446

447

PART VII

Epilogue

Now that we have reached the end of our lifespan journey, it’s time to focus on life’s final chapter (death) and reflect on what we’ve learned.

Chapter 15–Death and Dying is actually a perfect finale to this lifespan tour, because, not only does this milestone end our personal lives, but death is the one milestone that occurs at every life stage. How have death attitudes and practices changed throughout history, and what do people (and their grieving loved ones) feel as they deal with this final “act” of life? How has the health-care system approached the terminally ill, and what can we do to make dying more humane? These issues lead into that contemporary ethical issue: strategies for taking control of when we die.

In Final Thoughts, I’ll take a very short step back to scan the high points of the journey as a whole. After you read the top four trends that stood out for me in surveying the research, take some time to think about what struck you most forcefully in reading this book.