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More than one thousand extraordinary Americans share their stories and the wisdom they have gained on living, loving, and finding happiness.
After a chance encounter with an extraordinary ninety-year-old woman, renowned gerontologist Karl Pillemer began to wonder what older people know about life that the rest of us don't.
His quest led him to interview more than one thousand Americans over the age of sixty-five to seek their counsel on all the big issues: children, marriage, money, career, aging. Their moving stories and uncompromisingly honest answers often surprised him. And he found that he consistently heard advice that pointed to these thirty lessons for living. Here he weaves their personal recollections of difficulties overcome and lives well lived into a timeless book filled with the hard-won advice these older Americans wish someone had given them when they were young.
Like This I Believe, StoryCorps's Listening Is an Act of Love, and Tuesdays with Morrie, 30 Lessons for Living is a book to keep and to give. Offering clear advice toward a more fulfilling life, it is as useful as it is inspiring.
This is an excellent tool for anyone preparing to take the national licensing exam or a current licensed administrator needing a good review.” Score: 93, 4 Stars
-- Doody’s Medical Reviews for the Sixth Edition
The seventh edition of this classic review guide for nursing home administration licensure is revised and updated to reflect new information as recently mandated for the federally required national exam. It is based on the same format as the actual exam and provides an easy-to-use, effective way to review essential concepts and practice test-taking skills.
The seventh edition reflects all changes to the new exam and includes over 600 test questions with answer keys, full-length rationales, and new content specific to the NAB exam. With core information on management, governance, and leadership; finance and business; environment; resident and patient care; and human resources--plus savvy test-taking strategies--it includes everything you need for exam success.
New to the Seventh Edition:
New questions and answers reflecting all updates and revisions
New laws and federal regulations
Impacts of the ACA on long-term care
MDS 3.0
2015 Federal Requirements for Electronic Health Records
New RAI (Resident Assessment Instrument)
New Quality Indicators
New Lifestyle Safety Code Inspection Processes
New ICDM-10 International Classification of Diseases-Modified
New topics including transportation options, customer care, data security, social media, contractual agreements, information management and technology, and much, much more
Key Features:
600+ questions with answer key and extensive rationales
Core information on management, governance, and leadership; finance and business; environment; nursing: resident/patient care; and human resources
Test-taking strategies for success
SPRING CHICKEN:
Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying)
SPRING CHICKEN is a full-throttle, high-energy ride through the latest research, popular mythology, and ancient wisdom on mankind's oldest obsession: How can we live longer? And better? In his funny, self-deprecating voice, veteran reporter Bill Gifford takes readers on a fascinating journey through the science of aging, from the obvious signs like wrinkles and baldness right down into the innermost workings of cells. We visit cutting-edge labs where scientists are working to "hack" the aging process, like purging "senescent" cells from mice to reverse the effects of aging. He'll reveal why some people live past 100 without even trying, what has happened with resveratrol, the "red wine pill" that made headlines a few years ago, how your fat tissue is trying to kill you, and how it's possible to unlock longevity-promoting pathways that are programmed into our very genes. Gifford separates the wheat from the chaff as he exposes hoaxes and scams foisted upon an aging society, and arms readers with the best possible advice on what to do, what not to do, and what life-changing treatments may be right around the corner.
An intoxicating mixture of deep reporting, fascinating science, and prescriptive takeaway, SPRING CHICKEN will reveal the extraordinary breakthroughs that may yet bring us eternal youth, while exposing dangerous deceptions that prey on the innocent and ignorant.
In How to Say It to Seniors, geriatric psychology expert David Solie offers help in removing the typical communication blocks many experience with the elderly. By sharing his insights into the later stages of life, Solie helps in understanding the unique perspective of seniors, and provides the tools to relate to them.
With so many discoveries over the years, science is literally changing our minds about the optimal care and feeding of the brain. All of it is captivating. A great deal of it is unexpected.
In his New York Times best seller Brain Rules, Medina showed us how our brains really work, and why we ought to redesign our workplaces and schools to match. In Brain Rules for Baby, he gave parents the brain science they need to know to raise happy, smart, moral kids. Now, in Brain Rules for Aging Well, Medina shares how you can make the most of the years you have left. In a book destined to be a classic on aging, Medina's fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into the science.
Brain Rules for Aging Well is organized into four sections, each laying out familiar problems with surprising solutions. First up, the social brain, in which topics ranging from relationships to happiness and gullibility illustrate how our emotions change with age. The second section focuses on the thinking brain, explaining how working memory and executive function change with time. The third section is all about your body: how certain kinds of exercise, diets, and sleep can slow the decline of aging. Each section is sprinkled with practical advice, for example, the fascinating benefits of dancing, and the brain science behind each intervention.
The final section is about the future. Your future. Medina connects all the chapters into a plan for maintaining your brain health.
You may already be experiencing the sometimes-unpleasant effects of the aging process. Or you may be deeply concerned about your loved ones who are. Either way, Brain Rules for Aging Well is for you.
In A Long Bright Future, longevity and aging expert Laura Carstensen guides us into the new possibilities offered by a longer life. She debunks the myths and misconceptions about aging that stop us from adequately preparing for the future both as individuals and as a society: that growing older is associated with loneliness and unhappiness, and that only the genetically blessed live well and long. She then focuses on other important components of a long life, including finances, health, social relationships, Medicare and Social Security, challenging our preconceived notions of “old age” every step of the way.
FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED
As our population shifts and ages, the care needs for our elders continue to change and evolve. Today’s generation of family and professional caregivers faces new decisions and challenges, as well as previously unavailable options. This thoroughly revised and updated 2009 edition of The Complete Eldercare Planner equips you with reliable, up-to-the-minute information to help you plan and manage caring for your loved ones.
Comprehensive and detailed, sensitive and realistic, practical and accessible, the 2009 edition provides even more tips on prioritizing and organizing caregiving tasks, balancing work and family responsibilities, and navigating the complex maze of eldercare services. In addition to an expanded index of Internet resources and access to downloadable forms of key documents, you’ll find indispensable checklists, worksheets, step-by-step action plans, lists of questions to ask, low-cost and free alternative resources, and The Document Locator™. This new edition covers:
•Getting started on creating a long-term care plan
•Finding help, especially if you live far away
•Managing the financial aspects
•Talking to elders about sensitive subjects
•Senior housing–move or stay put?
•Managing medications
•And many other topics of vital interest to anyone caring for an elder
From the Trade Paperback edition.
The sixth edition of Nursing Home Administration contains essential information to prepare an individual for licensure and employment as a nursing home administrator. This book addresses all regulatory pieces of information to provide readers with an overview of the entire process of managing a nursing facility. This edition has been updated to reflect the most accurate and up-to-date information to reflect new legislation and regulations passed since previous edition in 2008.
This textbook serves as a roadmap for studying and understanding all the various requirements-management, human resources, finance and business, industry laws and regulations, and patient care. It demonstrates how all components fit together to form the coordinated activity set required of a successful nursing home administrator.
Key Features:
Formatted according to licensing examination and guidelines of the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators New federal guidelines to surveyors New resident assessment instrument Updated figures and tables New life safety code inspection processes New ICDM-10 (International Classification of Diseases-Modified) Sub-set of federal forms included in appendices Web references to enable the reader to successfully navigate the nursing home administration fieldWe've all seen the ads on TV and in magazines--"50 is the new 30!" or "60 is the new 40!" A nice sentiment to be sure, but CEO of AARP Jo Ann Jenkins disagrees. 50 is 50, and she, for one, likes the look of it.
In Disrupt Aging, Jenkins focuses on three core areas--health, wealth, and self--to show us how to embrace opportunities and change the way we look at getting older. Here, she chronicles her own journey and that of others who are making their mark as disrupters to show readers how we can be active, healthy, and happy as we get older. Through this powerful and engaging narrative, she touches on all the important issues facing people 50+ today, from caregiving and mindful living to building age-friendly communities and making our money last.
This is a book for all the makers and doers who have a desire to continue exploring possibilities, to celebrate discovery over decline, and to seek out opportunities to live the best life there is.
New readings focus on whether current federal spending on the elderly is sustainable and fair to other groups, how older consumers are reshaping the business landscape, and the challenges of marketing and selling to customers 60 and over. More emphasis is placed on how social class and inequality earlier in life can shape our final years and the number of older Americans living in poverty. The section on Aging and Health Care has been thoroughly updated to reflect the latest data about chronic diseases that affect the elderly, government spending on health care, and policy changes to programs like Medicaid and Medicare. The section on the Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society gives the most current picture of the racial and ethnic diversity of older Americans, their participation in the labor force, and their income and wealth.
New readings focus on whether current federal spending on the elderly is sustainable and fair to other groups, how older consumers are reshaping the business landscape, and the challenges of marketing and selling to customers 60 and over. More emphasis is placed on how social class and inequality earlier in life can shape our final years and the number of older Americans living in poverty. The section on Aging and Health Care has been thoroughly updated to reflect the latest data about chronic diseases that affect the elderly, government spending on health care, and policy changes to programs like Medicaid and Medicare. The section on the Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society gives the most current picture of the racial and ethnic diversity of older Americans, their participation in the labor force, and their income and wealth.
Set in the Bristol Place Assisted Living Facility, this glorious and biting new comedy from David Lindsay-Abaire centers around Abby, who takes pride in her residence in one of the most coveted rooms in the rest home. Things turn sour quickly when she must take in Marilyn, a new roommate to share her precious space. In a satirical conflict of territory and control, Lindsay-Abaire spins a benign, typically mundane setting into an absurdist, colorful battleground. This high-stakes comedy examines our expectations of what it means to grow old in twenty-first century America, and what happens when a sense of possession collides with a mania of obsession.
David Lindsay-Abaire's plays include Good People, Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, Wonder of the World, High Fidelity, A Devil Inside, and Rabbit Hole, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Lindsay-Abaire wrote the book for Shrek the Musical, and the screen adaptation of Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman. Lindsay-Abaire is a proud New Dramatists alum, a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Juilliard School, as well as a member of the WGA and the Dramatists Guild Council.
Using a comparative, cross-national perspective, Global Aging: Comparative Perspectives on Aging and the Life Course explores the major topics in social gerontology worldwide and the demands that the aging population places on a society.
This comprehensive and timely guide includes contributions from international gerontology scholars and illustrates both universal and socioculturally unique aspects of aging across nations. It is organized thematically for ease of use and includes an abundance of photographs and illustrations to highlight key points.
Key features:
Discussions on various nations' policies and programs designed to meet the unique needs of an older population An essay on pension and income maintenance policies and programs An analysis of the role of local and national governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, in serving older adults Case studies on specific aspects of aging: family life, caregiving, policies and politics, health and long-term care, and work and retirement The most current demographic data on aging around the world
Alarmingly, our society has not adapted to this change. In this urgent and ultimately optimistic book, Butler calls for us to reexamine our personal and societal approach to aging right now, so that the boomers and the generations that follow may have a financially secure and vigorous final chapter of life.
New questions and answers cover new laws and regulations, federal guidelines to surveyors, quality indicators, resident assessment instrument, safety code inspection process, and new ICDM-10. With over 800 test questions, 1,000 key terms and concepts, and answer keys (some with full explanations) -- this is the essential resource for anyone looking to pass the licensing exam.
In What Makes Olga Run? Bruce Grierson explores what the wild success of a ninety-four-year-old track star can tell us about how our bodies and minds age. Olga Kotelko is not your average ninety-four-year-old. She not only looks and acts like a much younger woman, she holds over twenty-three world records in track and field, seventeen in her current ninety to ninety-five category. Convinced that this remarkable woman could help unlock many of the mysteries of aging, Grierson set out to uncover what it is that's driving Olga. He considers every piece of the puzzle, from her diet and sleep habits to how she scores on various personality traits, from what she does in her spare time to her family history. Olga participates in tests administered by some of the world's leading scientists and offers her DNA to groundbreaking research trials. What emerges is not only a tremendously uplifting personal story but a look at the extent to which our health and longevity are determined by the DNA we inherit at birth, and the extent to which we can shape that inheritance. It examines the sum of our genes, opportunities, and choices, and the factors that forge the course of any life, especially during our golden years.
Over the past two decades, Joseph F. Coughlin has been busting myths about aging with groundbreaking multidisciplinary research into what older people actually want--not what conventional wisdom suggests they need. In The Longevity Economy, Coughlin provides the framing and insight business leaders need to serve the growing older market: a vast, diverse group of consumers representing every possible level of health and wealth, worth about $8 trillion in the United States alone and climbing.
Coughlin provides deep insight into a population that consistently defies expectations: people who, through their continued personal and professional ambition, desire for experience, and quest for self-actualization, are building a striking, unheralded vision of longer life that very few in business fully understand. His focus on women--they outnumber men, control household spending and finances, and are leading the charge toward tomorrow's creative new narrative of later life--is especially illuminating.
Coughlin pinpoints the gap between myth and reality and then shows businesses how to bridge it. As the demographics of global aging transform and accelerate, it is now critical to build a new understanding of the shifting physiological, cognitive, social, family, and psychological realities of the longevity economy.
Incorporating qualitative and quantitative data and research methods from both demography and social anthropology, this book explores demographic trends in contemporary Japan's rapidly aging society. The contributors describe and analyze trends by addressing the ways in which demographic change is experienced in the context of family. The book considers the social effects, welfare issues, and private and public responses to demographic change and how this change has influenced the experiences of family caregivers and the elderly themselves. It offers both a specific regional contribution to the emerging field of demographic anthropology and an anthropological contribution to cross-disciplinary research on aging.
“There is … a lot that can be gleaned from this volume about changing patterns of Japanese kinship and concepts of welfare and morality.” — Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
"This important intellectual contribution is an effort to integrate those fields that are often artificially separated in academia. This book is interesting, novel, and timely." — Akiko Hashimoto, author of The Gift of Generations: Japanese and American Perspectives on Aging and the Social Contract
Contributors include Naomi Brown, Brenda Robb Jenike, Toshiko Kaneda, Satsuki Kawano, John Knight, C. Scott Littleton, Susan Orpett Long, James M. Raymo, Leng Leng Thang, Christopher S. Thompson, and John W. Traphagan.
Jarmin Yeh, Institute for Health and Aging and Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco
American Society on Aging Blog
Describes a wealth of diverse career opportunities in gerontology and how to prepare for them
How do you know if a career in gerontology is right for you? What opportunities exist in the field? Completely updated to reflect significant changes to policy and management of resources, the second edition of 101 Careers in Gerontology provides a wealth of helpful and timely guidance in this rapidly growing field. Written for all levels of job seekers ranging from community college students to credential-seeking professionals, the book outlines a multitude of opportunities that dovetail with careers ranging from sociologist and home care agency administrator to architect and documentary filmmaker. Interviews with practitioners provide insight into job particulars and the experience of starting out with a degree versus on-the-job learning.
The book describes five emerging gerontology-related fields, updates already existing job profiles including salary scales, and includes many new careers and their education requirements. New interviews are replete with advice and job search tips. Surprising additions to the list of career profiles include financial planner for elders, custom clothier, health coach, social or cultural historian, travel/tourism specialist, senior theater director, and many others. This second edition encompasses career changes and opportunities resulting from the newly created Administration for Community Living, and those influenced by policy changes in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Also new to the second edition are lists of gerontology professional organizations that can be helpful career search resources and links to professional organizations and other websites specific to each career profile.
Changes to the Second Edition Include:
Many new careers and their education requirementsUpdated job profiles including salary scales A description of three types of gerontology career pathsand how to prepare for themCoverage of such emerging fields as entrepreneurial gerontology, global aging, journalism and aging, and urban gerontologyCareer changes resulting from policy changes in relevant government agenciesLists of professional organizations and websites specific to each career profile13 new interviews and 12 interviews updated from first editionInformation about national, international, and local gerontology organizations including student and new professional member sectionsUpdated and expanded glossary of acronymsKate de Medeiros, PhD
Associate Director, Center for Aging Studies, and Research Scientist
University of Maryland, Baltimore
This comprehensive, well written book is accessible to readers at all levels from those just beginning to learn about the field of aging to those with decades of experience. . . [It is] an excellent resource for students, not only of gerontology, but also allied health, business administration, health education, healthcare management, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, public administration, public health and social work. In fact, it should be required reading for all American citizens, so they know where they need to plan ahead, how they can step up to the plate to advocate for better elder services and where to mind the gaps.
Sharon B. Buchbinder, RN, PhD
Former Professor and Chair
Department of Health Science
Towson University, Towson, MD
Revised and updated to include the most current information concerning later-life care, this seventh edition provides students and practitioners with a detailed overview of federal, state, and local programs and services for older people with cognitive, physical, and social needs. It also examines new and emerging needs and interests of older adults and what measures are being taken to address them, including civic engagement, religion and spirituality, and arts and humanities programs.
An ideal source for students and educators in a variety of disciplines-from gerontology to nursing to public health-this guide offers a historical perspective on the evolution of programs and services for older Americans. It also cites a wealth of important changes in legislation, health care, lifestyle, and other areas concerning older adults that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition.
This guide covers various aspects of each program or service, including:
Historical evolution of the Aging Network Both enacted and proposed relevant legislation Essays by experts in the field Challenges faced by older adults, professionals, and policymakers New sources and relevant websites Discussion questions for classroom useHarnessing the proven benefits of active learning strategies, this is the first activity book created for a broad spectrum of courses in aging-related higher education. It features 32 classroom and community-based educational activities for instructors seeking to introduce and/or enhance aging content in their courses. Underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of aging studies, the book encompasses teaching strategies for instructors in such disciplines as Counseling, Family Studies, Gerontology, Geriatrics, Medicine, Psychology, Public Administration, Public Health, Nursing, Social Work, Sociology, Speech Pathology, and others.
This peer-reviewed collection of hands-on activities is designed by noted educators in aging and incorporates AGHE competencies. It offers clear, step-by-step procedures for implementing each activity including preparation, introduction, the activity itself, discussion/reflection, wrap-up, and assessment. The book also addresses learning outcomes and includes recommendations for number of participants, settings, materials, and time required. Encompassing key, impactful issues affecting older individuals, the text examines Ageism and Aging in the Media, Dementia, Demography, Health Care, Housing, Physical Aging, Policy and Politics of Aging, Positive Interactions with Older Adults, and Spirituality. In addition to its value to students, the book’s activities are also beneficial to professionals instructing or participating in staff trainings, in-services, and continuing education.
Key Features:
Contains 32 experiential learning activities for students in a great variety of aging-related disciplinesDesigned for activities in the classroom, in the community, on line, and take- homeProvides clear, step-by-step procedures for each activity from implementation through assessmentAddresses student learning outcomes and includes a glossaryIncorporates AGHE competenciesIn Understanding Aging and Diversity: Theories and Concepts, Patricia Kolb presents important sociological theories and concepts for understanding experiences of older people and their families in a rapidly changing world. She explores concepts from phenomenology, critical theory, feminist theory, life course theory and gerotranscendence theory to explain important issues in the lives of older people. This book investigates similarities and differences in aging experiences, focusing in particular on the effects of inequality. Kolb examines the relationship of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation and social class to international aging experiences.
This book explores the relationships between older people and social systems in different ways, and informs thinking about policy development and other strategies for enhancing the wellbeing of older adults. It will be useful for students and scholars of sociology, gerontology, social work, anthropology, economics, demography and global studies.
Gerontological Practice for the Twenty-first Century is divided into four parts. Part 1 reviews current and classic theories of aging and proposes an original framework for an integrative approach to practice with older people that incorporates both individual and policy-level interventions. The approach is based on current themes such as a life course perspective, heterogeneity, diversity, and inequality. Part 2 covers such common and important psychological problems among older individuals, as anxiety, depression, suicide, substance abuse, and dementia, and describes appropriate, evidence-based interventions. Part 3 considers the social psychological picture by discussing working with older families, end-of-life care, bereavement, and work and retirement. Part 4 focuses on core sociopolitical issues in the lives of older people: economic policy, poverty, health policy, quality-of-life concerns, and social services.
Current, authoritative, and original, this single-volume gerontology resource will be of valuable use to graduate students and practitioners.
A thorough, rich, and current work, this book is the most comprehensive resource available for students, policymakers, researchers, human resource directors, and in short, all who have a personal or professional interest in the essential questions facing the growing aging population in the United States. It examines changes in retirement patterns, problems of older workers, and the complexity of retirement preparation, as well as pension plan health costs and all the programs affecting financial security.
May Sarton’s journals are a captivating look at a rich artistic life. In this, her ode to aging, she savors the daily pleasures of tending to her garden, caring for her dogs, and entertaining guests at her beloved Maine home by the sea. Her reminiscences are raw, and her observations are infused with the poetic candor for which Sarton—over the course of her decades-long career—became known.
An enlightening glimpse into a time—the early 1980s—and an age, At Seventy is at once specific and universal, providing a unique window into septuagenarian life that readers of all generations will enjoy. At times mournful and at others hopeful, this is a beautiful memoir of the year in which Sarton, looking back on it all, could proclaim, “I am more myself than I have ever been.”
Completely reorganized for ease of use, this textbook features updated demographics and rankings for leading causes of death, new blood pressure screening guidelines and data on obesity and diabetes, updated exercise regimens, older-driver statistics and innovations such as the driverless car, cautions regarding ineffective brain-training programs, and more.
Highly practical, the text includes health-promoting tools, resource lists, assessment tools, illustrations, checklists, and tables. Additionally, the book includes key terms and learning objectives at the start of each chapter, along with thought-provoking questions and reflection boxes. An Instructor’s Manual and PowerPoint slides are available to facilitate teaching.
New to the Seventh Edition:
Provides updated blood pressure, cholesterol, Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), and lung cancer screening guidelines Presents updates on exercise regimens ranging from yoga to the tango Expands and updates section on emotional regulation and conflict resolution skills with aging Discusses Boomer Entrepreneurism Provides new policy recommendations including student loan debt among older adults Expands gerotechnology and smart home innovations Updates on “Obamacare” and health care delivery recommendations Addresses “Buyer Beware” regarding brain-training programs Expands global aging and LGBT aging contentWith keen insight and a passion to empower adult children, Allison charts a trustworthy roadmap through the often unfamiliar territory of setting boundaries with parents while maintaining personal balance and avoiding burnout. Through the use of professional advice, true stories, and scriptural truth, readers learn how to apply the "6 Steps to SANITY"
S-STOP your own negative behavior
A-ASSEMBLE a support group
N-NIP excuses in the bud
I-IMPLEMENT rules and boundaries
T-TRUST your instincts
Y-YIELD everything to God
Resources are available at the ministry website: www.settingboundaries.com
Because a majority of nursing home residents are older adults facing multiple, advanced chronic conditions, this book is grounded in the provision of palliative care-especially palliative psychosocial care. Yet its practice recommendations can also be applied to other long-term care settings, such as assisted living. The contributors combine scholarship with practical wisdom in each chapter, mixing reviews of scholarly literature with insights gleaned from clinical practice. Chapter topics comply with the eight domains of palliative care developed by the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care. Some focus on care of the resident, while others concern the resident's family. A special section addresses self-care for nursing home staff members, and another discusses nursing home rituals to mark the death of a resident. Bern-Klug concludes with an overview of the factors that will shape the future of palliative care for advanced chronic illness.
Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted over a ten year period, Hurd Clarke brings alive feminist theories about aging, beauty work, femininity, and the body. The book also discusses medicine and the aging appearance, with interviews from medical providers and women about treatments such as Botox injections and injectable fillers. This book makes an important and timely contribution to the discussion of gendered ageism and older women's experiences of growing older in a youth-obsessed culture.
In The New Neighborhood Senior Center, Joyce Weil uses in-depth ethnographic methods to examine a working-class senior center in Queens, New York. She explores the ways in which social structure directly affects the lives of older Americans and traces the role of political, social, and economic institutions and neighborhood processes in the decision to close such centers throughout the city of New York.
Many policy makers and gerontologists advocate a concept of “aging in place,” whereby the communities in which these older residents live provide access to resources that foster and maintain their independence. But all “aging in place” is not equal and the success of such efforts depends heavily upon the social class and availability of resources in any given community. Senior centers, expanded in part by funding from federal programs in the 1970s, were designed as focal points in the provision of community-based services. However, for the first wave of “boomers,” the role of these centers has come to be questioned.
Declining government support has led to the closings of many centers, even as the remaining centers are beginning to “rebrand” to attract the boomer generation. However, The New Neighborhood Senior Centerdemonstrates the need to balance what the boomers’ want from centers with the needs of frailer or more vulnerable elders who rely on the services of senior centers on a daily basis. Weil challenges readers to consider what changes in social policies are needed to support or supplement senior centers and the functions they serve.
The book first analyzes current aging policies and rights and considers the Older Americans Act as a basic policy framework. With an eye to promoting independence, the book discusses issues of income, housing, transportation, health, and home care and what constitutes a “livable community,” along with policies that promote wellbeing and focus on preventing senior abuse and exploitation. Challenges faced by older workers are covered, as are issues particular to family caregivers, older women, and grandparents as caregivers. Gaps in social policies for LG BT seniors and older members of specific ethnic groups are discussed. Particular attention is given to global issues and aging policies in diverse countries and the ways in which they reflect human rights concerns. Each chapter concludes with probing discussion questions for classroom use.
KEY FEATURES:
Presents a human rights framework for aging policyDistinguishes between needs and rights of older personsFocuses on policies and programs that can help older people to remain in the communityExplores the issues and challenges of specific older populationsDiscusses global responses and concerns with regard to older persons and human rightsCarole B. Cox, MSW, PhD, is professor at the Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Fulbright scholar. She is the author of more than 50 journal articles and chapters dealing with various aspects of aging and caregiving, with extensive research on caregivers for persons with dementia, their needs, and their use of services. Her recent work includes a study of the impact of dementia on the workplace. Her caregiving research also includes that of grandparents raising grandchildren, leading to the development of a curriculum, Empowering Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Training Manual for Group Leaders (Springer Publishing Company, 2000). She is the editor of To Grandmother’s House We Go and Stay: Perspectives on Custodial Grandparents (Springer Publishing Company, 2000). Her other books include Home Care for the Elderly: An International Perspective, coauthored with Abraham Monk (1991); The Frail Elderly: Problems, Needs, and Community Responses (1993); Ethnicity and Social Work Practice, coauthored with Paul Ephross (1998); Community Care for an Aging Society: Policies and Services (Springer Publishing Company, 2005); and Dementia and Social Work Practice (Springer Publishing Company, 2007).
Written by an expert in gerontological social work and curriculum development, this book provides a wealth of clinical information for social workers and other health care professionals who counsel older adults. It describes a strengths-based, empowerment approach to treatment that integrates theory, technique, advocacy, and social policy, and encompasses the tenets of human rights. The book's content has been tested in the classroom setting for a three-year period with advanced social work undergraduate and graduate students.
The book examines various theories of aging including a contrast between the strengths-based person-in-environment theory and the pathologically based medical model of psychological problems. It advocates truly engaging with the older client during the assessment phase, and discusses a variety of intervention modalities. The psychological construct of stigma regarding aging is examined, along with the major psychopathological problems common to older adults. The book also considers Alzheimer's disease and dementia, medical problems of older adults and co-occurring psychological problems, substance abuse, older adult sexuality, elder abuse, and the vulnerabilities of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender older adults. Additionally, the book addresses mental health issues pertaining to residential settings and the aspects of death and dying that give older people concern. Extensive case studies, learning objectives, and discussion questions are featured in each chapter. The book also includes an instructor packet, PowerPoint slides, and an interactive PDF.
Key Features:
Provides a wealth of classroom-tested clinical information Espouses a strengths-based approach to treatment that integrates theory, technique, advocacy, and social justice Consistent with social work mandates for a human rights focus Presents extensive case studies, learning objectives, and discussion questions in each chapter Includes an instructors packet, PowerPoint slides, and interactive PDFThis book proposes new ways of thinking about how we conceptualize the life course, think about the role of the welfare state in the lives of older people, negotiate social roles in later life, make meaning of our lives as we age, and cultivate relationships with others during later life. It brings together theoretical concepts and frameworks, methodological advances, and emerging themes and controversies that are redefining gerontology in the era of the Third Age. Highlighting important issues that warrant further exploration and discussion, this book advances our understanding of the Third Age and focuses attention on critical issues that should be addressed in future Third Age research and scholarly development.
Key Features:Includes up-to-date description and analysis of the third age as a concept, life phase, and social status Addresses multiple perspectives to illustrate the impact of the third age on the way we examine later life Uses disciplinary perspectives such as social policy, demography, gerontology, sociology, social work, anthropology, and social psychology Examines mechanisms that stratify the older population in the context of the third age
Alarmingly, our society has not adapted to this change. In this urgent and ultimately optimistic book, Butler calls for us to reexamine our personal and societal approach to aging right now, so that the boomers and the generations that follow may have a financially secure and vigorous final chapter of life.
Through Scripture, studies, and the personal experiences of religious leaders and congregants, Practical Theology for Aging offers new concepts for ministering to our older population. Each chapter looks at a different concern for the elderly and addresses it with the assurance that aging is part of God’s great work. From scientific models and case studies to passages from both the Old and New Testaments, this volume illuminates the power of faith in keeping the elderly whole and well.
Practical Theology for Aging reveals several barriers to the spiritual wellness of our elders. These include society’s stereotypical views of frailty and incompetence in older people, the lack of common support by communities of faith, and the dissatisfaction of the elderly with outdated, traditional answers to their concerns of aging, suffering, and death. Each barrier can be overcome by utilizing the practical theology you will find in this book. Restated throughout the volume is the message that the journey into old age does not have to be filled with dread and fear but can be seen as a path to spiritual maturity.
This book has practical suggestions that address: God’s purpose for aging—why do we have to grow old? sexual health for senior citizens the suffering and physical debilitation that sometimes accompany aging afflictions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and how to minister to the unresponsive the inclusion of spirituality in rehabilitation to heal the whole person after catastrophic illness or injury preaching to senior citizens as opposed to preaching to a younger congregation so much more! Practical Theology for Aging presents tips and strategies for spiritual advisement as well as traditional quotes and references reminding us to respect and honor our aging men and women. Whether you are a religious leader, caretaker, family member, or esteemed elder, this book is vital for strengthening spirituality in the elderly and promoting their inclusion into the religious community.
--from THE VIRTUES OF AGING
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Focusing on continuities and change, this book looks not only at the different 'phases of life', but also at the transformation of a number of closely related social institutions such as the family, education and the workplace. Recognising that the established cradle-to-grave view is now outdated, the trajectory from infancy and youth to later and end-of-life is followed not as a stable object of study, but as a starting point for critical analysis.
This second edition offers an essential overview of the sociology of the life course, incorporating both contemporary and conventional perspectives. It calls upon current theorising around the life course as well as on up-to-date empirical research data. This thought-provoking text is relevant to researchers and students of life course studies and sociology, as well as to those in nursing, social work and related caring professions.
--The Gerontologist
"This is a must-read book for clinicians, service providers, policy makers, program planners, and teachers in the fields of mental health, aging, and emergency preparedness."
From the Foreword by Robert N. Butler, MD
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the essential information that everyone working, or hoping to work in the field of aging, should know about disasters, emergencies, and their effects on the mental health and well-being of older persons. It provides the reader with evidence-based approaches for identifying and classifying mental health problems, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance use disorders in older adults, which may occur during and post disasters/emergencies.
Specific attention is given to the special needs and approaches to the care of at-risk groups of older persons such as veterans and holocaust survivors; older adults who are isolated, dependent, have mobility problems, communication deficits, are cognitively impaired, or have other co-morbidities; elders who use meals-on-wheels, vital medications, or home care; or older persons who are in senior centers, nursing homes, or assisted living settings.
Key Features
Increases understanding of the mental health issues in older adultsProvides tools that can foster resiliency and recovery at the community, group, and individual levels Influences the development of positive responses to disasters that can potentially minimize adverse mental and physical outcomes in older persons and maximize individual and group recoveryBased on nearly a decade of research, Aging and Loss examines how the landscape of aging is felt, understood, and embodied by older adults themselves. In detailed portraits, anthropologist Jason Danely delves into the everyday lives of older Japanese adults as they construct narratives through acts of reminiscence, social engagement and ritual practice, and reveals the pervasive cultural aesthetic of loss and of being a burden. Through first-hand accounts of rituals in homes, cemeteries, and religious centers, Danely argues that what he calls the self-in-suspense can lead to the emergence of creative participation in an economy of care. In everyday rituals for the spirits, older adults exercise agency and reinterpret concerns of social abandonment within a meaningful cultural narrative and, by reimagining themselves and their place in the family through these rituals, older adults in Japan challenge popular attitudes about eldercare. Danely’s discussion of health and long-term care policy, and community welfare organizations, reveal a complex picture of Japan’s aging society.
The most comprehensive volume ever written about AARP, the book begins with a chapter on the organization's history, going back to its founding in 1958 and its roots in the National Retired Teachers Association, established in 1947. Readers will learn about AARP's membership and chapter activities, including how it grew to be the largest membership organization in the country. Perhaps even more engrossing is the book's investigation of the nature and extent of AARP's political influence and its positions and priorities as it struggles to represent a large and diverse constituency. Finally, the study discusses AARP's organizational model, which combines political advocacy, business, and charity, and probes the controversies arising from what AARP's critics charge are conflicts of interest.
Cullen T. Hayashida, Ph.D.
Director, Kupuna (Elder) Education Center
Kapi'olani Community College
University of Hawaii
This research-based yet highly engaging textbook for undergraduate and masters-level college students ushers in a new paradigm of aging-that of aging as a positive stage of life. It offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the broad range of topics that comprise gerontology, using theoretical and research-based information while providing engrossing narratives and real examples of new trends, surprising findings, and controversial topics.
The volume dispels many of the myths about aging through careful reporting of facts, issues, and trends. It sheds a positive light on getting older by viewing the elderly and near old as a diverse, capable subset of our population. A discussion of roles in the family, workplace, and greater society along with physical changes, health, sexuality, living environment, work, retirement, and cultural considerations reveal the challenges and opportunities faced by our rapidly aging population.
This text comes with access to PowerPoint slides and an instructor's manual including learning objectives, key terms, test questions, suggested topics for essays and discussion, and suggested classroom activities and homework assignments.
Key Features:
Conceptualizes aging in America as a positive social revolution with far-reaching consequences Dispels negative myths about aging Engages the reader with vivid narratives Includes practical applications of knowledge throughout the text Includes instructor's manual, PowerPoint slides, and resources for additional learning opportunities Targeted to the needs of undergraduate and masters-level gerontology students