This book discusses current challenges in Japan, focusing on the nation's rapidly aging population and low birth rate, along with persistent public bond issues with heavy interest payments, the potential collapse of social security systems, and income inequality, as well as the global picture. In turn, it examines the accessibility of global fossil fuels and feasibility of large-scale solar energy use. A new theory of money, interest, and capital is put forward, together with a proposal for an alternative system of international monetary cooperation, to promote a more sustainable and equitable world. Specific topics discussed include * the inverted population pyramid, due to the dramatic change in human life spans and declining birth rates; * the rapidly shrinking workforce, aging population, and declining GDP share sourced from industry; * disproportionate debt expansion due to public bond issues and coping with a persistent budget deficit; * the potential collapse of social security systems combined with income inequality; and * how to mitigate these bio-economic predicaments. Global Energy Sources offers an essential guide for policymakers, economists, researchers, and all those concerned with establishing a sustainable and equitable society from both energy and monetary perspectives. Further, it will be of interest to readers around the world, as the lessons learned from Japan are crucial to other developed societies that may eventually face the same types of challenge.

Incorporating qualitative and quantitative data and research methods from both demography and social anthropology, this book explores demographic trends in contemporary Japan's rapidly aging society. The contributors describe and analyze trends by addressing the ways in which demographic change is experienced in the context of family. The book considers the social effects, welfare issues, and private and public responses to demographic change and how this change has influenced the experiences of family caregivers and the elderly themselves. It offers both a specific regional contribution to the emerging field of demographic anthropology and an anthropological contribution to cross-disciplinary research on aging.

This book examines the processes by which older people make housing decisions and the impact such decisions have on the construction of their lives. Evidence is included from a major three-year research study, where older people told stories of their lives. The authors argue that housing decisions are not necessarily the result of rational, analytical and objective thinking. The contribution of other ways of decision-making is often hidden, as when people think intuitively, act impulsively, or for essentially emotional reasons.

An informed and often moving account of the crucial role of place in the lives of elders and what researchers and city planners are doing-and need to do-to make communities more age-friendly. 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. 20 individual profiles of community development initiatives and design guidelines for elder-friendly communities, participatory research, and planning methods Excerpts from original ethnographic research on the sense of place and meaning of home, sociability design guidelines, and participation methods Graphics depicting elder-friendly community indicators and four domains of an elder-friendly community An extensive bibliography drawing on sources from anthropology, community planning, gerontology, and the broad literature on sense of place and phenomenology

This collection critically examines twenty-first century representations of ageing, focusing on various media images and discourses as well as individuals' own experiences and self-presentations of ageing, drawing on innovative new empirical data.

This book critically explores the world of older prisoners to provide a more nuanced understanding of imprisonment at old age. Through an ethnographical study of male and female older prisoners in two Belgian prison settings, one in which older prisoners are integrated and one in which they are segregated, it informs debates and seeks to recognise ageist discourse, attitudes, practices in prison. The Older Prisoner seeks to situate the older prisoner from both a penological and gerontological perspective, organised around the following broad themes: the construction of the older prisoner, the physical prison world, the social prison world, surviving prison and giving meaning. The book allows readers to navigate between contrasting perspectives and voices rather than reinforcing traditional narratives and prevailing discourses on the older prisoner. In doing so, it hopes to open up a broader dialogue on ageing and punishment. It also offers insights into the concept of meaning in life as an analytical tool to study prisoners.

Mit dem Anstieg der Lebenserwartung in Europa geht ein Wandel der Erwerbs- und Lebensverlaufe einher, die durch Bruche und Wechsel der beruflichen Tatigkeiten gepragt sind. Ein zentrales Anliegen ist daher, jedem die Teilhabe am Erwerbsleben uber den gesamten Lebensverlauf zu ermoeglichen und zugleich soziale Rechte durch angemessenen sozialen Schutz zu gewahrleisten. Mit juristischen, sozialpolitischen und empirischen Analysen widmet sich dieses Buch dem Zusammenspiel verschiedener Sozialschutzmechanismen und ihren Schwierigkeiten, sich den neuen Entwicklungen anzupassen. Es prasentiert die Impulse europaischer Instanzen und die Antworten verschiedener europaischer Staaten auf die Herausforderung, Flexibilisierung der Beschaftigung und Modernisierung der Sozialschutzsysteme in Einklang zu bringen. Increasing life expectancy in Europe entails a remodelling of career development and life course, marked by discontinuities and changing professional activities. One of the concerns is ensuring that everybody may participate in gainful activities during his or her life course while also guaranteeing social rights through adequate social protection. By means of legal, socio-political and empirical analyses this book embarks on the interrelationship of different social protection mechanisms and the resulting difficulties of adapting to these new employment patterns. It presents European impulses and the reactions of several European states to the challenge of reconciling flexibility of employment and modernisation of social protection. L'augmentation de l'esperance de vie en Europe suscite un changement des modes de parcours professionnels et de vie constitues de ruptures et de conversions d'activite. L'une des preoccupations est de permettre a chacun de poursuivre une activite professionnelle tout au long de sa vie tout en pouvant beneficier d'une protection sociale adaptee. A travers des analyses juridiques, socio-politiques et empiriques, cet ouvrage aborde les interferences et les difficultes d'adaptation des mecanismes de protection sociale aux nouvelles evolutions. Il presente les impulsions europeennes et les choix effectues au niveau national pour concilier flexibilite de l'emploi et modernisation des systemes de protection sociale.

Across the life course, new forms of community, ways of keeping in contact, and practices for engaging in work, healthcare, retail, learning and leisure are evolving rapidly. Breaking new ground in the study of technology and aging, this book examines how developments in smart phones, the internet, cloud computing, and online social networking are redefining experiences and expectations around growing older in the twenty-first century. Drawing on contributions from leading commentators and researchers across the world, this book explores key themes such as caregiving, the use of social media, robotics, chronic disease and dementia management, gaming, migration, and data inheritance, to name a few.

This book offers an interdisciplinary analysis of the experience of economic vulnerability among older adults. Drawing on various fields ranging from happiness, economics to stress research, it integrates assessments from objective and subjective measurement perspectives. The book offers nuanced insights into prevalent experiences of low economic quality of life in wealthy countries, using empirical data from Switzerland. A sample of some 1500 adults aged 65-84 is taken as the basis for a systematic comparison of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of three - overlapping - groups of potentially vulnerable pensioners: those who are income-poor (objective measure), those who report difficulties making ends meet (subjectively self-assessed measure) and those who worry about not having enough money for current expenses (subjectively perceived measure). Theoretical and empirical evidence is offered for the distinctiveness of the two subjective indicators, one of which assesses the experience of economic strain while the other captures the individual's response in terms of stress. The conceptual contribution of this research includes a typology of economic vulnerability: eight distinct profiles emerge at the intersection of the objective, self-assessed and perceived measures. These profiles correspond to specific risk constellations, and they reflect varying degrees of human agency in dealing with economic vulnerability.

With the longest life expectancy for men and the second longest for women, Hong Kong typifies our planet s aging population. The daily lives of its older adults closely match the advantages and disadvantages experienced by urban elders in other developed countries. For these reasons, Hong Kong s elderly serve as a salient guide to older people s social, psychological, and healthcare needs concerns of increasing importance as the world grows older.

"Aging in Hong Kong" examines this emblematic population as a case study specifically in comparison with their counterparts in the West, shedding light on diverse, interrelated currents in the aging experience. Referencing numerous international studies, the book contrasts different health service arrangements and social factors and relates them to a variety of health outcomes. Its wide-ranging coverage documents health and illness trends, reviews age-friendly policy initiatives, relates health literacy to patients active role in their own care, and discusses elders as an underserved group in the division of limited health funding and resources. This multiple focus draws readers attention to policies that need revisiting or retooling as chapters analyze major life areas including:

Living environment.Retirement and post-retirement employment issues.Financial asset management.Health literacy regarding aging issues.Elder-positive service delivery models.Ageism in the prioritization of healthcare.End-of-life issues.

By assembling such a wealth of data on its subject, "Aging in Hong Kong" puts ongoing challenges into clear focus for gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, public health policymakers, and others involved in improving the quality of elders lives."

Comprehensive overview of literary works that illuminate the experiences of aging. Bibliographical essays analyze the ideas or themes relating to over 70 topics. Lengthy critical annotations accompany the more than 350 literary works, across various genres, on the different topics. An introduction, how to use the work section, careful cross-referencing, and author and subject indexes make this a useful research tool for gerontologists, health-care professionals, and general readers concerned with aging.

Selective, annotated bibliography aimed at providing gerontologists, health care professionals, and general readers interested in the aging process, a useful tool for identifying and utilizing literary works that provide insight into various topics in gerontology.

Part One contains bibliographical essays on more than 70 topics in gerontology. Each essay analyzes the ideas or themes that a number of literary works provide on a specific topic. The essays illustrate the relevance of literary works to gerontology study, introducing readers to a variety of works whose characters, plots, themes, or images bear on current topics in gerontology. Part Two includes detailed critical annotations of more than 350 literary works, including anthologies, autobiographies, novels, plays, poems, and stories. Annotations are detailed and draw out specific issues related to characterization, plot, conflicts, themes, imagery, and metaphors. This comprehensive overview includes an introduction, a chapter about how to use the guide, and author and subject indexes.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the older-tourist market, and of the challenges and opportunities created by population ageing from a tourism marketing perspective, by combining a demand-side and a supply-side approach to older tourists. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which defines older tourists and presents a critical review of segmentation approaches. The second part then focuses on the behavior of older tourists in terms of the travel planning process, the use of information and communication technologies for travel purposes, and accommodation choices. The final part analyzes the marketing strategies and operative practices of three tourism companies that focus on the older-adult market. Practical implications for tourism suppliers willing to target older tourists are derived. The book is intended primarily for academics, researchers, and professionals in the tourism and hospitality industry. In addition, it will be useful for students attending advanced tourism and hospitality courses.

This book provides a timely overview of the impacts of digitalization from the perspective of everyday life, and argues that one central issue in digitalization is the development of new types of services that digitalization enables, but which are often overlooked due to the focus on new technologies and devices. The book summarizes the past 20 years of research into the relationship between information and communications technology (ICT) and service innovation, and reveals that the ongoing digitalization is a qualitatively different phenomenon and represents a true paradigm shift. The all-encompassing integration and distribution of data raises critical issues such as preserving human dignity and individual autonomy; moreover, interaction practices that foster broad participation, trust, learning, and a willingness to share knowledge are called for. Citizen empowerment and multi-actor co-creation have become central to using digitalization to support the development of wellbeing and sustainability. Further, the book shows how employees and professionals can and should be involved in designing their future work, and in evaluating it. Proactiveness and participation in innovation endeavours are ways to guarantee meaningful work in an age of socio-technical transition. The book employs a variety of theoretical approaches and perspectives from diverse disciplines to illustrate these needs. In addition to theoretical analyses, some specific application areas are examined, e.g. services in health and social care, and problems linked to robots in elderly care. Given its scope, the book is highly recommended to all readers seeking an overview of the current understanding of the human side of digitalization and searching for concrete cases from different countries to illustrate the topic.

One of the primary advances for the 21st century is progress beyond the need to defend the findings of behavioral genetic investigations of intelligence. With the advent of developmental behavioral genetics and molecular genetics researchers have taken their discoveries far beyond simple nature/nurture constructs to a finer understanding of how genes and environment intersect to affect cognitive function.

"Behavior Genetics of Cognition across the Lifespan" presents the state of the field in well-documented detail as noted experts examine gene-environment interactions in cognitive function from childhood into old age. Fluidity is at the heart of this coverage: normative and non-normative brain development get equal attention, and statistical, molecular, biological, brain imaging, and neurobiological approaches contribute separately and in combination to the findings.

All major life stages are examined as periods of gene-based cognitive change, including midlife, which until recently has been considered a period for marking time until "real" age-related change occurs. And the book is written so that individual chapters can be as useful on their own as the volume is as a whole. Among the topics covered in depth:

Cognitive abilities in childhood and adolescenceGenetic and environmental influences on intellectual disabilities in childhoodCognition in middle adulthoodGene by environment interplay in cognitive agingDementia: genes, environments, interactionsBrain imaging and cognition

By synthesizing where the field is today--and identifying issues that need further attention--"Behavior Genetics of Cognition across the Lifespan" is a bedrock text for behavioral geneticists, cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists."

The two phenomena are occurring side by side: a rapidly growing elder population and a burgeoning tech sector. Where a few years ago these worlds would not have met, a new generation of older adults has grown comfortable with technology and open to its possibilities for improving their lives as they age.

"Technologies for Active Aging" offers novel answers to a range of aging issues, from safety and mobility to cognition and continence. Written for the non-technical reader, the book examines the potential of information and communicative technologies such as pervasive computing, smart environments, and robotics to enhance seniors' quality of life and encourage independent living, better care and self-care, and social participation.

Diversity is emphasized here, in terms of the life areas addressed, the perspectives of elders and caregivers, and the global reach of those working toward solutions. This state-of-the-field volume looks ahead to future research and the next wave of innovations to help all seniors, regardless of health or ability. Among the topics featured: Promoting technology use by people with dementia.Wheelchair mobility in older adults.Intelligent systems for assessing age-related changes using home-based technology.Measuring the effectiveness of assistive technologies in community and home settings.Technology for the prevention of fall-related injuries.Tele-health in chronic disease management.

A comprehensive mix of theoretical developments and emerging realities, "Technologies for Active Aging" serves a variety of professionals, including gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, and public health policymakers.

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The growing number of homeless people over age 50 has reached epidemic proportions. It is important to recognize that this group has special needs and demands from health factors to safety. This book is a resource for professionals training and working with this homeless contingent.

This book suggests that the enduring problem of generations remains that of knowledge: how society conceptualises the relationship between past, present and future, and the ways in which this is transmitted by adults to the young. Reflecting on Mannheim's seminal essay 'The Problem of Generations', the author explores why generations have become a focus for academic interest and policy developments today. Bristow argues that developments in education, teaching and parenting culture seek to resolve tensions of our present-day risk society through imposing an artificial distance between the generations. Bristow's book will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of Sociology, Social Policy, Education, Family studies, Gerontology and Youth studies.

Population ageing has been the subject of much discussion in recent years, often expressed in alarmist language that advocates evasive policy action to avert an imminent demographic crisis. This forward-looking book evaluates the debates surrounding population ageing and offers a more optimistic outlook on its effect on the economy.William Jackson initially considers general theoretical approaches to population ageing, particularly in relation to the rising dependency burden. He then goes on to examine traditional topics such as employment, productivity, pensions and social security, along with less traditional topics such as informal care, within the context of long-run structural changes. The author draws on an extensive range of economic literature and considers neoclassical arguments before analysing the issue from a non-neoclassical economic, social gerontological and sociological perspective. He maintains that conventional economic theory tends to overstate the effects of population ageing on the economy. Thus, he argues that while population ageing is a complex issue requiring some policy adjustments, it is a less acute problem than is suggested in popular and academic discussion. This book will be of great importance to scholars and students with an interest in population economics and the economics of social policy.

Population ageing is an important trend which will be experienced in industrialized countries in the early years of the next century. This significant book examines aspects of population ageing and pensions, with an emphasis on the design and use of simple economic models to focus on particular aspects of a very broad problem. The analysis of pensions presents many complex problems. A major aim of this book is to demonstrate how reasonably simple economic models can be designed and used to shed some light on the issues involved in population growth and pension provision. The basic analytics of population growth and pension structure are first explored. Projections for Australia are examined and used to model ageing and social expenditure and to estimate the 'burden' of aged care on future workers. The author goes on to investigate pensions and pension finance, and examines several types of economic model before turning to the analysis of alternative pension arrangements using a lifetime simulation model. The results of the study suggest that both lower contribution rates and a universal pension encourage a later retirement age. This book will prove invaluable to students and scholars of public sector economics, welfare economics, social economics and public finance.

This book explores the relationship between embodiment and the production of the key structures which frame agency to map out potential for social change. It uses modalities of ageing embodiment in the context of sport participation in later life, specifically Master athletics, including barriers, opportunities and physiological dimensions.

This collection on researching later life and ageing critically reflects upon the qualitative methods used in gaining knowledge of under-researched groups of older people and sets out future research agendas.