With a Light Touch

As society grows older, most of us can expect our final years to be marked by some degree of frailty. Dr Ian Donald's guide considers how to make sound decisions about healthcare during that stage of life, and it approaches the subject from a Christian standpoint.

The book is written for two groups: people who already feel the limits that advancing age places on them, and adult children or other relatives who find themselves making medical decisions for an older parent or family member. Dr Donald has spent more than thirty years caring for older people and was an early champion of community-based care. He speaks candidly about what healthcare cannot do, and he warns about the hazards of taking too many medications and of long stays in hospital.

His central argument is that a distinctive style of care is taking shape, one that many people find preferable to the alternatives. It sits between high-technology treatment and care focused only on comfort.