How to Handle Later Life, published in September 2017, is the result of 15 years of unsparing, independent, UK-wide investigation. It reveals what works, what doesn’t, and how to navigate the pitfalls which frequently confound those seeking care and support. The author, Marion Shoard, an award-winning writer, first became involved in the choices that confront older people when her mother lost her sight and developed dementia. Acclaimed for her pioneering work in the environment, she has switched her focus and produced a comprehensive – and essential – guide to later life. Read more >
Marion Shoard
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9567615-2-1 £15.00 Buy Now
Imprint: Amaranth Books
Pages: 1,160
Subject: Self-help, Health, Law, Ageing, Social issues
Date Published: September 2017
Reviews
Reviews of How to Handle Later Life are beginning to come in. William Leith in the Evening Standard describes the book as “Unique, essential and considerate”. Read his full review published on 31 August 2017 here.
In the Methodist Recorder The Reverend Albert Jewell explains: “Shoard addresses in a thorough-going and balanced manner the biggest concerns and decisions people face as they grow older.” Describing the book as “reliable and comprehensive”, he goes on, “It should be found in every public library.” Jewell especially commends the section on dementia: “As someone who has been involved in dementia care and research over the years, I find the author’s chapter on this subject particularly impressive. Its 25 pages are essential reading ...” Read the full review published on 1 September 2017 here.
Third Age Matters is the magazine of the University of the Third Age. Its reviewer, Eric Midwinter, co-founder of the U3A in the UK, considers: “It would be difficult to visualise a more complete and wide-ranging compendium than this on how to cope with the pressures and perils of later age. ... Health, with more than 200 pages, housing, legal matters, finance and all other facets of later life are comprehensively and sympathetically treated, with a user-friendly structure and presentation. There should be a copy in every library, council office, doctor’s practice, MP’s surgery, Citizens Advice Bureau, Age UK office, if not in every household.” Read the full review published on 15 February 2018 here.
Daniel Collerton is consultant clinical psychologist at Bensham Hospital, Gateshead. He writes in a review published in the journal Psychology of Older People: “This is a big book: large in scope and ambition. In some thousand pages in 41 chapters, Marion Shoard sets out with the task of enabling readers to live as happily and healthily as possible. I think she succeeds pretty well. … It is the best collection of sound advice that I have come across. On the clinical level, I do not doubt its usefulness for any department working with older people.” Read the full review here.
Liz Charalambous is a staff nurse and PhD student and writes in a review published in the Nursing Times, “Everyone should read this book either to benefit ourselves as we age, or to help those around us. ... I welcome this book as a valuable addition to the literature on empowering people to tackle the challenges which often accompany ageing.” You can read the full review, published on 24 July 2018 here.
Tamara Backhouse is Alzheimer’s Society Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia. In a review published in 2019 in the academic journal Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Dr Backhouse writes “The content is both extensive and diverse … Designed as a reference book to dip in and out of, the scope and length need not worry you … A comprehensive, accomplished resource.” You can read her full review here.
In 2004, Marion Shoard wrote A Survival Guide to Later Life. Her new book, How to Handle Later Life, replaces this earlier work, deepening and updating its coverage and extending into new areas.