The Wisdom to Choose

by Dixon Arnett and Wende Dawson Chan
 

The Wisdom To Choose will guide anyone, regardless of age, to a quality of life that is both rich and rewarding. It is a source of information on lifestyle, healthy aging and access to social services that have proven to help seniors live as independently as they want as long as they can, free from hospitals and nursing homes.

Although written for seniors, The Wisdom To Choose will also inform family members and caregivers about the choices our elders have--even to, and including, death and dying.

The Wisdom To Choose is filled with resources and references on everything from diet and exercise to "spiritual eldering" to tasteful surroundings in a nursing home. It affirms the value of the nation's elders by inviting choices elders themselves may not know they have but those they certainly have the wisdom to discern.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction: Our Elders, Their Families and Caregivers

To Our Elders: What Kind of Life Do You Want?
To Families and Caregivers: Useful Information
To Our Elders, Families and Caregivers Alike

II. Your Body: Health and Long Life

The ABCs of Preventative Care
Ten Tips for Healthy Aging
The Standards You Choose
--The "Living to 100" Life Expectancy Calculator
Common Sense
-- Caregiving
-- Taking Care of Yourself
-- Diet and Nutrition
-- Doctor Dialogue
-- Exercise and Fitness
-- Managing Your Meds
-- Patients' Bill of Rights
-- Quackery and Fraud

III. Your Quality of Life

Keeping Mind and Body Together
Energy Systems
Mind/Body Connections
Thoughts, Memories, and Beliefs
Support Systems
-- Mental Health Clinics
-- Family Caregiver Alliance
-- Caregiver Resource Centers
-- Visiting Nurses Association
-- Home Health Care
-- In-Home Supportive Services
-- Healing Versus Curing
Re-framing Your Life
-- The Vision of Spiritual Eldering
-- Dying: The Eternity Factor
-- Death: The Ritual
-- Mentoring Your Community: Healing the Earth

IV. Independent Living: An Outline To Assist In Life's Fulfillment

Community Resources: Connections and Gathering Places
-- Senior Centers
-- Places of Worship
-- Interest Groups and Clubs
-- Educational Opportunities
-- Volunteering and Spiritual Fulfillment
Support Programs and Services
-- Area Agencies on Aging
-- Meal and Nutrition Programs (Title III)
-- The Ombudsman Program
-- Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) and "Linkages" Programs
-- Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) and Alzheimer's Resource Centers (ARCs)
-- Brown Bag Program
-- Foster Grandparents
-- Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)
-- Information and Referral
-- Senior Companions and Respite Registry

V. Your Space

Your Environment
-- Housing and Surroundings
-- Gardening and Pets
-- How You Feel About Yourself
-- Family and Friends
-- Entertainment and Recreation
-- Grandparenting... And Grandparents as Parents
Your Financial Security
-- Social Security
-- Savings and Investments
-- Pensions and Retirement Funds
-- Senior Employment
-- Avoiding Scams and Fraud

VI. Beyond Independence: Institutional Care

Assisted Living and Long-term Care
-- Residential Care (Board and Care Homes)
-- Assisted Living
-- Long-term Care (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
-- The Eden Alternative and Nursing Home Design
-- Hospice Services

End Note: The Boomers are Here - Are We Prepared?

Issues that Need to be Addressed
-- Social Security and Medicare
-- Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act
-- Resources (Federal, State, and Local)
-- Outreach Programs
-- Family Caregiving

Appendix A

Diseases and Conditions That Adversely Impact the Elderly

Appendix B

An Explanation of Government Health Care Programs

Appendix C

A Resource Directory

Appendix D

State and Local Organizations

Endorsements

"[ The Wisdom To Choose ] counsels that you should prepare a concise summary of your symptoms and medications to enable your doctor to make his best diagnosis. How true -- but many people overlook that point! This book is packed full of great advice and helpful hints!"
- Edie Adams, Actress/Model

"The need for optimism about aging is great; the optimism in this book is well founded."
- Jeanne E. Bader, PH.D., Gerontology, CSU Long Beach

"This book is amazingly encyclopedic in scope and provides extremely valuable guidelines for just about everything in the lives of today's seniors/elders. It is an important addition to every household."
- Beverly Garland, Motion Picture and Television Star

"Whether designing your own future or helping someone you love, this book is essential for elders and caregivers alike. The wise choices we make today empower us with independence tomorrow."
- Jack Horak, Chair, California Commission on Aging

"My current lecture schedule calls for an average of 75 talks a year -- most of them to Senior audiences. Overwhelmingly, they react enthusiastically to my central theme: How to make the BEST of the REST of your life. Your book is a perfect illustration of my main points and your authorities are impressive. Congratulations!"
- Art Linkletter, Television Personality/Author/Lecturer

"With this book, hope is no longer on the horizon. It is here now, alive and well! The door has opened and it's your turn to choose."
- Ed McMahon, Television Personality

"This text assists older Americans to make real choices for a life of independence."
- Joseph F. Prevratil, President and CEO, Archstone Foundation

"[The Wisdom To Choose] provides a wealth of information that enables older adults to make informed choices in all aspects of their lives. [It is a] book that every older adult should have."
- The Rev. Chuck Tindell, Chaplain, Minnesota Masonic Home, Bloomington, MN

"Dixon Arnett and Wende Chan provide an unusually comprehensive yet deep examination of the many elements that confront population aging. Not content to simply provide a listing of programs and services for older persons, they branch out to the "wisdom" variables of spirituality, prevention and compassion. This book will be an important contribution to all who are aging."
- Fernando Torres-Gil, PH.D., Director, UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging

"This book is a clear and simple roadmap to guide the elderly in our society. Use it as a reference and Arnett and Chan can be of great help in finding your way."
- Adam West, Actor/Author/Farmer

"This book serves as a great roadmap in helping us with positive choices. It shows us how to make the most of what we can do as we age, rather than thinking about the "cant's."
- Betty White, Actress/Author

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