Growing in Age: Aging in today’s society

By Anne Millar

In this comprehensive book, Anne Millar shares the expertise she has gained from years of working with older people in nursing, counselling and pastoral care. Anne emphasises positive aging and challenges negative stereotypes.

The book has practical advice for people caring for older relatives and those working professionally with older people in social work and pastoral settings, in hospitals and residential care. Older people will also find material to inspire and inform them on their own journeys of ageing.

It covers many aspects of ageing:

• Society and it’s attitudes
  
  
• The personal journey of ageing
  
  
• How relationships change: on retirement, when a spouse dies and when older people divorce and remarry
  
  
• Changes and challenges of loss and grief, depression, dementia and dying
  
  
• Caring for older people in their homes, in family and in residential care settings
  
  
• The contributions older people make in their community and their legacy for future generations.
  
  

Trained as a nurse, Anne and physiotherapist husband Jim were involved in medical work in India with the Salvation Army. She then worked as a marriage guidance counsellor and nurse in Dunedin and Gisborne.

Moving to Christchurch in 1986, Anne was employed by Presbyterian Support, initially as manager of a residential home and then in establishing services for older people in the community. She then went on to work for them as a counsellor and group facilitator.

A mother and grandmother, Anne has two theological qualifications and is an ordained Methodist minister.


Praise for Growing in Age

“Anne Millar is widely valued for her thoughtful approach to older people and those who care for them. This book gathers insights from her long experience and reflects on them in ways easy to consider. I warmly commend it as absorbing reading. As one ‘growing in age’ I learnt a lot.” Dame Phyllis Guthardt, Chancellor University of Canterbury, NZ