Simple Lessons for a Better Life: Unexpected Inspiration from Inside the Nursing Home

Simple Lessons for a Better Life: Unexpected Inspiration from Inside the Nursing Home

Using illustrative vignettes of his interactions with people facing serious physical, mental and social challenges, the author derives 28 simple yet profoundly important lessons for living a richer life — lessons that apply to people at any age.

by Charles E. Dodgen  —

This inspiring book shows that we can learn valuable life lessons from the unique experiences of nursing-home residents.

Using illustrative vignettes of his interactions with people facing serious physical, mental and social challenges, the author derives 28 simple yet profoundly important lessons for living a richer life — lessons that apply to people at any age.

Dodgen, a clinical psychologist who has worked with this population, has discovered that when the surplus trappings of lifestyle are cleared away and lives are stripped to their most essential components, people discover new paths to happiness, peace and fulfillment.

He shares stories that demonstrate how love, meaning, purpose and contentment can be found even in far-from-ideal circumstances, and that no matter our physical, economic or social limitations, we can remain richly fulfilled in life.

Readers looking for ways to understand and manage feelings more effectively, cope with challenges, mitigate suffering and discover serenity in their own life circumstances will find a wealth of insights in this book.

$18 — Prometheus Books, 59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 34, Number 4, August/September 2015.