This insightful and moving book looks at how people of various ages view the process of aging and the social and emotional perspectives it evokes. Will You Still Need Me?: Feeling Wanted, Loved, and Meaningful as We Age is a touching and incisive book organized around interviews with individuals of various ages who have responded to questions about aging. The interviewees offer their unguarded thoughts about aging with a significant other-or alone. They reveal their self perceptions, their feelings about the future, their self-image as it relates to aging, and their expectations and impressions of aging itself. They also share their concerns that with aging comes not only possible loneliness, but also meaninglessness and even uselessness. Psychotherapist Angela Browne-Miller weaves the findings into a philosophical, research-based overview of cross-generational concerns and feelings about aging. Her book opens a window into the hearts and minds of our parents, our peers, and our children as they look at the aging process and at how individuals, society, and families treat aging. Through the sensitive, up-close-and-personal, bird's-eye view of the people interviewed for this book, aging unfolds into a deeply moving experience, one we all share. Includes some 50 interview reports describing people's views regarding the aging they see around them and their own aging processes Presents a group of sensitive illustrations and photographs by the author

<> Learn On-Demand TV, DVRs, Music, Games, Books, and More! With My Digital Entertainment for Seniors, you'll discover easy ways to access and experience entertainment using today's technology, without getting confused or bogged down with techno-babble-and without spending a fortune. This easy-to-follow guide covers all aspects of entertainment-movies, TV shows, radio, music, newspapers and magazines, books, and more-whether you're using a computer, mobile device, or other technology. Specifically, you'll: Get acquainted with all forms of digital entertainment that are available in everyday life, including on-demand TV shows, movies, music and radio programming, podcasts, eBooks and audiobooks, digital editions of newspapers and magazines, YouTube videos, and interactive games.Discover the difference between streaming and downloading content from the Internet to your computer or mobile device. Learn what equipment you'll need and how to use this equipment, no matter how tech-savvy you are-or aren't. Find out how to watch, listen to, and read what you want, when you want it, on your TV, desktop computer, notebook computer, smartphone, tablet, eBook reader, or gaming console. Learn what types of entertainment are available to use on eBook readers, digital video recorders, digital music players, high-definition television sets, cable/satellite TV service providers, what types of entertainment are readily available via the Internet, and how to use your computer, smartphone or tablet as an entertainment device. Find ways to stay safe and protect yourself from identity theft or online crime when surfing the Internet, shopping online, playing games, doing online banking, and handling other Internet-related tasks.

This book explores the reality of ageing and old age from the perspectives of the individual and society. It emphasizes cross-cultural aspects of ageing and communication issues both within and across generations. The authors approach the understanding of ageing from a multi-disciplinary perspective, integrating biology, psychology, linguistics, sociology, and history. The book is organized as follows: historical and broader cross-cultural issues of ageing, followed by biomedical, psychological, social, and communicative aspects of ageing. The book concludes with an in-depth analysis of the existential dimension of ageing followed by an evolutionary perspective.

In this new, revised edition of his landmark book, Montagu compels us to reevaluate the way we think about growth and development, in all its phases, throughout life. Humans are designed to grow and develop their childlike qualities, and not to become the ossified adults prescribed by society. Montagu demonstrates how our culture, schools, and families are in conspiracy against such childlike traits as the need to love, to learn, to wonder, to know, to explore, to think, to experiment, to be imaginative, creative and curious, to sing, dance, or play. He also reveals the many links between physical and mental aging and tells how to prevent psychosclerosis, the hardening of the mind, so that we can die young--as late as possible. The best statement ever written on the most important, neglected theme of human life and evolution. "Stephen Jay Gould, Harvard University"

In this new, revised edition of his landmark book, Montagu compels us to reevaluate the way we think about growth and development, in all its phases, throughout life. Humans are designed to grow and develop their childlike qualities, and not to become the ossified adults prescribed by society. Montagu demonstrates how our culture, schools, and families are in conspiracy against such childlike traits as the need to love, to learn, to wonder, to know, to explore, to think, to experiment, to be imaginative, creative and curious, to sing, dance, or play. He also reveals the many links between physical and mental aging and tells how to prevent psychosclerosis, the hardening of the mind, so that we can die young--as late as possible.

Written by four authors, Philip Silverman (PhD, Cornell University), Laura Hecht (PhD, Indiana University), J. Daniel McMillin (PhD, Southern Illinois University), and Shienpei Chang (MA, California State University Bakersfield), this unique book examines how social networks contribute to a sense of well-being and a positive self-identity among older Americans and Taiwanese. Although social network analysis has grown increasingly important in the last several decades, few comparisons are available with Chinese and American samples; this is the first research project that compares a Western and an Asian culture using social network types. This research is also the first ever to use social network types to test hypotheses about values, reciprocity, social capital, and the health status of older adults. The data, gathered through systematic sampling in northeastern Oregon and central Taiwan, are first analyzed for the content of exchanges with network members. Then, the structure of the social network is determined by cluster analysis from which four network types are derived. This innovative, two-part procedure reveals a deeper understanding of the role social networks play in the quality of life among elderly in these two cultures. By comparing two very different cultures, the research reveals important details about the relative impact of broader social changes and social networks on the well-being of older adults. The two societies represent contrasting cultural sensibilities regarding the position and treatment of the aged. Yet, social changes in both countries have had a similar impact on older adults in some respects, but not in others. The data allow a determination of whether theinherent dissimilarities between a Western and an Asian culture, or the differences in the structure of each network type, can best account for the variation in exchange modalities and outcomes related to well-being and self-identity. A final chapter highlights possible future research in light of the theoretical and methodological implications of the findings. This book is a valuable resource for those in cultural anthropology, comparative sociology, gerontology, and Asian studies.

The book provides an interesting analysis of the time-use data to examine the extent to which active ageing is occurring in India. It also synthesizes data from the National Sample Survey Office All India Survey and another survey undertaken in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, and Ranchi (capital cities of East Indian states) to examine the role of the aged in the Indian Society. Nearly all countries in the world are experiencing an important issue of ageing. India faces its own set of challenges with its aging population due to the absence of a social security system-the shifting family dynamics questions the contribution of the elderly to the family in every aspect. Econometric models have been used in the book to study gender differences and variations across socio-economic conditions, correlating them to the contribution of the aged to their families and the extent of active ageing. The book broadens the understanding on the aged and facilitates their integration in the society so that they can age more actively. Active Ageing and Labour Market Engagement offers an analytical perspective to professionals, researchers, and policy makers interested in gerontology.

This book pioneers evidence-based research on healthy aging through the application of self determination theory (SDT). Its uniqueness is located in the fact that to date, no other work has applied SDT to the empirical study of aging populations. The authors focus on how SDT drives healthy, successful and active aging, and note that the motivation factors underpinning healthy aging are often neglected, or altogether absent, in the existing literature. This edited volume is particularly timely given the expanding aging crisis in many North American, European and Asian contexts. The collection of chapters meets this challenge head-on in comparing these contexts vis-a-vis a broad international scope, and subsequent discussions on important specialty issues in aging, such as hearing and memory loss. The work offers global perspectives on aging, autonomy and associated life challenges, as well as factors relating to the sustainability of healthy aging in terms of physical and mental well-being. This book will be highly relevant to researchers in the SDT community, as well as specialists in aging and gerontology. It will also be of interest to lifespan psychologists and developmental psychologists.

The empirical and theoretical analysis of executive control processes, dormant for many years, has grown to become one of the most fertile areas of research in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Because executive functions are thought to have a pervasive role in maintaining optimal information processing across many processing situations, issues related to executive control cut across many traditional research divides. Unique among many other areas of research in cognition, questions about the influence of ageing have figured prominently in executive control research. There is accumulating evidence of age-related changes in frontal/executive functions. The union of research on executive functioning with research on the cognitive effects of ageing could provide the theoretical framework for understanding the widespread influence of ageing on cognition. This special issue brings together well-known researchers in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience who approach the question of executive control using a wide range of methods from traditional behavioural studies, quantitative and computational modelling, and functional neuroimaging. The emphasis of these contributions is on a concise overview and integration of relevant theoretical ideas and empirical findings. By bringing together a diverse group of contributors, this special issue can serve researchers and students both as a summary of current research and as a starting point toward further explorations on the relations between executive control and the cognitive influences of ageing.

Aging is a subject of concern to everyone, but is widely misunderstood. If we view it as inevitable, we miss the fact that not everyone is able to grow to an old age. Realization of this reality helps us to understand that aging presents a wonderful opportunity - an opportunity to make choices about how we live which can enhance the aging process and offer a chance to live to our potential. This book clearly presents the four, multiple reserve, factors (cognitive, physical, psychological and social) which impact our ability to have healthy responses to the stresses of aging. By giving the biological basis for the advice given, you will learn the steps to take in your activities, diet and mental outlook to grasp the opportunity that aging offers. Everyone must know that what we do makes a difference.

Take charge of your health If you are an aging individual in the United States, it's crucial to understand present health-care policies and doctor-patient relations so you can aggressively demand the best care. Once you know the ins and outs, you'll feel secure and enjoy the aging process. The first step is to acknowledge two important facts: 1. As a member of the elderly population in the United States, you are part of a significant numerical force in society. 2. You can-and should-be certain that your voice is heard in every aspect of social and medical planning. Aging Aggressively also offers advice on personal health practices, including valuable resources to help you successfully manage your health. You're not dead yet Take the bull by the horns and demand the best care for yourself so that you can live-and age-well.

Among the most critical issues facing society today is the provision of community support for people of all ages who require assistance in performing daily living tasks. Researchers have documented the support systems and needs of older persons, children with special health care needs, and young persons transitioning into adulthood. While the United States may not yet have solved many of the challenges of providing adequate supports to these populations, researchers at least have a good sense of the nature of those challenges and are working toward that end. Somewhat surprising, then, is the nearly complete lack of knowledge about the support systems and needs of a rapidly growing population of adults who are not yet considered old but who nevertheless need help due to traumatic injury, the congenital illnesses of childhood and young adulthood, and/or the early onset of chronic diseases typically associated with later life (e.g., arthritis, heart disease and cancer). Specifically, researchers know little about the millions of Americans who require assistance during the period of late middle age, a transition phase between middle age and the older years, when activity limitations associated with a chronic condition escalate sharply. The largest generation in American history to date--the baby boom generation--has begun to enter late middle age, the oldest of whom turned sixty in 2006. While the research community looks ahead to the likely strains this generation will place on the formal long-term care system, Medicare, and the Social Security system in the near future, those who find themselves in need of personal care in late middle age must first pass through a particularly vulnerabletime before they are eligible to benefit from the safety net these systems afford. Because late-middle-aged adults are often considered the "carers" of society (many caring for dependent children or aging parents, and often both), we do not often think of this group as vulnerable and in need of help themselves. They, more than others, are left to rely on their own financial and family support systems to get through their difficult time, while at the same time planning and preparing for the possibility of living another 20 years or more with chronic illnesses and conditions. Up until now, we have known very little about how, and how well, they manage. In this first critical study of the availability and receipt of care for late-middle-aged adults, Julie Lima and Susan Allen uncover a host of vulnerabilities that challenge the wellbeing of those who find themselves in need of personal assistance at a critical point in their lives. Using a lifecourse approach, they outline the care needs of older adults in various stages of life, as well as the sociodemographic and policy trends that influence the amounts and types of care that are available, and that will likely be available in the near future. Since so little was known about the care needs of this group prior to this work, this book is largely descriptive in nature, and the authors intend for it to lay the groundwork for future work in this area. This is an important book for all gerontology, disability, and lifecourse collections.

The dramatically increasing aging population of Hong Kong has elicited new risks and opportunities to facilitate a positive life for older adults. This book offers a holistic review of gerontological theories and literature, and constructs a conceptual framework of social support networks, coping and positive aging. In light of the implications of the convoy model of social support to depict an indigenous landscape of positive aging in Hong Kong, this is one of the very few empirical studies that adopts both quantitative research and qualitative research. The research consisted of a pilot study of in-depth interviews with 16 older Hong Kong Chinese and a main study surveying 393 older members of District Elderly Community Center. The results of the study indicate that family and peer support constitute the mainstay of support networks of the elderly, and that family and peer support are associated with positive aging. Moreover, the study shows that it is the depth of emotional closeness, namely, close interaction and intimacy with social partners that makes the greatest contribution to positive aging. Additionally, problem coping and emotion coping are found to mediate the relationship between social support networks and positive aging. There is potential in bringing more domestic helpers into elderly care and improving the service quality such that the goal of Aging in Place can be promoted in Hong Kong. Intended for researchers in social work, gerontology and positive psychology, it is also essential reading for graduates and social work professionals interested in this area. This book makes a valuable contribution to social gerontological research among Hong Kong older adults and the promotion of wellbeing in the elderly via the construct of positive aging in the culture of Chinese society.

Rising life expectancy has led to the growth of the 'Sandwich Generation' - men and women who are caregivers to their children of varying ages as well as for one or both parents whilst still managing their own household and work responsibilities. This book considers both the strains and benefits of this position. Tackling a myriad of issues such as gender, parents and parents-in-law, ethnic differences, residential status, and developing changes in the caregiving relationship such as Alzheimer's or dementia, this book highlights the complexities of the caregiving relationship. Key chapters also address potential benefits including improved relationships, skill set development and generously giving to another. Expert contributors use examples to illustrate the need for organizations to address increases in caregiving among their employees and develop supportive policies and initiatives. They further show that there is a need at the country level to integrate employees, communities, employers, businesses and levels of government to deal with this increasing trend. This timely book will prove an indispensible reference for academics and students interested in the sandwich generation, caregiving and health. Its practical approach will also benefit human resource management professionals, managers dealing with sandwiched employees and health administrators at various levels of government. Contributors include: R. Attieh, S. Austen, R. Burke, L. Calvano, C.E. Greaves, T. Jefferson, N.L. Jimmieson, A.H. Kim, S. LoboPrabhu, N. Mandell, A. Mitra, V. Molinari, A. Ollier-Malterre, R. Ong, S.L. Parker, A.H. Prokos, J. Reid Keene, C. Reinicke, C.W. Rudolph, R. Sharp, P. Ulmanen, S.I. White Means, T. Yamashita, H. Zacher

Still the definitive book on the subject, this volume has been thoroughly revised to cover rapidly changing aspects of the economics of aging. It provides an in-depth examination of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, pension, and health, including, for instance, the dramatic changes in employer-sponsored pensions. New attention is given to the retirement of baby boomers and the financial situation of older women, many of whom still live in poverty. Other topics added to this edition include the proposed new way of measuring poverty, new economic implications of demographic aging, the concept of productive aging', an update on reverse annuity mortgages, hybrid pension plans and pension privatization, and current information on Social Security. This highly readable book is essential for everyone concerned with gerontology. A thorough, rich, and current work, this book is the most comprehensive resource available for students, policymakers, researchers, human resource directors, and in short, all who have a personal or professional interest in the essential questions facing the growing aging population in the United States. It examines changes in retirement patterns, problems of older workers, and the complexity of retirement preparation, as well as pension plan health costs and all the programs affecting financial security.

This book presents new insights into the consequences of the impending growth in and impact of the older segment of Latino aging adults across distinctive regions of the Americas. It uses a comparative research framework to further understanding of current issues in health and aging in the transnational context of the health and migratory experiences of the U.S.- Mexican population. It provides an important contribution to the interdisciplinary investigation of chronic diseases and functional impairments, social care and medical services, care-giving and intervention development, and neighborhood factors supporting optimal aging, using new conceptual and methodological approaches (inter-group comparisons). Specifically, the chapters employ different methodologies that investigate trends in aging health and services related to immigration processes, family and household structure, macroeconomic changes in the quality of community life, and focus on the new realities of aging in Latino families in local communities. The book focuses on measurement, data-quality issues, new conceptual modeling techniques, and longitudinal survey capabilities, and suggests needed areas of new research. As such it is of interest to researchers and policy makers in a wide range of disciplines from social and behavioral sciences to economics, gerontology, geriatrics, and public health.

Most studies of geriatric patients have focused on nursing homes. In fact, most people are placed in these institutions only after being evaluated by medical and social service staff. This ethnography details the day-to-day experiences of a geriatric and assessment unit by examining the staff, families, and patients themselves. It looks at the activities that take place in the unit as well as the less obvious cultural patterns of the process. Using the Ethnography of Speaking method, it explores the human side of this most difficult of life's decisions.

KiddingAround: The Child in Film and Mediais a collection of essays generated by a conference of the same title held atthe University of the District of Columbia in September 2008.The works gathered examine a variety ofchildren's media, including texts produced for children (e.g., comic strips, children's books, cartoons, animated films) as well as texts about children(e.g., feature-length films, literature, playground architecture, parentingguides).The primary goal of KiddingAround is to analyze contested representations of childhood and children invarious twentieth- and twenty-first-century media while accounting for thepolitics of these narratives.Theprimary goal of Kidding Around is to contextualize key representationsof childhood and children disseminated throughout various media today.Each of the essays gathered offers a criticalhistory of the very notion of childhood, at the same time as it analyzesexemplary children's texts from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.These chapters depart from variousmethodological approaches (including psychoanalytic, sociological, ecological, and historical perspectives), offering the reader numerous productiveapproaches for analyzing the moments of cultural conflict and impasse foundwithin the primary works studied.Despite the fact that todaychildren are one of the most coveted demographics in marketing and viewership, academic work on children's media, and children in media, is justbeginning.Kidding Around assemblesexperts from this inchoate field, opening discussion to traditional andnon-traditional children's te