“Heartfelt and ever-endearing—equal parts information and inspiration. This is a book to keep by your bedside and return to often.”—Amy Dickinson, nationally syndicated advice columnist "Ask Amy"

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.

Discover the inspiring national bestseller about aging and health that "will help us all live each year to the fullest" (Sheryl Sandberg).

We'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.

One of O: The Oprah Magazine's Top Books of Summer

"Old in Art School is a glorious achievement—bighearted and critical, insightful and entertaining. This book is a cup of courage for everyone who wants to change their lives." —Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage and Silver Sparrow

Following her retirement from Princeton University, celebrated historian Dr. Nell Irvin Painter surprised everyone in her life by returning to school—in her sixties—to earn a BFA and MFA in painting. In Old in Art School, she travels from her beloved Newark to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design; finds meaning in the artists she loves, even as she comes to understand how they may be undervalued; and struggles with the unstable balance between the pursuit of art and the inevitable, sometimes painful demands of a life fully lived.

How are women and artists seen and judged by their age, looks, and race? What does it mean when someone says, “You will never be an artist”? Who defines what “An Artist” is and all that goes with such an identity, and how are these ideas tied to our shared conceptions of beauty, value, and difference?

Old in Art School is Nell Painter’s ongoing exploration of those crucial questions. Bringing to bear incisive insights from two careers, Painter weaves a frank, funny, and often surprising tale of her move from academia to art.

Sixth Edition A Doody’s Core Title!

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

"We are not alone in our worry about both the physical aspect of aging and the prejudice that exists toward the elderly, which is similar to racism or sexism. What makes it different is that the prejudice also exists among those of us who are either within this group or rapidly approaching it. When I have mentioned the title of this book to a few people, most of them responded, 'Virtues? What could possibly be good about growing old?' The most obvious answer, of course, is to consider the alternative to aging. But there are plenty of other good answers--many based on our personal experiences and observations. "
--from THE VIRTUES OF AGING


From the Trade Paperback edition.

How come I can never find my keys? Why don't I sleep as well as I used to? Why do my friends keep repeating the same stories? What can I do to keep my brain sharp? Scientists know. Brain Rules for Aging Well, by developmental molecular biologist Dr. John Medina, gives you the facts, and the prescription to age well, in his signature engaging style.

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.

Prolonging working lives is high on the agenda of policy makers in most of the world�s major industrialized nations. This book explains how they are keen to tackle issues associated with the ageing of populations, namely the funding of pension systems

Finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Now a major motion picture starring Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Lois Smith, and Tim Robbins.

“An elegant, thoughtful and quietly unsettling drama. Marjorie Primeoperates by stealth… at some point, you realize that it’s been landing skillfully targeted punch after punch, right where it hurts… It keeps developing in your head, like a photographic negative, long after you have seen it.”

—Ben Brantley, New York Times

“Brilliant…A startling and profound new drama.” —Jesse Green, New York

“Memory is an essential element of life—crucial to thought, feeling, progress, identity. But it also comes into play with particular power and meaning after someone who has been loved dies. And it is this tension between life and death—with memory functioning as connective tissue—that animates Jordan Harrison’s subtly shattering, Marjorie Prime.” —Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

“Jordan Harrison’s play has all the hallmarks of the best science fiction; it’s clever in conceit, alive with humor, surprising in its turns, and terribly haunting by the time the lights go out.”

—Rollo Romig, New Yorker

With help from an intriguingly innovative technology in a future not far from our present, Marjorie examines her past, sometimes replacing her realities with idealized memories. Through deeply drawn characters—both real and in the form of artificial intelligence companions, or “Primes” —Harrison burrows into troubling questions of the digital age: What would we remember, and what would we forget, given the power of authorship? Will we be any less human, once computers know us better than we know ourselves?

Jordan Harrison grew up on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle. His plays include Maple and Vine, The Grown-Up, Doris to Darlene, Amazons and Their Men, Finn in the Underworld, Act a Lady, Kid-Simple, and Futura. Harrison is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, the Kesselring Prize, and the Horton Foote Prize, among other awards. He was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Marjorie Prime. A graduate of the Brown MFA program, Harrison is a writer-producer for the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black.

Margaret Cruikshank’s Learning to Be Old examines what it means to grow old in America today. The book questions social myths and fears about aging, sickness, and the other social roles of the elderly, the over-medicalization of many older people, and ageism. In this book, Cruikshank proposes alternatives to the ways aging is usually understood in both popular culture and mainstream gerontology. Learning to Be Old does not propose the ideas of “successful aging” or “productive aging,” but more the idea of “learning” how to age.

Featuring new research and analysis, the third edition of Learning to be Old demonstrates, more thoroughly than the previous editions, that aging is socially constructed. Among texts on aging the book is unique in its clear focus on the differences in aging for women and men, as well as for people in different socioeconomic groups. Cruikshank is able to put aging in a broad context that not only focuses on how aging affects women but men, as well. Key updates in the third edition include changes in the health care system, changes in how long older Americans are working especially given the impact of the recession, and new material on the brain and mind-body interconnections. Cruikshank impressively challenges conventional ideas about aging in this third edition of Learning to be Old. This will be a must-read for everyone interested in new ideas surrounding aging in America today.

Benefiting from the authors' many years of teaching undergraduate and graduate students and practitioners, here is a clear, comprehensive, practice-oriented text for public budgeting courses. Rather than presenting each budgeting concern in mind-numbing detail, the book offers a commonsensical view of public budgeting and its importance to current and future public managers. The text is designed to show readers how managers relate to budgeting and how their actions make a difference in the operation and performance of public organizations. The book covers the historical development of public budgeting, sources of public revenues, revenue management, budgeting processes and formats, operating techniques, politics within public budgeting, and more. "Budgeting for Public Managers" is concise, clearly written, well illustrated, and grounded in the real-world concerns of public managers. Each chapter concludes with a helpful list of additional reading and resources for readers who want to dig deeper into budgeting practice and application.

"This book is exemplary in amassing demographic, policy, and sociopsychological data from around the world to refute both premises: that countriesí aging is not occurring in developing nations and that aging of the population presents intractable predicaments. The content of the book is rich with current information seldom accumulated into one source. For a scholar of aging studies, the topics are comprehensive, including demographics, political systems, health and long-term care provision, employment/retirement, and formal and informal support systems. Structurally, the book adds value with the inclusion of Web resources and a robust index. The design is conducive for a classroom setting by incorporating discussion questions and key words at the end of each chapter." -- Dr. Carol A. Gosselink, PsycCritiques

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

A practical guide to bridging the generation gap. 

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.

Presenting current research in an innovative text-reader format, Aging: Concepts and Controversies, Ninth Edition encourages students to become involved and take an informed stand on the major aging issues we face as a society. Not simply a summary of research literature, Harry R. Moody and Jennifer R. Sasser’s text focuses on controversies and questions, rather than on assimilating facts or arriving at a single "correct" view about aging and older people. Drawing on their extensive expertise, the authors first provide an overview of aging in three domains: aging over the life course, health care, and the socioeconomic aspects of aging. Each section is followed by a series of edited readings, offering different perspectives from experts and specialists on that subject.
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.

Evidence Based Treatment with Older Adults: Theory, Practice, and Research provides a detailed examination of five research-supported psychosocial interventions for use with older adults: cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, life review/reminiscence, problem solving therapy, and psychoeducational/social support approaches. These interventions address the diversity of mental health conditions and late-life challenges that older adults and their family members experience. Detailed explanations of the approaches, skills, and strategies employed in each intervention are provided, as are adaptions for use of the interventions with older adults. Vignettes are also used to demonstrate the use of specific practice skills and techniques with older clients. The theory undergirding each approach and the historical development of the interventions is explained, and provides the reader with a rich understanding of background and context of each therapy. In addition, the distinct issues such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse/misuse for which evidence exists are highlighted. Research support for application of the interventions in community-based, acute care, and long-term care settings and in individual and group formats is also discussed. Finally, implementation issues encountered in therapeutic work with older adults are described as are accommodations to enhance treatment efficacy. In sum, this book provides a comprehensive overview of evidence based psychosocial interventions for older adults; it is ideal for students and mental health professionals interested in clinical work with older adults and their families.

Living Through Loss is the first book to identify the many ways in which people experience loss over the course of life and to discuss the interventions most effective at each stage of life. The authors' starting point is that loss comes in many forms and can include not only suffering the death of a person one loves but also giving birth to a child with disabilities, living with chronic illness, or being abused, assaulted, or otherwise traumatized. They approach loss from the perspective of the resilience model, which acknowledges the capacity of people to integrate loss into their lives, and write sensitively about the role of age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, and spirituality in a person's response to loss. More than a comprehensive source on loss, the volume is distinguished by the authors' beautiful use of clients' experiences-and their own-thus making their book definitive and indelible.

The twentieth century bequeathed us a fabulous gift: thirty more years of life on average. Supersized life spans are going to radically alter society, and present an unprecedented opportunity to change our approach not only to old age but to all of life's stages. The ramifications are just beginning to dawn on us.... yet in the meantime, we keep thinking about, and planning for, life as it used to be lived.

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.

"A lyrical and understanding chronicler of people who somehow become displaced within their own lives…Mr. Lindsay-Abaire has shown a special affinity for female characters suddenly forced to re-evaluate the roles by which they define themselves."—New York Times

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.

Exploring identity development and gender orientation, Lesbian Epiphanies: Women Coming Out in Later Life contains firsthand information about the experiences and difficulties of women who discover and reveal their newfound lesbian sexuality in later life. Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and professors will find that Lesbian Epiphanies is the first book to extensively quote from interviews of lesbians and bisexuals who had entered into heterosexual marriages. From the analysis of these 24 interviews, the psychological, erotic, and social processes of women who come out as lesbians or bisexuals after a heterosexual marriage are clearly explained so you can better assist your clients throughout this coming-out process. Discussing the personal and societal standards which clouded early self-awareness for these women, Lesbian Epiphanies lifts the veil of confusion to clearly illuminate the issues at hand to assist you in understanding and helping your clients. From the case studies in this important book, you will learn how some women came to realize their same gender attractions and the barriers they faced, including negative attitudes toward lesbian women and the lack of strong role models. Helpful and informative, Lesbian Epiphanies explores the development of sexual identity in women in the Unites States today and provides you with essential information to help you improve your services to lesbian and bisexual clients by: examining how the role of marriage in American culture stifles a woman’s self-awareness of her sexuality in order to help clients avoid the mistake of a heterosexual marriage before husbands and children are involved examining reasons behind the lack of valuable sexual information in America that limits a woman’s general awareness of herself, her body, her sexuality, and her life options understanding the challenges that lesbians and bisexuals experience when attempting to establish their true identities to assist your clients in overcoming these barriers suggesting support groups for clients who are having a difficult time becoming used to the ideas and feelings of some same gender attractionsThis insightful book knocks down the sociological and psychological barriers that keep women from realizing or acknowledging their real sexual orientation by dispelling societal and cultural myths about what it means to be a woman in the United States. Offering you invaluable advice on how to help clients effectively and happily live with their new identities, Lesbian Epiphanies provides solutions to the challenges that women experience in establishing their other-than-heterosexual orientation in a heterosexist society.

This collection of readings presents a variety of perspectives on ageing from different communities across the United States: Native American, Puerto Rican, African American, the elderly homeless, white working class, gay and Mexican amongst many others. The readings cover topics such as: life course; social and psychological contexts of ageing; paid and unpaid activity; the American family; and health.

The struggle to save the International Hotel, in the San Francisco neighborhood known as Manilatown, culminated in 1977 with the eviction of elderly tenant activists. Many of them were Filipino bachelors who had emigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s for menial labor. Each evicted tenant was accompanied by at least one young activist who had come to find their roots in the lives of the "manongs" (respected elders). San Francisco's International Hotel is part history and part memoir. In telling this compelling story, Estella Habal features her own memories of the Anti-Eviction Movement, focusing on the roles of Filipino Americans and their participation in both the anti-eviction protests and the nascent Asian American movement. She rounds out the narrative with a variety of sources, including interviews with other participants, the notes of insiders, and official reports. A new International Hotel was finally built on the site. It commemorates the residents and activists who fought for low-income housing for the elderly and their right to remain in their own community. The new hotel houses the International Hotel Manilatown Center, keeping the memory of the First Filipino immigrants alive.

A fascinating look at the way we age today and the extent to which we can shape the process
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.

An "affectionate, touchingly empathetic" (Janet Maslin, The New York Times) look at old age in America today Welcome to Canterbury Tower , an apartment building in Florida, where the residents are busy with friendships, love, sex, money, and gossip-and the average age is eightysix. Journalist Dudley Clendinen's mother moved to Canterbury in 1994, planning-like most the inhabitants-to spend her final years there. But life was not over yet for the feisty southern matron. There, she and her eccentric new friends lived out a soap opera of dignity, nerve, and humor otherwise known as the New Old Age. A Place Called Canterbury is both a journalist's account of the last years of the Greatest Generation and a son's rueful memoir of his mother. Entertaining and unsparing, it is essential reading for anyone with aging parents, and those wondering what their own old age might look like.

"Haber and Gratton lay to rest many conventional assumptions concerning the place of older persons in American history." -- Choice

"Haber and Gratton's meaty little book does more than provide an intelligent synthesis of existing old-age history; its new interpretations, insights, and shifts of emphasis will provoke responses and help move historians' work away from the now threadbare original disputes in e field toward new questions and approaches." -- American Historical Review

"Indeed, Haber and Gratton give us a refreshingly multidimensional history of the shift in old-age security from work, assets, or children to government annuities." -- Contemporary Sociology

"... the history of old age has finally come of age. The authors successfully synthesize the best of the earlier social and cultural studies with new empirical evidence and recent findings of economic historians." -- Journal of Economic History

"A truly 'revisionary' interpretation of the cultural and structural forces that shaped the elderly's lives from the colonial period to the present. Lucid and controversial, [it] is bound to be widely cited and hotly contested." -- W. Andrew Achenbaum

This social history of the American elderly offers a provocative new view of aging in the United States. It revises traditional assumptions about the economic status of the old and challenges the long-held contention that industrialization destroyed family relationships.

"101+ Careers is rich with useful information. I highly recommend the book for any student, emerging, or re-careering professional exploring their options for a career in gerontology and the resources they may need to go about pursuing it."

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 acronyms

A reader-friendly overview of geropsychology based on a wealth of evidence-based research

Written by a renowned scholar and practitioner of gerontology and aging, this is a concise, reader-friendly overview of key concepts of geropsychology, the psychology of aging. Grounded in positive psychology, the text dispels common myths about the aging population with a wealth of evidence-based research. It encompasses a foundational knowledge base regarding issues unique to older adults, information that is essential for mental health providers, who already see an unprecedented growth in the number of older adults in their practices--a trend that is expected to continue for years to come.

The text discusses theoretical models underlying geropsychology, and examines common difficulties that affect older adults along with the most effective treatment approaches for this population. With a focus on the strengths and functions of older adults, the text examines the unique psychological problems of later life and conflicts caused by retirement, living longer, financial stressors, and chronic illness. It discusses the complications of changing family systems, coping with cognitive impairments, how psychologists understand and treat Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, older adult sexuality including the unique sexual problems confronting LGBT individuals, elder abuse, ageism, substance abuse, and issues surrounding death and dying. A chapter on future directions for psychological research and practice highlights the many opportunities available in this field. The text will be of value for upper-level undergraduate courses on the psychology of aging, as a supplement to developmental and clinical psychology courses, and as a resource for interdisciplinary studies with a focus on gerontology.

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Key Features:

Provides a concise overview of one of the largest growing segments of our population

Written by a prominent expert in gerontology and psychology

Offers a wealth of evidence-based research that informs clinical issues

Grounded in a positive psychology approach

Integrates theory with human rights and social justice

"The eighth edition of Aging Networks is particularly well-suited for use in the classroom, and can be used or adapted for a wide variety of disciplines including gerontology, social work, public health, public administration, nursing and other health professions... This small volume is not only an excellent learning tool, but also a ìmust-haveî handbook for aging professionals in many fields."
--Noreen A. Shugrue
Research Associate, University of Connecticut Center on Aging
Farmington, CT
Educational Gerontology

As our population ages, the need for comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge about aging services in the United States becomes more and more crucial. This highly accessible and concise text about such resources provides students and practitioners of gerontologyóalong with all professionals whose work concerns the well-being of older adultsówith a current, detailed description and analysis of federal, state, local, and global programs and services for older people with or without cognitive, physical, and social needs. Thoroughly updated to encompass the new information available concerning later life, it reflects critical changes to legislation, health care, and current trends, and focuses on the strengths of older adults, their diversity, and the role our multilayered aging network plays in advocacy, community independence, and engagement. Commentary and critical thinking challenges from policymakers, program directors, and educators facilitate high-level thinking and independent analysis of the aging networks, past, present, and future.

The eighth edition underscores recent policy changes and how these changes will impact the lives of older adults. "Perspectives" boxes throughout the text highlight complex themes addressed by experts, and "Critical Thinking" topics and questions encourage reflection and discussion. The new edition also describes initiatives that highlight best-practice approaches and model projects designed to facilitate positive change. Along with a vast amount of new and revised information reinforced with a variety of perspectives in historical and current contexts, the book features an international perspective highlighting the collaborative efforts driving many aspects of aging network programming. Additionally, the book focuses on the unique issues of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population along with programs designed to address them.

NEW TO THE EIGHTH EDITION:

Expert analyses and insights into complex themesReflects reorganization of the aging network under the Administration for Community Living, and policy changes affecting practiceInternational perspectives such as the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities ProjectInnovative and model projects and programsExpanded focus on issues unique to the LGBT populationThe influence of social determinants on older adults and the aging networksCaregiving issuesDisaster and emergency preparednessEffects of economic downturn on the aging populationElder mistreatmentChanges in employment and retirement patternsSupporting "aging in place"New and expanded educator's ancillary packet

Oldness: a social construct at odds with reality that constrains how we live after middle age and stifles business thinking on how to best serve a group of consumers, workers, and innovators that is growing larger and wealthier with every passing day.
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.

Advancing Conversations is a line of interview books documenting conversations with artists, authors, philosophers, economists, scientists, and activists whose works are aimed at the future and at progress. The biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey, as the world's pre-eminent longevity advocate, is nothing if not future oriented. De Grey is the founder of the SENS Research Foundation, an organization developing medical interventions to repair the damage the body does to itself over time. Stated more directly, Aubrey de Grey and his organization aim to defeat aging. In 2005 a panel of scientists and doctors from MIT, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Microsoft, and the Venter Institute participated in a contest to judge whether de Grey's "Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence" were worthy of debate and verification or whether these ideas were wrong on their face. The panel found that de Grey's proposals for intervening in the aging process, while speculative, often "ran parallel to existing research" and were not "demonstrably wrong."

From acclaimed journalist Bill Gifford comes a roaring journey into the world of anti-aging science in search of answers to a universal obsession: what can be done about getting old?

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.

Dramatic social transformation in Western society over recent decades has had a profound impact on the way the life course is studied. While people continue to experience the implications of class, gender, ethnicity and, of course, age, they are more than ever able to take personal control of their own lives. The Life Course considers how, in a diverse and uncertain world, the previously predictable stages of life are no longer fixed but increasingly open to change.

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.

Contemporary old age is fraught with contradiction and complexity—women portrayed either as incompetent and cuddly grandmothers or as young women trapped in old bodies, images that rarely reflect how women actually see themselves. Women in Late Life explores the thorny issues related to gender and aging, including prevailing but problematic cultural expectations, body image, ageism, the experience of chronic illness, threats to Social Security and the very possibility of a secure retirement while challenging a long-term care system that disadvantages women.

Author Martha Holstein writes from a critical feminist perspective, drawing on her many years of experience in gerontology, as well as interviews and personal experience as a woman now in her seventies. The book highlights how women’s experience of late life is shaped by the effects of lifelong gender norms, by contemporary culture—from gender stereotypes to ageism—and by the political context. The book blends critique with proposals aimed at resisting damaging inequities resulting from being simultaneously old and a woman. She focuses on changes needed on multiple levels—societal, cultural, political, and individual. This interdisciplinary look at key questions around gender and aging is nuanced and beautifully written.

In The Age of Dignity, thought leader and activist Ai-jen Poo offers a wake-up call about the demographic reality that will affect us all. “We have more senior citizens in America today than we’ve had at any time in our history,” Poo writes, pointing out that more than 14 percent of our population is now over sixty-five; by 2030 that ratio will be one in five. In fact, our fastest-growing demographic is the eighty -five-plus age group—over 5 million people now, a number that is expected to more than double in the next twenty years. This change presents us with a new challenge: how we care for and support quality of life for the unprecedented numbers of older Americans who will need it.

Despite these daunting numbers, Poo has written a profoundly hopeful book, giving us a glimpse into the stories and often hidden experiences of the people—family caregivers, older people, and home care workers—whose lives will be directly shaped and reshaped in this moment of demographic change. The Age of Dignity outlines a road map for how we can become a more caring nation, providing solutions for fixing our fraying safety net while also increasing opportunities for women, immigrants, and the unemployed in our workforce. As Poo has said, “Care is the strategy and the solution toward a better future for all of us.”

Elderburbia: Aging with a Sense of Place in America argues that aging is not about time and the body, but about place and relationships. Drawing on the fascinating, multidisciplinary field of ethnography, it gives readers a deeper understanding of how the aging experience is shaped by where people call home, as well as a look at what makes a place well-suited for post-retirement living.

Elderburbia combines cutting-edge scholarship with practical advice. The book provides an introduction to pivotal research on the broad subject of aging and place, including studies of migration and relocation. It also takes readers inside innovative elder-friendly community planning around the United States, particularly AdvantAge—an initiative to help counties, cities, and towns prepare for the growing number of older adults who are "aging in place," as opposed to moving to retiree-only communities. Everyone from individuals and families to social workers, activists, and city officials will find this a helpful, enlightening resource.

"This new textbook creates a paradigm shift with a very practical approach to problem solving. Aging is an asset. Its focus on well care rather than just sick care by understanding physical fitness, sexual fitness, consumer fitness, nutritional fitness and social fitness among others, all point to aging as an asset leading to civic fitness and the potential for intergenerational support. This text may help springboard Gerontology into the 21st Century as the field creating excitement and hope for students and teachers alike."

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

The seventh edition of this classic text champions healthy aging by demonstrating how to prevent or manage disease and make large-scale improvements toward health and wellness in the older adult population. The text synthesizes state-of-the-art research findings—providing convincing evidence that health promotion truly works—with practical, effective strategies. Encompassing important research results that supplant prior recommendations, this new edition provides updated best practices and strategies to ensure the active participation of older adults in all aspects of life.

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 content

The demographic phenomena of increased life expectancy, increasing global population of older adults, and a larger number of older people as a proportion of the total population in nations throughout the world will affect our lives and the life of each person we know. The changes will result in challenges and benefits for societies and people of all ages. These events need to be understood, explained, and their consequences addressed; sociological theories about aging are an essential part of this process.

In 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.

May Sarton’s honest and engrossing journal of her seventieth year, spent living and working on the Maine coast

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.”

"[The book] lists all the federal requirements that are evaluated by state surveyors during the annual survey visit to nursing homes and for complaint visits. The exhibit section contains forms used by surveyors to gather data during the survey visit. Visually, the format makes the regulations easy to read. If nursing home staff used the book to prepare for a survey, they would be well prepared."

-Marcia Flesner, PhD, RN, MHCA
University of Missouri-Columbia
From Doody's Review

Nursing homes are now the most highly regulated environments in the United States, in the service of maximizing the quality of each residentís life. This user-friendly guide has been updated to provide all of the requisite information needed by nursing home staff to prepare for a visit from federal surveyors. It provides the most current federal guidelines and the procedures used by federal surveyors in certifying facilities for participation in Medicare and Medicaid funding. It describes every aspect and service of a nursing home that is subject to inspection and includes the nearly 20% of new requirements established during the past three years, with an emphasis on the new Minimum Data Set 3.0.

The guide not only presents federal requirements and explanatory guidelines but also explains how to best interpret these guidelines so nursing home staff can be optimally prepared for a survey visit. It reflects changes in regulations regarding end-of-life care, nasogastric tube regulations, and rights to establish advance directives. The guide also provides information straight from CMS's Internet-Only Manual.

New Features of Eighth Edition:

Describes how to best use the updated manual Focuses on Minimum Data Set 3.0 Explains clearly how to interpret the new requirements, 20% of which have been updated Presents new quality measures Includes new CMS forms Reflects changes in regulations regarding end-of-life care, nasogastric tube regulations, and rights to establish advance directives

Gerontological Practice for the Twenty-first Century meets the need for state-of-the-art information on practice approaches with older patients that are age-specific and empirically based, blend "micro" and "macro" views, and reflect current themes in the aging and social work fields. The book is designed as a text for students and as a professional resource for practitioners. Clearly written, the book offers an expert and comprehensive review of the current literature and focuses on issues relating to the most vulnerable older people. Gerontological Practice for the Twenty-first Century also features case illustrations throughout and brief end-of-chapter questions for review.

The book has 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.

This important book from the author of Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children (more than 40,000 sold) will help adult children who long for a better relationship with their parents but feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of chaos, crisis, or drama.

With 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

"The array of topics covered is amazing, making this book a valuable, significant resource for many disciplines...This multidisciplinary review of the literature on minority aging presents the scholarship related to public health and 'social, behavioral, and biological concerns' of aged minorities like no other publication. Graduate students will certainly be well-served by this book, as would faculty teaching aging at both undergraduate and graduate levels...Highly recommended."--Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

"...while practitioners of gerontology, family medicine, and any professional involved in the care of the elderly will find some practical guidance in the second part of the book, it will really earn a place on the bookshelf of anyone and everyone with an interest in US sociology and the development of public policy for the elderly. With the general aging of the population and the book’s accentuation of current issues, this outstanding review will become an indispensable tool."Healthy Aging Research

This text provides up-to-date, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive information about aging among diverse racial and ethnic populations in the United States. It is the only book to focus on paramount public health issues as they relate to older minority Americans, and addresses social, behavioral, and biological concerns for this population. The text distills the most important advances in the science of minority aging and incorporates the evidence of scholars in gerontology, anthropology, psychology, public health, sociology, social work, biology, medicine, and nursing. Additionally, the book incorporates the work of both established and emerging scholars to provide the broadest possible knowledge base on the needs of and concerns for this rapidly growing population.

Chapters focus on subject areas that are recognized as being critical in understanding the well being of minority elders. These include sociology (Medicare, SES, work and retirement, social networks, context/neighborhood, ethnography, gender, demographics), psychology (cognition, stress, mental health, personality, sexuality, religion, neuroscience, discrimination), medicine/nursing/public health (mortality and morbidity, disability, health disparities, long-term care, genetics, dietary issues, health interventions, physical functioning), social work (caregiving, housing, social services, end-of-life care), and many other topics. The book focuses on the needs of four major ethnic groups: Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, African American, and Native American.

Key Features: Provides current, comprehensive information about minority aging through a multidisciplinary lens Integrates information from scholars in gerontology, anthropology, psychology, public health, sociology, social work, biology, medicine, and nursing Emphasizes the principal public health issues concerning minority elders Offers “one-stop shopping” regarding the development of a substantial knowledge base about minority aging Includes recent progressive research pertaining to the social, cultural, psychological and health needs of elderly minority adults in the US

"Architect and author Chuck Durrett's recently released book Senior Cohousing Handbook comes at a time of high interest in greening, sustainable housing and affordable living concerns. Durrett's new book is a comprehensive guide for baby boomers wishing to continue vibrant, active lifestyles." - EPR Real Estate News

"Make your senior years safe and socially fun with the idea of senior cohousing and a book on the topic that shows how seniors can custom-build their neighborhood to fit their needs. This is housing built by seniors, not for them, and emphasizes independence and social networking. Any library strong in gerontology or social science and many a general lending library needs this. - James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review 

 

 

"As a Baby Boomer, I've joked for a few years that we'll all end up living communally again because Social Security will be broke...This is one of the better ways to envision it."--Sacramento Bee

No matter how rich life is in youth and middle age, the elder years can bring on increasing isolation and loneliness as social connections lessen, especially if friends and family members move away.

Senior cohousing fills a niche for this demographic—the healthy, educated, and proactive adults who want to live in a social and environmentally vibrant community. These seniors are already wanting to ward off the aging process, so they are unlikely to want to live in assisted housing. Senior cohousing revolves around custom-built neighborhoods organized by the seniors themselves in order to fit in with their real needs, wants, and aspirations for health, longevity, and quality of life.

Senior Cohousing is a comprehensive guide to joining or creating a cohousing project, written by the US leader in the field. The author deals with all the psychological and logistical aspects of senior cohousing and addresses common concerns, fears, and misunderstandings. He emphasizes the many positive benefits of cohousing, including:

Better physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health Friendships and accessible social contact Safety and security Affordability Shared resources

Successful aging requires control of one’s life, and today's generation of seniors—the baby boomers—will find that this book holds a compelling vision for their future.

Charles Durrett is a principal at McCamant & Durrett in Nevada City, California, a firm that specializes in affordable cohousing. He co-authored the groundbreaking Cohousing with his wife and business partner, Kathryn McCamant.

The responsibility of providing mental health evaluations and treatment to nursing home patients is increasingly falling on the shoulders of social services and nursing staff. Psychosocial Intervention in Long-Term Care provides the advanced techniques you, as a caregiver, need for assessing and intervening with psychosocial and behavioral problems in LTC. Targeted to students and staff who are familiar with the basic needs and problems of LTC residents, this book also describes effective ways of documenting assessments and interventions to help you integrate results into the medical record and prepare for state surveys. Psychosocial Intervention in Long-Term Care presents you with information about common mental disorders in LTC, basic counseling techniques, and the three major types of psychiatric medication. You’ll also read about legal issues in the psychosocial arena and learn how to avoid burnout while working in LTC. Best of all, this book shows you how to: use the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Mini Mental Status Exam to screen for depression and dementia design thorough behavioral assessments through use of a tracking grid use results of assessments to set up effective behavioral interventions intervene with specific psychosocial problems, such as aggression document the results of assessments develop effective Resident Assessment Inventories prepare for state surveys and develop plans of correction in response to surveysWhether you’re a graduate student or new practitioner in social work, nursing, or health care administration, you’ll appreciate this book’s practical, hands-on approach to problem solving and its focus on the biopsychosocial model. Only through a thorough assessment of residents’physical, psychological, and social needs can we design effective intervention and provide the care they deserve.

Dr. Robert N. Butler coined the term “ageism” and made “Alzheimer's” a familiar word. Now he brings his formidable knowledge to a recent and unprecedented achievement: the extension of human life expectancy by thirty years, and the growing number of people over age sixty-five.

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.

"This SAGE Handbook integrates basic research on social dimensions of aging. It presents programmatic applications of research in areas not often seen in Handbooks including imprisonment, technology and aging, urban society aged, and elderly migration. The authors constitute a Who's Who of international gerontology, and the focus on globalization and aging is unique among Handbooks today. This Handbook should be in the library of every social gerontologist."
- Vern L. Bengtson, Professor of Gerontology, University of Southern California

This volume reflects the emergence of ageing as a global concern, including chapters by international scholars from Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. It provides a comprehensive overview of key trends and issues in the field, drawing upon the full range of social science disciplines.

The Handbook is organized into five parts, each exploring different aspects of research into social aspects of ageing: Disciplinary overviews: summaries of findings from key disciplinary areas within social gerontology. Social relationships and social differences: explores area like social inequality, gender, religion, inter-generational ties, social networks, and friendships. Individual characteristics and change in later life: examines different aspects of individual aging, including self and identity, cognitive processes, and bio-social interactions and their impact on physical and psychological aging. Comparative perspectives and cultural innovations: topics include ageing and development, ageing in a global context, migration, and cross-cultural perspectives on grandparenthood. Policy issues: covering policy concerns such aslong-term care, technology and older people, end of life issues, work and retirement, and the politics of old age.

This will be essential reading for all students, researchers and policy-makers concerned with the major issues influencing the lives of older people across the globe.

With the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare system. In Aging Nation, renowed experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of the issues and their impact on everyone, old and young.

Deserving poor or greedy geezers? The debate rages on. In a period of huge government deficits and the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. The policy debates have never been more contentious; they range from deciding who should receive limited subsidized housing and medical services to the ongoing battle over saving Social Security and other entitlement programs. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare infrastructure that will implode under the strain of intergenerational conflict. This book debunks most aging crises put forth by merchants of doom and offers a new policy focus for our nation.

In Aging Nation, renowned experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of these issues and their impact on everyone, old and young.

As people age, they are at increased risk of having their basic human rights threatened or violated. When age is perceived as incompetence, it can easily lead to discrimination that impacts human rights. Based on the premise that social policy must reflect human rights principles, this graduate-level textbook views the challenges associated with aging as opportunities for policy development that stresses the rights of older adults rather than needs. The text distinguishes between “needs” and “rights” and describes those policies and services that best ensure that the rights of older adults are actually met—particularly programs that enable people to remain in their own communities so they can benefit from continued integration and participation in society. Issues and challenges surrounding such efforts, and gaps in social policies faced by specific subsets of older people, are critically examined.

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 rights

Carole 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).

Based on extensive fieldwork, Nature s Embrace reveals the emerging pluralization of death rites in postindustrial Japan. Low birth rates and high numbers of people remaining permanently single have led to a shortage of ceremonial caregivers (most commonly married sons and their wives) to ensure the transformation of the dead into ancestors resting in peace. Consequently, older adults are increasingly uncertain about who will perform memorial rites for them and maintain their graves. In this study, anthropologist Satsuki Kawano examines Japan s changing death rites from the perspective of those who elect to have their cremated remains scattered and celebrate their return to nature.

For those without children, ash scattering is an effective strategy, as it demands neither a grave nor a caretaker. However, the adoption of ash scattering is not limited to the childless. By forgoing graves and lightening the burden on younger generations to care for them, this new mortuary practice has given its proponents an increased sense of control over their posthumous existence. By choosing ash scattering, older adults contest their dependent status in Japanese society, which increasingly views the aged as passive care recipients. As such, this study explores not only new developments in mortuary practices, but also voices for increased self-sufficiency in late adulthood and the elderly s reshaping of ties with younger generations.

Nature s Embrace offers insightful discussion on the rise of new death rites and ideologies, older adults views of their death rites, and Japan s changing society through the eyes of aging urbanites. This book will engage a wide range of readers interested in death and culture, mortuary ritual, and changes in age relations in postindustrial societies.

"

Marc Freedman, hailed by the New York Times as “the voice of aging baby boomers [seeking] meaningful and sustaining work later in life,” offers a recipe for how we can transform America's coming midlife crisis into a midlife opportunity. Millions of people in their fifties, sixties, and seventies are searching for answers to the question “What's next?” and are navigating their way to an entirely new stage of life and work, one that could last as long as midlife. Shifting to a much longer lifespan isn't as easy as it may seem. Unlike the transition from adolescence to adulthood, managing this process for many is a do-it-yourself project. Drawing on powerful personal stories, The Big Shift provides not only direction but a vision of what it would take to help millions find their footing in a new map of life.

This volume presents important findings on conflict and abuse in families of the aged. A valuable resource for those in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and social work as well as psychotherapists who work with the aged, the staff of elder abuse programs, adult protective service workers, and legislators. the authors provide a fresh, historically balanced, empirical and theoretical framework for the view that elder abuse and neglect is an extreme manifestation of family conflict.

Lisa P. Gwyther, Journal of Gernontology

This volume presents important findings on conflict and abuse in families of the aged. A valuable resource for those in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and social work as well as psychotherapists who work with the aged, the staff of elder abuse programs, adult protective service workers, and legislators.

Social Work with the Aged and Their Families presents the functional-age model (FAM) of intergenerational treatment, an integrative theoretical framework for social workers practicing with older adults and their families. In keeping with the Council on Social Work Education’s curriculum mandate of 2015, social workers are now encouraged to use human behavior theories in working with their geriatric clients. This fourth edition incorporates much-needed additional techniques to address the mental health assessments of the elderly. FAM addresses the assessment of older adults’ biological, psychological, socio-cultural, and spiritual age. It also incorporates an evaluation of the family system, family roles, and family development in this assessment. Interventions at the individual, family, group, and community levels are discussed. This volume, augmented with recent concepts related to successful aging, spirituality, and resiliency, presents the major converging conceptual trends that constitute a model for twenty-first century social work practice in the field of aging. It is an indispensable text for those training in social work practice with the elderly, or those currently in practice.

This book provides a fresh and even-handed account of the newly modernized AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)—the 40-million member insurance giant and political lobby that continues to set the national agenda for Medicare and Social Security. Frederick R. Lynch addresses AARP’s courtship of 78 million aging baby boomers and the possibility of harnessing what may be the largest ever senior voting bloc to defend threatened cutbacks to Social Security, Medicare, and under-funded pension systems. Based on years of research, interviews with key strategists, and analyses of hundreds documents, One Nation under AARP profiles a largely white generation, raised in the relatively tranquil 1950s and growing old in a twenty-first century nation buffeted by rapid economic, cultural, and demographic change. Lynch argues that an ideologically divided boomer generation must decide whether to resist entitlement reductions through its own political mobilization or, by default, to empower AARP as it tries to shed its "greedy geezer" stereotype with an increasingly post-boomer agenda for multigenerational equity.

In 2011, seven thousand American “baby boomers” (those born between 1946 and 1964) turned sixty-five daily. As this largest U.S. generation ages, cities, municipalities, and governments at every level must grapple with the allocation of resources and funding for maintaining the quality of life, health, and standard of living for an aging population. 
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. 

Understand the complex ethical, legal, medical, and psychological issues of the most common form of elder abuse!Self-Neglect examines the social, ethical, medical, and practical implications of the most prevalent form of elder abuse. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat, and it poses ethical questions that cannot be answered simply. Yet it is so common and so destructive that anyone who works with geriatric patients must come to terms with it. Everyone is familiar with the image of the wild-haired elderly recluse hoarding junk in a dilapidated house, but to their neighbors, friends, and family--as well as to the health care professionals, social workers, and clergy who deal with them--these recluses are a special burden. They often refuse care despite such obvious problems as open sores. They tend to be intelligent and independent. Do they have the right to choose to live in squalor, or are their choices dictated by depression or other diseases? Do health care professionals have a responsibility to treat them against their will or a duty to respect their stated preferences?Self-Neglect examines the topics of passive suicide and indirect life-threatening behavior to help medical practitioners working with the elderly understand why patients do not follow doctor's orders or take care of themselves. Through case studies, this informative book explores the ways in which patients practice self-neglect by ignoring their doctors’advice, extreme lack of self-care, refusal to eat, failure to take their prescribed medication, and alcohol abuse. Self-Neglect offers insight into many facets of this condition, including:choosing among the many definitions of self-neglect what kinds of people become self-neglecting managing self-neglecting patients when and how to intervene the patient's autonomy and personal rights versus the rights of the community self-neglect as a way to gain control of a negative life situation when other tactics have failedDiscussing the sometimes tragic outcome of misdiagnosing self-neglect or leaving it untreated, this intelligent book will help you identify and understand this dangerous behavior and offer your patients better care for this condition.

This Third Edition of the bestselling Psychotherapy with Older Adults continues to offer students and professionals a thorough overview of psychotherapy with older adults. Using the contextual, cohort-based, maturity, specific challenge (CCMSC) model, it draws upon findings from scientific gerontology and life-span developmental psychology to describe how psychotherapy needs to be adapted for work with older adults, as well as when it is similar to therapeutic work with younger adults. Sensitively linking both research and experience, author Bob G. Knight provides a practical account of the knowledge, technique, and skills necessary to work with older adults in a therapeutic relationship. This volume considers the essentials of gerontology as well as the nature of therapy in depth, focusing on special content areas and common themes.

The New York Times–bestselling author of At Seventy returns with a memoir about advancing age, including her experience with a series of strokes.

In this poignant and fearless account, Sarton chronicles the struggles of life at eighty-two. She juxtaposes the quotidian details of life—battling a leaky roof, sharing an afternoon nap with her cat, the joy of buying a new mattress—with lyrical musings about work, celebrity, devoted friends, and the limitations wrought by the frailties of age. She creates poetry out of everyday existence, whether bemoaning a lack of recognition by the literary establishment or the devastation wrought by a series of strokes. Incapacitated by illness, Sarton relies on friends for the little things she always took for granted. As she becomes more and more aware of “what holds life together in a workable whole,” she takes solace in flowers and chocolate and reading letters from devoted fans. This journal takes us into the heart and mind of an extraordinary artist and woman, and is a must-read for Sarton devotees and anyone facing the reality of growing older.

This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.

"This concise guide to long-term services and supports introduces a broad array of topics and presents ideas on how to get more extensive information... A variety of graphs, tables, and charts make the information easy to understand. Overall the book is well-organized with chapters that can stand on their own... Readers considering going into long-term care management or administration would find this book a valuable tool."--Doodyís Medical Reviews

This is a comprehensive reference for long-term care administrators, practitioners and students who want to understand the options, issues, and trends related to the effective administration and management of long-term care communities. The book is unique in its in-depth focus on what needs to be accomplished and the evidence-based information about what actually works. Multifaceted insights address the ever-changing world of the long-term care industry and offer best practices and model programs in eldercare.

This multidisciplinary book covers the most crucial aspects of management including federal and/or state regulations required to provide long-term care services and operate long-term care communities. It offers advice on care at home, naturally occurring retirement communities, and continuing care retirement communities, client care, staff retention, preventing elder abuse and neglect, anticipating and managing litigation and arbitration in long-term care, aging and human diversity, Alzheimerís Disease, palliative care, care transitions, and much more. Distilling many years of practical, research and teaching experience, the authors provide the necessary tools and tips that will enable professionals to maximize the quality of care and the quality of life for older adults living in long-term care communities. Each chapter includes helpful pedagogical features such as learning objectives, case studies, effective practices, and/or model programs in eldercare.

Key Features:

Based on federal and/or state regulations required to provide long-term care services and operate long-term care communities Examines the complex operations of long-term care options for effective eldercare Highlights the most cost-effective practices and model programs in long-term care communities that are currently used throughout the United States Provides useful tips about client care and staff retention as well as marketing and census development, financing and reimbursement, and legal issues Promotes innovative collaboration between education, research, and practice that is reflected by the training of the editors and contributing authors

“ I applaud [this] book for providing a much needed overview of the entire “behavioral intervention pipeline.” It fills a unique niche in its coverage of key theoretical and methodological aspects as well as its case examples and professional development considerations, which makes the content accessible and practical for a broad audience.”

-Marcia Ory, PhD

From the Foreword

This unique text provides comprehensive coverage of one of the most neglected—yet vitally important--areas of public health research: developing, evaluating, and implementing novel behavioral interventions in service and practice settings. Written for Masters- and Doctoral-level courses as well as novice and expert researchers in this area, the book examines the most critical issues surrounding this form of research in order to maximize the ability of intervention researchers to successfully implement current and future evidence-based protocols in practice settings. Expert contributors embrace key challenges —the complexities of health care delivery, disease management and prevention, rising costs, and changing population demographics—in shaping the push toward advancing more efficient and effective behavioral interventions and methodologies.

Tackling numerous topics that have been neglected in traditional randomized trial handbooks, methodology texts, and books on dissemination and implementation science, the book addresses: ways to develop and advance an intervention, emerging hybrid trial designs - theories and new models for integrating behavioral interventions with implementation science - - recruitment and retention strategies for inclusion of diverse samples - research designs for different stages of intervention development - treatment fidelity models and measures - novel measurement and analytic strategies - cost analyses - selection of control groups - use of mixed methodology - ethics and informed consent - technology-based intervention approaches – professional considerations. Abundant case examples from successful behavioral intervention trials—both national and international--illustrate key concepts.

Key Features:

Includes examples of a wide range of interventions including individuals across the life span and of diverse communities and health systems

Replete with case examples from successful behavioral intervention trials

Presents the challenges of and strategies for advancing behavioral interventions for immediate use in practice

Written by world-recognized expert authors and contributors

Provides novel coverage of a great variety of important—but previously neglected--topics

Serialized storytelling provides intriguing opportunities for critical representations of age and aging. In contrast to the finite character of films, television narratives can unfold across hundreds of episodes and multiple seasons. Contemporary viewing practices and new media technologies have resulted in complex television narratives, in which experimental temporalities and revisions of narrative linearity and chronological time have become key features. As the first of its kind, this volume investigates how TV series as a powerful cultural medium shape representations of age and aging, such as in »Orange Is The New Black«, »The Wire« or »Desperate Housewives«, to understand what it means to live in time.

By 2030, over 30% of the Japanese population will be 65 or older, foreshadowing the demographic changes occurring elsewhere in Asia and around the world.  What can we learn from a study of the aging population of Japan and how can these findings inform a path forward for the elderly, their families, and for policy makers?
 
Based 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.