Ethics, Health Policy and (Anti-) Aging: Mixed Blessings [electronic resource] / edited by Maartje Schermer, Wim Pinxten.

Schermer and Pinxten – Introduction -- I. Science of on ageing and longevity -- Wim Pinxten; Scientists expectations of (anti-) aging research -- Joao De Magalhaes – Pertintent ethical issues in the genomics of ageing -- II. Images of age and ageing -- Soren Holm; Ecce Homo: the implicit anthropology of bioethics and the aging person -- Wim Dekkers; An anthropology of the aging person -- John Vincent; The anti-aging movement: contemporary cultures and the social construction of old age -- Bert Keizer; Why we don’t like old people -- Frans Meulenberg – Older people’s own views on age and aging -- III Ethics in care for elderly -- Cees Hertogh; Ethics and frail eldery -- Frits de Lange; Imagining good aging -- Govert den Hartogh - Death wishes of the elderly -- Dorothea Touwen; Former wishes and current desires – demented patients and their family -- members’ effort to decide what they would have wanted -- Anders Schinkel; Justice and the elderly -- IV Ethics and prolongevity -- John Harris; Enhancement: longevity/immortality? -- Hans van Delden; On the value of being mortal -- Inez de Beaufort; Will you still love me when I’m..? On beauty and aging -- Maartje Schermer; Old age is an incurable disease – or is it? -- Marianne Boenink; On shifting disease concepts and molecular medicine -- Hans Joerg Ehni; Life extension for all -- Struijs, Ten Have, Willems; Healthy aging and personal responsibility -- V Ethics in an aging society: policy implications -- Goran Hermeren; Policy implications of views expressed in this volume.  .

This volume is about the ethical and philosophical issues that arise in an aging society, and the implications of these issues for healthcare- and social policy.  After a brief overview of biomedicine's changing approach of ageing and longevity and of the new expectations that these changes generate, various ethical, social, and policy issues that surround aging and longevity are discussed.  First, the images and social meanings of aging and old age in our society are explored, including their normative dimensions and implications for policy. Next, ethical issues in the care for frail elderly are discussed, as well as notion of good care and end-of-life decisions. Finally, the ethical and social implications of emerging possibilities for anti-aging and lifespan extension are considered. The book concludes with an overview of the relevance of the issues discussed for policy making on professional, national and international levels.