Attention to social class is a major issue confronting the study of ageing in the 21st century, yet it has been significantly overlooked to date. Social class in later life provides the most up-to-date collection of new and emerging research relevant to contemporary debates on the relationship between class, culture, and later life It explores the interface between class dynamics and later life, whilst acting as a critical guide to the ways in which age and class relations 'interlock' and 'intersect' with each other, whilst examining the emergence of new forms of inequalities alongside the interrogation of more traditional divisions. Social class in later life brings together a range of international high profile scholars to develop a more sophisticated, analytical and empirical understanding of class dynamics in later life. It will be of major interest to students and researchers examining the implications of global ageing, and will appeal to scholars concerned with the development of a more critical and engaged gerontology.

Connecting seemingly unrelated instances of essential worker shortages around the world, investment analyst Shamil Ismail builds a compelling and well-researched narrative explaining why aging populations and falling birth rates are leading to a shrinking pool of essential workers in developed countries, which could massively disrupt their societies.

Methodically unpacking the factors driving this escalating crisis, he shows why proposed solutions such as automation, AI, and raising the retirement age will not fix the problem. The implications will be widespread, leading to crumbling cities with decaying infrastructure, while economic growth will be stunted by creaking supply chains, declining demand, and a shrinking tax base.

Sifting through the data, trends and forecasts, Ismail answers these intriguing questions, allowing us to prepare for the daunting future that lies ahead.

• When are we likely to see the first major signs of this new reality?
• Which countries will be most impacted, and by when?
• How will companies and investment markets be affected?
• Can this path to decay be avoided and what can we do?

The Age of Decay is a provocative read that will stimulate debate over the impact of the shifting demographics on society. It is an indispensable factor in strategic planning for business leaders, investors and governments. Tautly written with the clever use of occasional fictional narratives, the book distils a wide range of topics into a riveting read.

A must-read for anyone interested in how the future could unfold.

This unique book sheds new light on the most invisible members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Hidden from view by a combination of prevailing cultural assumptions and their own unwillingness to be seen, older lesbians have been consistently under-represented in both popular culture and research. This ground-breaking study, based on an unprecedentedly large research sample of nearly four hundred lesbian-identified women between the ages of 60 and 90, offers a fascinating insight into the lives of older lesbians in the UK. Drawing on data from a comprehensive questionnaire survey and illustrated with vivid personal testimonies, it explores both the diversity and the distinct collective identity of the older lesbian community, arguing that understanding their past experience is crucial to providing for their needs in the future. It is essential reading for scholars in the fields of women's studies and genders and sexualities, and will also appeal to sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, social and cultural historians, and experts in ageing, gerontology, nursing and social work.

The Classic Edition of this foundational text includes a new preface from Holly A. Tuokko, examining how the field of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) has developed since first publication. Bringing together research from multiple studies and perspectives from various countries, the volume identifies MCI as an important clinical transition between normal aging and the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The up-to-date preface highlights the expansion in research, examining the benefits of various pharmacological, cognitive and behavioral approaches to intervention. Influenced by recent findings in neuroplasticity across the lifespan, the book recognizes the importance of intervention at the earliest stages of the decline trajectory. It revisits the contested diagnostic approaches for MCI as well as the varying prevalence of MCI internationally, yet points to the need for further longitudinal studies to fully understand the condition. Mild Cognitive Impairment continues to provide a comprehensive resource for clinicians, researchers and students involved in the study, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people with MCI.

The ageing of the world's populations, particularly in Western developed countries, is a well-documented phenomenon; and despite many positive images of later life, in the media and public discourse later life is frequently depicted as a time of inevitable physical and cognitive decline. Against this background, Heinrichsmeier presents the results of her two-year sociolinguistic study examining how a group of older women of different ages negotiated their way through their own and others' expectations of ageing and constructed different kinds of older - and other - identities for themselves. Through vivid and nuanced analysis of their chat and practices in a small village hair salon, Heinrichsmeier reveals these women's subtle and skilful manipulation of stereotypes of ageing and the impact of the evolving talk on their identity constructions. Her study, which provides numerous short extracts of talk in both the hair salon and interview along with more detailed case studies, highlights the importance of such apparently 'trivial' sites - for both studying older people's identity work and as loci for positive identity constructions and well-being in later life. This book will be of particular interest to graduate students and scholars working in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and gerontological studies, as well as those interested in approaches integrating ethnography and language.

Population ageing and the globalisation of international migration are challenging the research agendas of social scientists around the world, and posing numerous challenges for policy makers and practitioners whose goal is to formulate and design high-quality and user-friendly policies and services. Both of these phenomena have brought, for example, attention to the fact that more and more people around the world are ageing in countries other than those where they were born. The fact that elderly care sectors around the world need to recruit staff if they are to handle the growing number of older people that will need their services is also something that has been discussed when population ageing and the globalisation of international migration have been debated. The elderly care sector's reliance on people with migrant backgrounds has namely increased as a result of these phenomena. This collection is therefore situated at the intersection of ageing and migration studies and takes into account the various issues with which this intersection is concerned. The chapters in this volume are written by established researchers in the field of ageing and migration around the world. The collection explores these issues in three sections: Elderly care regimes and migration regimes: national perspectives Ageing in contexts of migration: a multifaceted phenomenon Elderly care and migration. The expert contributions in this volume address the array of issues associated with the study of ageing, old age and elderly care in contexts of migration.

This book examines the transformations in home lives arising in later life and resulting from global migrations. It provides insight into the ways in which contemporary demographic processes of aging and migration shape the meaning, experience and making of home for those in older age. Chapters explore how home is negotiated in relation to possibilities for return to the "homeland," family networks, aging and health, care cultures and belonging. The book deliberately crosses emerging sub-fields in transnationalism studies by offering case studies on aging labour migrants, retirement migrants, and return migrants, as well as older people affected by the movement of others including family members and migrant care workers. The diversity of people's experiences of home in later life is fully explored and the impact of social class, gender, and nationality, as well as the corporeal dimensions of older age, are all in evidence.

With rapid economic progress and increasing life expectancy in East Asian societies, more attention is being paid by their governments, the media and the academy to mental illness and dementia. While clinical research on mental illness and dementia in Chinese societies acknowledges the importance of culture in shaping people's experiences of these illnesses, how Chinese culture shapes people's understandings of and responses to mental illness and dementia has yet to be interrogated to any depth. Mental Illness, Dementia and Family in China breaks new ground in exploring how Chinese culture, namely, the understandings, norms, values and scripts that people acquire through being members of a Chinese community, shapes contemporary stories of mental illness, dementia and family care-giving. This book is innovative in examining and comparing stories which have been drawn from both real life ('life stories'), as well as from film and television productions ('filmic stories'). These two forms effectively complement each other, with life stories generally presenting an 'insider's' account and filmic stories generally presenting an 'outsider's' account. What remains unvoiced in one kind of story may be voiced in the other kind. Drawing on the perspectives and analytic approaches of narrative analysis and cultural studies, Guy Ramsay uncovers culturally-shaped continuities and departures in representations of time, identity and cause of illness as well as in the language employed in contemporary stories of mental illness, dementia and family care-giving in China. This book will be invaluable to students and scholars working on Chinese cultural studies and Asian social policy, as well as those interested in psychiatry, mental health and disability studies more broadly.

Population aging is a matter of global concern. It often occurs in tandem with changes in the health profile of the population. In Africa, many countries are already facing a high burden of communicable diseases. However, as more and more children survive childhood and move on to adult years and old age they are also more likely to experience health problems associated with the aging process. Population aging in Africa is occurring in the context of high levels of poverty, changing family structures, an immense disease burden, fragile health systems and weak or poorly managed government institutions. This book shows that aging is likely to lead to increased social and economic demands for the continent. However, most national governments in Africa have not begun to address the issue of how to respond effectively to the needs of the older population. This will require a better understanding of the socio-economic and demographic situation of the older population in Africa. This book fills the gaps that exist by exploring the social realities of population aging in Africa. It also focuses on the policy and programmatic responses, gaps and future challenges related to aging across the continent.

Current estimates indicate that approximately 2.2 million people are incarcerated in federal, state, and local correctional facilities across the United States. There are another 5 million under community correctional supervision. Many of these individuals fall into the classification of special needs or special populations (e.g., women, juveniles, substance abusers, mentally ill, aging, chronically or terminally ill offenders). Medical care and treatment costs represent the largest portion of correctional budgets, and estimates suggest that these costs will continue to rise. In the community, probation and parole officers are responsible for helping special needs offenders find appropriate treatment resources. Therefore, it is important to understand the needs of these special populations and how to effectively care for and address their individual concerns. The Routledge Handbook of Offenders with Special Needs is an in-depth examination of offenders with special needs, such as those who are learning-challenged, developmentally disabled, and mentally ill, as well as substance abusers, sex offenders, women, juveniles, and chronically and terminally ill offenders. Areas that previously have been unexamined (or examined in a limited way) are explored. For example, this text carefully examines the treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender offenders, and racial and gender disparities in health care delivery, as well as pregnancy and parenthood behind bars, homelessness, and the incarceration of veterans and immigrants. In addition, the book presents legal and management issues related to the treatment and rehabilitation of special populations in prisons/jails and the community, including police-citizen interactions, diversion through specialty courts, obstacles and challenges related to reentry and reintegration, and the need for the development and implementation of evidence-based criminal justice policies and practices. This is a key collection for students taking courses in prisons, penology, criminal justice, criminology, and related areas of study, and an essential resource for academics and practitioners working with offenders with special needs.

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".

This enlightening book on the collective identities of Japanese American elderly in a former sugar plantation community in the rural town of Puna, Hawai'i, investigates the stories in which they remember, evaluate, and represent their past lives on the plantation from the 1920s to the 1980s. Author Kinoshita deftly explores the process by which they collectively delineate their identities in terms of ethnicity, class, generation, and gender. Presenting an ethnography of remembering that captures the so-called 'cultural testimony', the Japanese American elderly, in this book, narrate their plantation experience as both an internally-oriented emotional manifestation and an externally-based common understanding of their community. Kinoshita demonstrates how they employ their memories to reconstruct plantation experience and define their peoplehood as the collective identities of plantation-raised Japanese Americans.

A handbook for how we can use the power of our hormones to master any stage of life. Joint pain, weight gain, migraines, acne, sleepless nights, loss of libido - all of these and more can be caused by hormone imbalances. Our health is impacted by our hormones all the way through our lives. So why do we often assume they're mainly 'a menopause thing', and wait until hot flushes arrive before we take them seriously? The truth is that many women find that their hormone-related symptoms aren't acknowledged, despite the impact they can have, years before menopause hits, on almost every aspect of their lives. With advances in medical science, however, effective new treatment options are available, including modern hormone replacement therapy (HRT), diet, and exercise. So why don't more of us know that help is at hand? Why are we still being told that we have to put up with these conditions? Our Hormones, Our Health is written by two doctors who draw on their experience as practitioners, and as women. With the aid of pioneering research from epigenetics, stress medicine, nutritional medicine, and modern HRT, they show us how women can live with health and happiness - no matter what their age.

This book compares aspirations and life choices among educated young adults in urban China and Taiwan. As two places that share a cultural heritage but very different political and economic systems, it assesses how the socio-economic and political trajectories of China and Taiwan have influenced young people's decision-making and the strategies they apply to realize their goals. Drawing upon ethnographic research, this book analyzes young adults' choices in the areas of education, career and marriage, considering their individual social backgrounds and economic resources. In this context, it also discusses how feelings of hope, doubt and disenchantment are mitigated by the specific societal atmospheres and ideological discourses. Whereas stable employment and marriage appeared to be universal goals, this book demonstrates how young adults in Beijing had more autonomy in decision-making concerning individual life choices than those in Taipei. Among other things, China's demographic controls and urban migration policies appear to increase the independence of young people from their parents. Further, the prevalence of boarding school education in China compared to Taiwan provides an opportunity for earlier autonomy for young people in China. Taking a comparative approach, Young Adults in Urban China and Taiwan will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of Chinese Studies and Taiwan Studies, as well as social and cultural anthropology and youth culture.

Silvia Bermudez's fascinating study reveals how Spanish popular music, produced between 1980 and 2013, was the first cultural site to engage in critical debate about ethnicity and race in relation to the immigration patterns that have been changing the social landscape of Spanish society since the late 1970s. In Rocking the Boat, Bermudez examines the lyrics of songs by both renowned and up and coming artists to illuminate how these new migrants challenged Spain's notions of homogeneity, boundaries, accommodation, and incorporation. Bermudez observes that immigration has had such a significant influence on Spanish society that the tattered boats, seen to this day on the shores of Spain and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, have become inverted emblems of the ships that were once symbols of great power and economic development. Rocking the Boat is a nuanced account of how popular urban music shaped the discourse on immigration, transnational migrants, and racialization in Spain's new social landscape.

"Methodological Issues in Aging Research" is the first volume in the "Notre Dame Series on Quantitative Methodology." This new series provides practical training on the latest quantitative methods used in social and behavioral research. Each volume features contributions from leading experts in state-of-the-art techniques applicable to a selected substantive topic.
The first series volume provides researchers with innovative techniques for the collection and analyses of data focusing on aging and lifespan development. The book addresses such techniques as structural equation modeling, latent class analysis, hierarchical linear growth curve modeling, dynamical systems analysis, multivariate Rasch models, survival analysis, multilevel modeling, and quantitative genetic methods. These new techniques provide:
*better estimates of the direct effect of environmental or treatment effects and the dynamic pattern of genetic and environmental influences on adult development;
*more precise predictions of outcomes which in turn increase the diagnostic power of test instruments; and
*the potential for developing new treatments that take advantage of the intrinsic dynamics of the course of a disease or age-related change to enhance treatment.
"Methodological Issues in Aging Research" appeals to advanced students and researchers in lifespan development, gerontology, health psychology, and other fields related to human development. It can be used as a main or supplemental text for advanced courses related to developmental research methods.

Ageing in Asia contains a selection of leading social systems and programs, with interesting case-studies offering innovative and useful lessons. The book covers ageing and related developments occurring in the most dynamic industrializing and urbanizing societies of emerging Asia. It includes topical issues such public policies and responses to current challenges from the growing needs of an ageing population due to rise of chronic non-communicable diseases, amidst rapidly changing social, cultural, economic and political changes in the region. The main purpose of the book is to provide useful comparisons of social care systems undergoing rapid transitions, and to offer some examples of best practices and lessons to respond to the changing needs due to population ageing.

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.

First published in 1997. Considerable research has been done to identify neighbourhood influences on children's affective states, motivation, and behaviour. This population, along with the elderly, are the nation's largest dependent groups. In contrast, little research has been done to determine what impact living among poor neighbours has upon older Americans, specifically upon their psychological well-being and neighbourhood satisfaction. In this study the author has sought out to explore this deficit, using a sociological standpoint to examine quality-of-life issues relevant to elderly inner-city residents. This title will be of interest to students of sociology and urban studies.

Delivering the first comprehensive analysis of elder justice and its implications for policy and practice, this book offers a promising approach that ensures the rights, safety, and security of all older Americans. It explains the antecedents of elder justice in the fields of elder abuse, aging, and public health, and describes the opportunities for achieving more comprehensive, cohesive, and integrated public policy. The text examines the cumulative impact of ageism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, class, and other forms of disadvantage and isolation on the lives of older adults and how these contribute to poverty, disease, disability, abuse, and neglect. It draws from the fields of public health and health equity, and plans devised by international organizations that frame elder abuse as a human rights issue. Practical and achievable goals in the prevention of elder abuse aid policy makers, program developers, grant-makers, and service providers in the fields of gerontology, social work, public health, and nursing in their efforts towards elder abuse prevention. Key Features: Identifies institutionalized ageism in pubic policy and practice Proposes core principles of elder justice to guide policy and service development Introduces knowledge and techniques from the fields of elder abuse and public health Provides greater understanding of social determinants and how they are addressed in the public health arena Offers techniques for improving access to the legal system for people with physical, cognitive, and communication disabilities Offers practical and achievable goals; objectives and recommendations; and models for state, national, and international policy and programs.

Based on 40 years' interviewing experience, this book illustrates the variety of religious, spiritual and other beliefs held by older people. It provides models of research procedure, especially in the context of bereavement. Participants include not only British Christians, but also Muslims, Humanists and witnesses of the Soviet persecution of religion. The author argues that both welfare professionals and gerontologists need to pay far more consideration to belief as a constituent of well-being in later life. The book looks to the future and increasing diversity of choice in matters of belief among Britain and Europe's older citizens as a consequence of immigration and globalisation.

What is age? A simple question but not that easy to answer. 'Unmasking Age' addresses it using data from a series of research projects relating to later life. This is supplemented by material from a range of other sources including diaries and fiction. Drawing on a long career in social research, Bill Bytheway critically examines various methods and discusses ways of uncovering the realities of age.

This book describes a wide-ranging set of research approaches which have been used to study the health care problems of adults living in rural areas. It shows how these approaches can be used to define health care problems, measure levels of illness and health, and evaluate health care practices. For each approach, contributors provide a theoretical background from the health care delivery literature, details of how it can be carried out in the field, its strengths and weaknesses, and illustrative examples from both the literature and their own work.

Research on sexual violence has been a growing area of academic study since the 1970s. However, the focus of these efforts has centred on younger women, leaving older women largely ignored in research. This book presents data from the first UK study to examine the extent, nature and impacts of sexual violence against people aged 60 and over. Drawing on both quantitative analysis of reported cases of sexual violence against people over 60 and qualitative interviews with practitioners in sexual violence and age-related organisations as well as survivors of sexual violence, this book situates the research findings in the context of feminist criminology and gerontology, and sets an agenda for future research, policy and practice. Sexual Violence against Older People is vital reading for practitioners and policymakers, and those engaged in studies of criminology, health and nursing, social work, elder abuse and violence against women.