, anecdotal examples, and more to help family members and friends understand. In richly engaging, evidence-based text, Dr. DePaulo—a Harvard-educated professor and researcher whose Ted Talk on the appeal of staying single has had more that 1.6 million views—supports readers of all genders, ages, and backgrounds who are Single at Heart and advises on topics as diverse as solitude, freedom, intimacy, children, and societal pressure. For Dr. DePaulo, her understanding of herself as Single at Heart provided strength, time, confidence, power, authenticity, deep fulfillment, and more. In Single at Heart she shares what she’s learned as well as the stories of others, in the process inspiring and fueling a movement of people standing up for what is right for them and thriving because of it.

The 2nd edition has been updated against the background of the new Dip.HEN syllabus, policy & management changes within the NHS & the Patient's Charter. The original feature of patient vignettes, based on real case studies has been retained."

1 Historical Introduction INTRODUCTION This chapter is mainly about the history of medicine and its ethics. As usually c- ceived, history is retrograde: It is what happened yesterday, and, much as we may try, it is what happened yesterday seen with a set of today’s eyes. Trying to understand yesterday’s culture may help us put on a pair of corrective glasses, but it fails in - tirely correcting our vision. Contemporary cultural anthropology may likewise help us understand the way today’s events and cultural habits shape what we call history tomorrow. Past events and the kaleidoscopic pattern of today’s cultures may help guide us into a future that in at least some respects is ours to forge. Learning about ethics yesterday and thinking about ethics as it expresses itself in various cultures today can help us shape the ethics of tomorrow: This is true whether we are speaking of that part of social ethics called “medical” or of any other part of social ethics. The social aspects of medical practice—how the institution called medicine fits into and works within the greater society called culture—shape the way its ethics ultimately must play itself out.

The focus of this book is on the media representations of the use of the Internet in seeking intimate connections—be it a committed relationship, a hook-up, or a community in which to dabble in fringe sexual practices. Popular culture (film, narrative television, the news media, and advertising) present two very distinct pictures of the use of the Internet as related to intimacy. From news reports about victims of online dating, to the presentation of the desperate and dateless, the perverts and the deviants, a distinct frame for the intimacy/Internet connection is negativity. In some examples however, a changing picture is emerging. The ubiquitousness of Internet use today has meant a slow increase in comparatively more positive representations of successful online romances in the news, resulting in more positive-spin advertising and a more even-handed presence of such liaisons in narrative television and film. Both the positive and the negative media representations are categorised and analysed in this book to explore what they reveal about the intersection of gender, sexuality, technology and the changing mores regarding intimacy.