Publisher's Synopsis
ABOUT THE BOOK
"In Our Stories Lies Our Strength: Aging, Spirituality, and Narrative" is aimed at thoughtful older adults who are committed to aging as creatively, as positively, and as resiliently as possible amid the challenges and changes that come with later life. It is aimed as well at professionals and volunteers who offer spiritual care to older adults in a wide range of settings, from hospitals to nursing homes, from hospice to rehabilitation, and from religious congregations to community centers. These include: chaplains, pastors, rabbis, priests, parish nurses, social workers, therapists, spiritual directors, and volunteers - anyone whose calling is to listen deeply to older adults' stories and, in the process, help them to re-story in healing and life-affirming ways.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William L. (Bill) Randall is Professor of Gerontology at St. Thomas University. Prior to entering academic life, he was a minister for 11 years with the United Church of Canada, serving pastorates in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick. A graduate of Harvard College, Princeton Seminary, and the University of Toronto, he is author or co-author of over 60 publications on the topic of Narrative Gerontology, including the books "The Stories We Are: An Essay on Self-Creation" (University of Toronto Press, 1995/2014), "Reading Our Lives: The Poetics of Growing Old" (Oxford University Press, 2008), and "The Narrative Complexity of Ordinary Life: Tales from the Coffee Shop" (Oxford UP, 2015). He has been chief co-organizer of three international conferences called "Narrative Matters" and is co-editor of the online, peer-reviewed journal, "Narrative Works." With a special interest in aging and spirituality (broadly defined), Bill joins a growing number of researchers and practitioners worldwide who acknowledge the power of "narrative care" in promoting emotional and mental well-being in later life.
