July 13, 2011

Handbook For Mortals Provides Practical, Straight-Forward Advice For Those Dealing With Serious Illness

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Dr. Joanne Lynn is the lead author of the second edition of Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness. This new edition of the handbook, first published in 1999, was supported in part by a grant from the nonprofit Altarum Institute.

The Handbook for Mortals is based on years of experience in the care of the dying that Lynn and coauthor Dr. Joan Harrold share as hospice physicians. Janice Lynch Schuster, who often writes on end of life care matters, joined Lynn and Harrold in writing the updated edition.

The authors were intent on providing clear and compassionate guidance for patients and caregivers faced with a serious illness that will lead to death. Readers will find practical recommendations for the words they can use and the actions they can take to ensure comfort, meaning, and dignity for this phase of life. The book is made personal with the inclusion of photos, poems, and quotations that help humanize difficult issues.

The Handbook for Mortals is updated with the latest information on key issues surrounding pain and symptom management, advance care planning, meeting the needs of aging veterans, and managing caregiving responsibilities. The book offers a compendium of resources, available both online and by telephone, to which readers can turn for additional insight and information.

In her foreword, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter writes, “Here is the help you need to be sure that these years, whether your own or those of someone you love, are full and rewarding. This, indeed, is the Handbook that all of us mortals need.”

Lynn leads Altarum Institute’s Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness which is helping the United States achieve social arrangements that ensure that, when Americans must live with serious chronic illnesses associated with advancing age, they can live meaningfully and comfortably, at a sustainable cost to their families and society. Harrold is the medical director of the Hospice of Lancaster, and Lynch Schuster, whose work appears frequently in The Washington Post, is a writer for Altarum Institute.

Published by Oxford University Press, the Handbook for Mortals is available from major online retailers. Author interviews and appearances can be arranged through the publisher or by contacting Altarum Institute.

To view the coauthors talk about their work, visit Altarum's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/AltarumInstitute#p/c/C6AC2DE0D6ED7FA2/0/bW8_...

Contact Information

Jeff Moore
703-575-1685
jeff.moore@altarum.org

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