Life must be understood as the result of evolution, and human life as the emergence of the species Sapiens from the genus Homo of the family of apes. If the emergence of human life as an evolutionary fact is coupled with the notion of social life, we are referred to the constructive production of human life forms, of which social participation is an integral part. On the one hand, participation is tied back to the phylogenesis of the species Sapiens, but on the other hand, it has to be newly acquired and practiced by every human being in the process of ontogenesis, depending on the environment. Participation in old age is a separate specification of the conditions of this process and can be illustrated on the basis of a large number of empirical findings.

Walking sticks have had a bad press. For too long the walking stick has been portrayed as a workaday item of codgerism, a simple support for the aged and infirm. This is not the case. Possession of a walking stick opens up a whole gamut of opportunities beyond the simple 'leaning against' purpose. In 49 Uses for A Walking Stick Frank Hopkinson explains the variety of practical uses a walking stick can be put to, from flicking filthy slugs off a lawn and parting crowds to alerting a theatre-goer two rows in front that his rapid consumption of fruit bonbons is ruining everyone's enjoyment. Illustrated throughout, the book also includes a miscellany of walking stick trivia, facts and figures and fun information.

Development of Adult Thinking is a timely synthesis and evaluation of the current knowledge and emerging issues relating to adult cognitive development and learning. Focusing on psychological and educational cutting-edge research as well as giving an overview of the key theorists such as Piaget and Kohlberg, Kallio and the team of expert contributors offer a holistic view on the development of adult thinking, representing perspectives from developmental, moral, and social psychology, as well as education and philosophy. These topics are divided into three sections: Adult cognitive and moral development, Perspectives of adult learning, and Open questions and new approaches, offering introduction, analysis, and directions for future research. This text is essential reading for students and researchers in developmental psychology and related courses as well as adult educators and teachers working in adult education.

Literally hundreds of papers have been written about interface issues experienced by older adults, but how many actually influence the designs older adults use? The sheer number of articles available, the fast pace of the industry, and time constraints combine to build barriers to knowledge transfer from theory into practice. A distillation of decades of published research, Designing Displays for Older Adults is a primer on age-related changes in cognition, perception, and behavior organized into meaningful principles that improve understanding.

Using theory backed up by evidence provides an understanding of why we see certain problems with many displays and often predicts solutions. This understanding surpasses an individual interface and provides practitioners with ways to plan for older adults on multiple display types. Based on this, the book delineates the theories, then explores how to apply them in real design exercises, providing specific guidelines for display examples that bridge theory and practice. The authors explore the complex set of mental and physical changes that occur during aging and that can affect technology acceptance, adoption, interaction, safety, and satisfaction.

This book provides a fundamental understanding of age related change and explores how such information can influence design from the very beginning stages, rather than waiting for testing to reveal the problems users have with the product. The authors open the way for designing with an understanding of these changes that results in better products and systems for users in all life stages.

You can be little, and you can be old, but that doesn't mean you have to become a little old lady. We've all seen her. She's hunched forward, her blue hair is tucked neatly under a plastic rain bonnet, she's clutching expired coupons, and she's discussing her latest health problems over lunch. She's a little old lady . . . and she's coming your way at 2 m.p.h. Little old ladies have elastic waistbands on all their slacks. They save rubber bands, remember 15-cent McDonald's hamburgers, and have never seen a public rest room that was clean enough. How Not to Become a Little Old Lady (the mini version) is for any woman who is proud to have escaped little old ladyhood, and it's the perfect, lighthearted gift to give women in danger of slipping into those awful little old lady tendencies. The charming illustrations from Adrienne Hartman perfectly capture the senior syndrome. Say good-bye to little old ladies who pass off their liver spots as beauty marks and say hello to this fresh and fun gift book.

This book presents recent research on the role of space as a mechanism in language use and learning. It proceeds from the notion that cognition in real time, developmental time, and over evolutionary time occurs in space, and that the physical properties of space may provide insights into basic cognitive processes, including memory, attention, action, and perception. It looks at how physical space and landmarks are used in cognitive representations and serve as the basis of human cognition in a range of core mechanisms to index memories and ground meanings that are not themselves explicitly about space. The editors have brought together experimental psychologists, computer scientists, robotocists, linguists, and researchers in child language in order to consider the nature and applications of this research and in particular its implications for understanding the processes involved in language acquisition.

Health programmes that offer "help to self-help" are meant to empower ageing adults to remain independent and self-sufficient at home for as long as possible. But what happens when the private home becomes a political realm in which state intervention and individual agency happen simultaneously? Based on 15 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a Danish municipality, Amy Clotworthy describes how both health professionals and elderly citizens negotiate the political discourses about health and ageing that frame their relational encounter. By elucidating some of the conflicts, paradoxes, and negotiations that occur, she provides important insights into the contemporary organisation of eldercare.

In Virtual Activism: Sexuality, the Internet, and a Social Movement in Singapore, cultural anthropologist Robert Phillips provides a detailed, yet accessible, ethnographic case study that looks at the changes in LGBT activism in Singapore in the period 1993-2019. Based on extensive fieldwork conducted with activist organizations and individuals, Phillips illustrates key theoretical ideas - including illiberal pragmatics and neoliberal homonormativity - that, in combination with the introduction of the Internet, have shaped the manner by which LGBT Singaporeans are framing and subsequently claiming rights. Phillips argues that the activism engaged in by LGBT Singaporeans for governmental and societal recognition is in many respects virtual. His analysis documents how the actions of activists have resulted in some noteworthy changes in the lives of LGBT Singaporeans, but nothing as grand as some would have hoped, thus indexing the "not quite" aspect of the virtual. Yet, Virtual Activism also demonstrates how these actions have encouraged LGBT Singaporeans to fight even harder for their rights, signalling the "possibilities" that the virtual holds.

There is no shortage of political and moral commentary on family life. Frequently the underlying theme of these commentaries is the decline of contemporary family commitment, particularly when older people's family experiences are the focus. "Family Practices in Later Life" challenges many common stereotypes about the nature of family involvement as people age. The book explores diversity and change in the family relationships older people maintain, looking at how family relationships are constructed and organised in later life. It recognises that the emerging patterns are a consequence of the choices and decisions negotiated within family networks, emphasising older people's agency in the construction of their family practices. In exploring such themes as long-term marriage, sibling ties in later life and grandparenthood, the book highlights the continued significance of family connection and solidarity in later life, while recognizing that family relationships are inevitably modified over time as people's social and material circumstances alter. "Family Practices in Later Life" will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the fields of social policy, family studies and social gerontology. It provides a valuable contribution to the developing field of critical social gerontology as well as to an understanding of family process.

This book aims to present the age-related alterations in redox signaling networks and their diagnostic biomarkers in aging cells using multidisciplinary approach. Establishing sensitive and specific biomarkers of dynamic redox homeostasis is crucially important in the development of effective antiaging and senolytic interventions. Recent years have seen tremendous advances in the understanding of redox signaling events which highlight the process of aging and age-related pathologies. A major challenge in biological aging research is developing reliable biomarkers to determine the consequences of disrupted redox signaling networks long before the clinical diagnosis of age-related diseases is made. Therefore, we have chosen to concentrate on aging-induced aberrant redox signaling networks, their biomarkers, and pathological consequences in this book. Although oxidation is a natural metabolic process, the imbalance in the level of oxidants and antioxidants causes oxidative stress and eventually leads to inflammatory conditions, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Novel redox-sensitive biomarkers for the evaluation of aging-induced proteinopathies such as amyloid ss and tau proteins in Alzheimer's disease, -synuclein in Parkinson's disease, and islet amyloid polypeptides in type 2 diabetes mellitus recently drew the attention of researchers. Inside this textbook, readers will find comprehensive perspectives on the association between redox homeostasis and the aging process both at the molecular and clinical levels. Due to the inherent relationship between impaired metabolic activities and oxidative stress, the temporal interaction between intermediary metabolism and disturbed redox status can lead to greater susceptibility to aging-induced diseases and disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes. This knowledge could be a key to continued research toward improving medication regimens such as in cancer and cardiovascular therapies, and procedural outcomes for patients. This book brings together current research evidence and knowledge on redox signaling and biomarkers in aging in chapters written by leading global experts in this rapidly evolving field. We hope that this textbook is of interest to a wide group of researchers, advanced students, scientifically curious non-specialist readers and clinicians alike.

Creating Spaces for an Ageing Society considers the existing social science literature on shared neighbourhood spaces through the perspective of an ageing population. It asks the question; how can we use social infrastructure to build local neighbourhoods that are supportive of the social relationships we need in later life? Understanding that social infrastructures are the shared spaces in our communities that provide opportunity for social interaction and support the development of social relationships, Yarker delves into how shared social spaces and cohesive communities are especially important for creating a positive environment in which to age. With emphasise on how older people rely more on neighbourhood-based networks, this book highlights the crucial importance of diverse spaces in which to develop and maintain social connections as we grow older. Drawing on existing research from urban studies, sociology, human geography and social gerontology, this book makes the case for a better appreciation of the often fleeting and minimal interactions that we have every day in our own neighbourhood. Yarker demonstrates how it is these interactions, and these everyday spaces, that can increase a sense of social connectedness for older people as well as enhance their connection to place.

This accessible book takes a unique person-centred approach to working with older people and provides an introduction to the legislation, policy, theory and research needed by social workers. The authors explore the experience of being an older person and how practitioners can work to make positive differences to older people's lives. In addition, the book: Goes beyond the mechanistic care management approaches to social work and encourages the reader to see older people holistically Features case studies and exercises to assist readers in reflecting on their practice Examines a range of contexts and perspectives, including sexuality, spirituality, learning disabilities Encourages wider reflection on the constraints posed by organisations employing social workers and the impact on their practice Provides an up-to-date exploration of safeguarding issues The authors take into account financial constraints with regard to the care of older people and the impact of a changing demography, but remain upbeat and positive about the value of social work intervention.

"Social Work with Older People" is relevant for students on placement in adult services or voluntary organizations and social work practitioners working with older people.

"Contributors Gill Butler, Rick Fisher, Chris Gaine, David Gaylard, John Gisby, Vivienne Killner, Andrea Linell, Andy Mantell, Debbie Smallbones, Chris Smethurst, Sally Stapleton, Graham Tooth, Christine Wright

This book explores various practices and policies related to ageing issues in India. It addresses ageing concerns from a theoretical and empirical viewpoint with in-depth analyses of existential dimensions of ageing. It provides deep insights into ageing in India by discussing demographics related to health and social differentials, gender concerns, retirement problems, epidemiological transition taking place in the country with rising problem of dementia and mental health problems. It consists of 23 chapters written by various established as well as upcoming scholars in the field. The authors cover a broad range of topics with regard to provisions for institutional care, geriatric practice and emerging issues of elder abuse. The book will appeal to professionals and to lay people getting interested in ageing India from a social, health, gender, economic, psychological and emotional aspects.

As founding editor of Creative Nonfiction and architect of the genre, Lee Gutkind played a crucial role in establishing literary, narrative nonfiction in the marketplace and in the academy. A longstanding advocate of New Journalism, he has reported on a wide range of issues-robots and artificial intelligence, mental illness, organ transplants, veterinarians and animals, baseball, motorcycle enthusiasts-and explored them all with his unique voice and approach. In My Last Eight Thousand Days, Gutkind turns his notepad and tape recorder inward, using his skills as an immersion journalist to perform a deep dive on himself. Here, he offers a memoir of his life as a journalist, editor, husband, father, and Pittsburgh native, not only recounting his many triumphs, but also exposing his missteps and challenges. The overarching concern that frames these brave, often confessional stories, is his obsession and fascination with aging: how aging provoked anxieties and unearthed long-rooted tensions, and how he came to accept, even enjoy, his mental and physical decline. Gutkind documents the realities of aging with the characteristically blunt, melancholic wit and authenticity that drive the quiet force of all his work.

The average life expectancy has increased worldwide in the recent decades. This has presented new challenges as old age brings the onset of diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. Studies and research have shown the potential preventive and therapeutic roles of antioxidants in aging and age-related diseases by inhibiting the formation or disrupting the propagation of free radicals and thus increasing healthy longevity, enhancing immune function, and decreasing oxidative stress. This has made an antioxidant rich diet of increasing importance in battling the detrimental effects of the aging process. "The Role of Antioxidants in Longevity and Age-Related Diseases" is the book that compiles research on antioxidants and their biological mechanisms that mediate age-related diseases. This book covers the major issues linked to antioxidants, aging, and age-related diseases, including changes in organ systems over the lifespan, age-related oxidative stress-induced redox imbalance, inflammaging, implications of inflammation in aging and age-related diseases, and the important role of antioxidant-rich foods in their prevention and treatment of various age-related diseases. For researchers seeking a comprehensive single source on antioxidants and their roles in aging and age-related diseases, this novel text provides an up-to-date overview.

Designing Public Space for an Ageing Population examines the barriers older people face by being a pedestrian in the built environment and demonstrates how to overcome them. Drawing on research carried out across the globe, and framed around Bourdieu's theory of capitals, this book establishes how to overcome restrictions and barriers to mobility including: - Infrastructure capital, such as technology, services, roads, pavements, finance and economics - Social capital, for example friends, family, neighbourhood and community - Cultural capital (norms, expectations, rules, laws) - Individual capital (skills, abilities, resilience, adaptation and desire and willingness to change) The book demonstrates that the public realm must be safe and accessible, but also attractive and desirable to an ageing population. The book includes case studies presenting solutions around CABE's objectives of urban design, notably: safe and accessible space including ease of movement; legible space, including adaptability, diversity and choice and; distinctive and aesthetically pleasing space, including character, continuity and quality.

This book presents studies of the main conditions that affect health and well-being of old people. Considering the present scenario of COVID-19, the effects of this viral infection on individuals older than 65 years are also discussed. The content enables professionals of health and government for the present and future actions in this important area. Readers go through the changes occurring in organs and tissues that can interfere with susceptibility to infections, low response to vaccines, cancer, and loss of cognition during the aging process. A discussion of the central role played by the immune system in the age-related diseases and how the immunity can be impaired during the ageing process is presented. Possibilities to circumvent these conditions via healthy habits in diet, physical exercise, and new pharmacological interventions are part of the content. This book discusses how human healthy longevity is dependent, at least in part, of a functional immune system. Chapters were written for researchers in the field of aging and is especially suited for those interested in the study of immunosenescence and inflammaging affecting the health of old individuals.

Pioneer study of the need for an inner female authority in a masculine-oriented society. Interprets the journey into the underworld of Inanna-Ishtar, Goddess of Heaven and Earth, to see Ereshkigal, her dark sister. So must modern women descend into the depths of themselves. Rich in insights.

Did You Just Call Me Old Lady? is an upbeat look at aging and the impacts of Canada's increasingly aged population through the eyes of a ninety-year-old woman. Far from seeing older citizens as a burden and a strain on our public health care system, Lillian Zimmerman gracefully, and often humourously, argues that long-livers are able to live fulfilling lives and make valuable contributions to society. Zimmerman illustrates how prevalent ageism - the dislike and prejudice against old people - is in society, media and popular culture, showing how language, advertisements for products to alleviate bodily failings, and jokes about memory loss and sexual infirmity are all examples of ageism, inevitably framing and fuelling negative attitudes towards older people. Ageism, much like sexism and racism, needs to be part of the conversations around social justice and anti-oppression. Zimmerman also recognizes that there are huge challenges to aging, some of which she has experienced herself, and that serious illnesses, mental deficiencies, low income and isolation are realities for some seniors. However, Zimmerman's analysis shows that many of these problems result from inefficient management and poor policies.

Creative Team Work describes a new way of doing rapid ethnography to capture the rich complexity and contradictions of social relations. It is about the imagination, stimulation, and reflection that can come with international, interdisciplinary teams sharing the development, application, analysis, and dissemination of research. Although the book is based on a large, seven-year project studying care homes to search for promising practices and is guided by feminist political economy, the lessons we have learned are relevant for everyone undertaking empirical investigation. All research needs to consider theory - the organization of information, ethics, and dissemination, for example. The specific techniques and approaches the authors discuss can be applied to a wide range of qualitative methods and are not exclusive to this kind of ethnography. By dissecting experiences and uniting chapters through the theme of creative, reflexive team work, the book considers issues and methods of interest to all those struggling through the research process, with or without team support.

This provocative, intellectually charged treatise serves as a concise introduction to emancipatory gerontology, examining multiple dimensions of persistent and hotly debated topics around aging, the life course, the roles of power, politics and partisanship, culture, economics, and communications. Critical perspectives are presented as definitions for reader understanding, with links to concepts of identity, knowledge construction, social networks, social movements, and inequalities. With today's intensifying concentration of wealth and corporatization, precarity is the fate for growing numbers of the world's population. Intersectionality as an analytic concept offers a new appreciation of how social advantage and disadvantage accumulate, and how constructions of race, ethnicity, class, ability, and gender influence aging. The book's entries offer a bibliographic compendium, crediting the salience of early pioneering theorists and locating these within the cutting-edge of research (social, behavioral, policy, and gene-environment sciences) that currently advances our understandings of human development, trauma, and resilience. Accompanying these foundations are theories of resistance for advancing human rights and the dignity of marginalized populations.

This book assembles many of the great leaders of the senior living and care industry to discuss their paths to and views on leadership. Each chapter provides readers with ideas, information, and inspiration on how to achieve leadership in this dynamic, mission-focused industry. It includes various strategies for success, such as promoting meaning and purpose in corporate culture, making decisions in the absence of perfect information, managing your personal assets of relationships and reputation, and finding competitive advantages through technology, training, and team-building. These leaders also share their experiences responding to COVID-19 and discuss how the pandemic may change the future of leadership in the industry. Whether your path starts in gerontology, nursing, social work, design, real estate, finance, law, operations, or technology, and whether one pursues work in the private, nonprofit, or government sectors, this volume provides a valuable resource for all aspiring and developing leaders in the senior living industry.

There is no group of individuals more iconic of 1960s counterculture than the hippies - the long-haired, colorfully dressed youth who rebelled against mainstream societal values, preached and practiced love and peace, and generally sought more meaningful and authentic lives. These 'flower children' are now over sixty and comprise a significant part of the older population in the United States. While some hippies rejoined mainstream American society as they grew older, others still maintain the hippie ideology and lifestyle. This book is the first to explore the aging experience of older hippies by examining aspects related to identity, generativity, daily activities, spirituality, community, end-of-life care, and wellbeing. Based on 40 in-depth interviews with lifelong, returning, and past residents of The Farm, an intentional community in Tennessee that was founded in 1971 and still exists today, insights into the subculture of aging hippies and their keys to wellbeing are shared.

Retirement is about change, not age. Retirement is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be yourself and do what you want to do. It offers new possibilities for personal growth through learning, retraining, travelling and friendship. But it is also one of the biggest transitions we face, and brings huge psychological and emotional challenges. It's not surprising that many people struggle with the adjustment to a different pace of life. Not Fade Away guides the reader through these challenges: dealing with the loss of status and routine, reinventing relationships, managing money, and above all, finding new meaning and purpose. It brings together expert advice and insights from people retiring now, who speak from the heart about the lessons they've learned and the new sources of fulfilment they've discovered. By cutting a clear path through the maze of choices on offer for people retiring today - which may or may not involve giving up work completely - Not Fade Away inspires you to make up your own mind and take control of your future. And that, experts agree, is the key to a good retirement.

This edited volume is a compilation of 30 articles discussing what constitutes food for health and longevity. The aim is to provide up-to-date information, insights, and future tendencies in the ongoing scientific research about nutritional components, food habits and dietary patterns in different cultures. The health-sustaining and health-promoting effects of food are certainly founded in its overall composition of macronutrients and micronutrients. However, the consumption of these nutrients is normally in the form of raw or prepared food from the animal and plant sources. The book is divided into four parts and a conclusion, and successfully convenes the well-established information and knowledge, along with the personal views of a diversified group of researchers and academicians on the multifaceted aspects of nutrition, food and diet. The first part reviews the scientific information about proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, micronutrients, pro- and pre-biotics, and hormetins, along with a discussion of the evolutionary principles and constraints about what is optimal food, if any. The second part discusses various kinds of foods and food supplements with respect to their claimed benefits for general health and prevention of some diseases. The third part brings in the cultural aspects, such as what are the principles of healthy eating according to the traditional Chinese and Indian systems, what is the importance of mealing times and daily rhythms, and how different cultures have developed different folk wisdoms for eating for health, longevity and immortality. In the part four, various approaches which are either already in practice or are still in the testing and research phases are discussed and evaluated critically, for example intermittent fasting and calorie restriction, food-based short peptides, senolytics, Ayurvedic compounds, optimal food for old people, and food for the prevention of obesity and other metabolic disorders. The overreaching aim of this book is to inform, inspire and encourage students, researchers, educators and medical health professionals thinking about food and food habits in a holistic context of our habits, cultures and patterns. Food cannot be reduced to a pill of nutritional components. Eating food is a complex human behavior culturally evolved over thousands of years. Perhaps the old adage "we are what we eat" needs to be modified to "we eat what we are".