Living Well, Dying Well: A guide to choices, costs, and consequences - Paperback

by Dohrea Bardell (Author), Judy Stevens-Long (Author)

Most people avoid conversations about death and dying until circumstances force the issue. Yet thoughtful planning for later life is one of the most meaningful ways we can care for ourselves and the people we love. Living Well, Dying Well: A Guide to Choices, Costs, and Consequences offers a compassionate, research-informed roadmap for individuals and families navigating the complex decisions that arise as we age. Drawing on insights from social science, psychology, and real-world caregiving experience, the book explores how values, relationships, finances, and personal priorities shape the choices we make near the end of life. Written for aging adults, caregivers, and families planning ahead, this guide helps readers approach life's final stage with greater clarity, dignity, and confidence - transforming a difficult topic into an opportunity for thoughtful preparation and meaningful conversation.

Author Biography

Dr. Stevens-Long has served as a professor and Malcolm Knowles Chair for Adult Development and Learning in the PhD program in Human and Organizational Development for Fielding Graduate Institute. She has been a professor and administrator in higher education for over 40 years at Fielding Graduate University, California State University and the University of Washington, where she was a founding member of the faculty at the first branch of UW in Tacoma. At Fielding Graduate University she designed one of the first online master's degrees in the country. Dr. Stevens-Long has extensive experience as an organizational consultant as well as a professor and administrator. She has specialized in communication and team-building and has worked with professionals in the fields of law, medicine, and university education. She has published numerous books and articles in adult development, including four editions of the best-selling text Adult Life, where she first began writing about death and dying. Her recent publications include articles on grand theory in human development, personality, and ego-development, the assessment of graduate education, and the design of virtual educational environments. She has recently completed the second edition of the Oxford bibliography in Adult Development. For over 30 years, Dr. Dohrea Bardell has straddled both the biological and the social sciences, working in the integrative medical community as well as researching diverse social issues, from the health status of nations to the state of world peace. Together with her husband Seann Bardell, she has taught holistic health, consulting corporations, healthcare providers, and individuals on healthy lifestyle practices. Her nutriceutical company, BioImmersion, works in partnership with a global network of scientists, manufacturing experts, farmers, and physicians to design innovative food supplements.