In Later Years: Finding Meaning and Spirit in Aging

A Unitarian Universalist minister and chaplain at a large senior residence community leads us on a journey through the stories and experiences of elders, offering insights into navigating this unique stage of life.

Drawing on scores of personal interviews, this straightforward yet introspective volume of real-life accounts provides a felt sense of the challenges and blessings of aging. Unlike many books on the topic, In Later Years focuses particularly on older seniors–those in their late seventies, eighties, and nineties. Interviewees thoughtfully share their joys, regrets, accomplishments, and things left unfinished, while also considering the ways they cope with diminishing physical and mental abilities. Weaving these personal reflections and accounts together, Marshall explores questions of meaning and spirituality that ultimately reveal larger themes and hold up the opportunities for discovery, connection, and renewal available to us in advanced age.

The book also serves as an invaluable resource for family members and caregivers, suggesting ways to understand and help with the issues that attend growing old. Detailed appendices provide tips and a simple curriculum for gathering and facilitating group discussions.