Like all other advanced Western societies, Germany is coming to terms with the phenomenon of an ageing population. The demographic challenge posed by population ageing is generally seen in terms of potential crisis in the funding of health and social programmes. Some social scientists have even suggested that the early decades of the next century will be marked by conflict between the generations, with young and old competing for increasingly scarce resources. This is the first book written in English to address comprehensively ageing policies in Germany and the contribution of older people to German society.
The book examines the development of social policies affecting older people since the origins of the German welfare state under Bismarck and looks at how policy makers have sought to cope with the growing numbers of elderly people over the years.
The social, economic and political role of older people in contemporary Germany and their contribution to society are also explored, from their development into a more politically active sector of society to their changing relationship with the labour market and their social integration in terms of their relationships with families, neighbourhoods and local communities.

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

No other reference provides such a comprehensive and timely overview of theory and research on family relationships, the contexts of family life, and major turning points in late-life families. It includes many suggestions for theoretical and practical applications for future research on a score of important topics. This multidisciplinary survey is an invaluable library reference and teaching resource intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and practitioners -- for gerontologists, family scholars, psychologists, sociologists, historians, social workers, health-care providers, and policy makers.

When Ada Calhoun found herself in the throes of a midlife crisis, she thought that she had no right to complain. She was married with children and a good career. So why did she feel miserable? And why did it seem that other Generation X women were miserable, too? Calhoun decided to find some answers. She looked into housing costs, HR trends, credit card debt averages and divorce data. At every turn, she saw a pattern: sandwiched between the Boomers and the Millennials, Gen X women were facing new problems as they entered middle age, problems that were being largely overlooked. Speaking with women across America about their experiences as the generation raised to 'have it all,' Calhoun found that most were exhausted, terrified about money, under-employed, and overwhelmed. Instead of their issues being heard, they were told instead to lean in, take 'me-time' or make a chore chart to get their lives and homes in order. In Why We Can't Sleep, Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X's predicament and offers solutions for how to pull oneself out of the abyss - and keep the next generation of women from falling in. The result is reassuring, empowering and essential reading for all middle-aged women, and anyone who hopes to understand them.

Southeast and East Asian countries are undergoing varying stages of population ageing. The social, economic and political implications of population ageing will be enormous, and because of the fast speed of ageing in the region, the countries cannot afford the luxury of time for the gradual evolution of social and structural support systems and networks for the older population. The essays in this volume critically examine national ageing policies and programmes, the sustainability of existing pension systems, housing and living arrangements, inter-generational transfer, and aspects of quality of life of the elderly population. While the findings show that most Southeast Asian countries have started to formulate and implement national ageing policies, they also indicate that the existing policies are by and large inadequate and underdeveloped in serving the needs of the older population and indeed much more must be done to prepare for the future.

This second edition of the popular Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging provides up-to-date coverage of the most fundamental topics in this discipline. Like the first edition, this volume accessibly and comprehensively reviews the neural mechanisms of cognitive aging appropriate to both professionals and students in a variety of domains, including psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, neurology, and psychiatry. The chapters are organized into three sections. The first section focuses on major questions regarding methodological approaches and experimental design. It includes chapters on structural imaging (MRI, DTI), functional imaging (fMRI), and molecular imaging (dopamine PET, etc), and covers multimodal imaging, longitudinal studies, and the interpretation of imaging findings. The second section concentrates on specific cognitive abilities, including attention and inhibitory control, executive functions, memory, and emotion. The third section turns to domains with health and clinical implications, such as the emergence of cognitive deficits in middle age, the role of genetics, the effects of modulatory variables (hypertension, exercise, cognitive engagement), and the distinction between healthy aging and the effects of dementia and depression. Taken together, the chapters in this volume, written by many of the most eminent scientists as well as young stars in this discipline, provide a unified and comprehensive overview of cognitive neuroscience of aging.

The Last Choice establishes that preemptive suicide in advanced age can be rational: that it can make good sense to evade age-related personal diminishment even at the cost of good time left. Criteria are provided to help determine whether soundly reasoned, cogently motivated,and prudently timed self-destruction can be in one's interests late in life. In our time suicide and assisted suicide are being increasingly tolerated as ways to escape unendurable mental or physical suffering, but it isn't widely accepted that suicide may be a rational choice before the onset of such suffering. This book's basic claim is that it can be rational to choose to die sooner as oneself than to survive as a lessened other: that judicious appropriation of one's own inevitable death can be an identity-affirming act and a fitting end to life. Discussion of preemptive suicide goes beyond contributing to current widespread debate about assisted suicide. It is a matter tightly interrelated with other right to die questions and one bound to become a national issue. If there are good arguments for escaping intolerable situations caused by age-related deteriorative conditions, most of those arguments will equally support avoidance of those conditions. If assisted suicide becomes more generally acknowledged and accepted, preemptive suicide will almost certainly follow. It is crucial, then, to examine whether preemptive suicide constitutes a rational option for reflective aging individuals.

Operators of assisted living facilities interpret aging in place very differently than residents do. This difference in interpretation must be taken into account by regulators, policymakers, and operators so that they may reconsider assisted living's place along the traditional continuum of care.

With the growing number of assisted living facilities opening across the United States, it is essential for scholars and practitioners to understand residents' experiences in these environments. The author examines the ideals versus the realities of assisted living and the aging in place/continuum of care debate surrounding assisted living.

While the author presents the results of a detailed, comprehensive anthropological study, she also addresses policy issues which are of concern on the national level. The book combines academic and applied approaches to create an ethnographic fieldwork investigation relevant to housing and health care policies for the elderly in the United States.

The Rolling Stones (now in their 60s) have sung to us for years about "what a drag it is getting old," but it doesn't have to be that way. Despite living in a youth-oriented society, many of the aged patients seen by Dr. Levine have kept their emotional zest, intellectual zeal, and empowering dignity. Levine points out well-known public figures who are clearly aging with dignity and vitality. The neurologist author shows steps we can take to age while retaining these qualities, defying a society that challenges this quest. Living longer is not enough for most of us: we don't want to just survive. The quality of our life as we age is most important, and much of that depends on our attitudes and approach. The text includes strategies to optimize self-esteem as well as health, including attention to nurtrition, exercise, health care, education and mind stimulation, sexuality, social activities, and cosmetics and cosmetic surgery. Readers are shown the physiological facts of aging, from cellular to systemic changes. The most common diseases in old age are described, and actions are suggested to avoid many of the diseases. Levine also explores how the disorders change abilities and self-perception.

Using the profiles of women living in a retirement community, the author explores the information and social worlds of aging women. The focus of the study is the effects of aging on help-seeking behaviors. The author examines ways in which older women search for information; she found several areas of need, including failing health, financial concerns, and loneliness. For many of the women, death was not a problematic area. The author also discovered that the most critical areas of need were not shared with others. In fact, the residents chose to conceal the most dire needs for assistance. Surprisingly, the retirement community played a major role in this process. The relationships between help-seeking behaviors and information policy is extensively discussed. The role that information professionals can play in bringing information to populations such as the one examined here adds insight to the studies of information use and user needs.

With the aspiration for a long life now achievable for many individuals, the status of old age as a distinct social position has become problematic. In this radical re-examination of the nature of old age, Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard reveal the emergence of a 'fourth age' that embodies the most feared and marginalised aspects of old age, conceptually linked to and yet distinct from traditional models of old age. Inspired by the authors' ground-breaking work on the third and fourth age and supported by extensive sociological, medical and historical research, Rethinking Old Age offers a unique and timely analysis of the fourth age as a 'social imaginary' that is shaped and maintained by the social, cultural and political discourses and practices that divide later life. It stands as a significant resource for students, academics and practitioners of sociology, ageing studies, gerontology, social policy, health studies, social work and nursing.

This book examines one of the most important demographic changes facing the United States: an overall aging population and the increasing influence of Latinos. It also looks at the changing demographics in Mexico and its impact on the health and financial well-being of aging Mexicans and Mexican Americans. The book provides a conceptual and accessible framework that will educate and inform readers about the interconnectedness of the demographic trends facing these two countries. It also explores the ultimate personal, social, and political impact they will have on all Americans, in the U.S. as well as Mexico. Challenges of Latino Aging in the Americas features papers presented at the 2013 International Conference on Aging in the Americas, held at the University of Texas at Austin, September 2013. It brings together the work of many leading scholars from the fields of sociology, demography, psychology, anthropology, geography, social work, geriatric medicine, epidemiology, and public affairs. Coverage in this edited collection includes working with diverse populations; culturally compatible interventions for diverse elderly; the health, mental health, and social needs and concerns of aging Latinos; and the policy, political, and bi-lateral implications of aging and diversity in the U.S. and Mexico. The book provides a rich blend of empirical evidence with insightful, cutting-edge analysis that will serve as an insightful resource for researchers and policy makers, professors and graduate students in a wide range of fields, from sociology and demography to economics and political science.

Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Eighth Edition, tackles the biological and environmental influences on behavior as well as the reciprocal interface between changes in the brain and behavior during the course of the adult life span. The psychology of aging is important to many features of daily life, from workplace and the family, to public policy matters. It is complex, and new questions are continually raised about how behavior changes with age. Providing perspectives on the behavioral science of aging for diverse disciplines, the handbook explains how the role of behavior is organized and how it changes over time. Along with parallel advances in research methodology, it explicates in great detail patterns and sub-patterns of behavior over the lifespan, and how they are affected by biological, health, and social interactions. New topics to the eighth edition include preclinical neuropathology, audition and language comprehension in adult aging, cognitive interventions and neural processes, social interrelations, age differences in the connection of mood and cognition, cross-cultural issues, financial decision-making and capacity, technology, gaming, social networking, and more.

Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, Eighth Edition, presents the extraordinary growth of research on aging individuals, populations, and the dynamic culmination of the life course, providing a comprehensive synthesis and review of the latest research findings in the social sciences of aging. As the complexities of population dynamics, cohort succession, and policy changes modify the world and its inhabitants in ways that must be vigilantly monitored so that aging research remains relevant and accurate, this completely revised edition not only includes the foundational, classic themes of aging research, but also a rich array of emerging topics and perspectives that advance the field in exciting ways. New topics include families, immigration, social factors, and cognition, caregiving, neighborhoods, and built environments, natural disasters, religion and health, and sexual behavior, amongst others.

The subject of midlife has been dominated by the woes of aging--menopause, divorce, hormone replacement therapies, aging parents, and fleeing children. Now a broad-ranging new work by clinical psychologist Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D., "The Art of Midlife," describes the freedom and authenticity that can be made a cornerstone of the middle years. She describes three healthy and predictable phases. First, women relinquish old ways, untying themselves from the past and mourning the losses of youth and its illusions. By placing less emphasis on the needs of others, women can live more creatively and enjoy the present. The women Dr. Edelstein studied have been able to move to the next step, in which they reconnect to themselves. They regain their authentic voices, simplify life, and allow long buried aspects of themselves to emerge. Finally, women refocus their futures. With courage, they embrace new people, ideas, activities, and work--and pursue adult dreams regardless of external rewards.

With the collective knowledge of expert contributors in the field, The International Handbook on Ageing and Public Policy explores the challenges arising from the ageing of populations across the globe.With an expansive look at the topic, this comprehensive Handbook examines various national state approaches to welfare provisions for older people and highlights alternatives based around the voluntary and third-party sector, families and private initiatives. Each of these issues are broken down further and split into six comprehensive sections: - Context - Pensions - Health - Welfare - Case Studies - Policy Innovation and Civil Society Academics interested in policy challenges for mature societies will find this Handbook a highly relevant reference tool. It also offers an important message for policy makers and practitioners in the field of public policy. Contributors include: J. Atanackovic, D.E. Bloom, I. Bode, A. Boersch-Supan, I.L. Bourgeault, R. Canning, B.A. Carnes, L. Carter-Edwards, T. Chen, E. Collom, R. Edlin, A. Elissen, M. Eloundou-Enyegue, M. Erlinghagen, J. Field, V. Galasso, R. Gauld, K. Hank, S. Harper, J. Hoffman, R. Holzmann, K. Howse, J.H. Johnson Jr., M. Kaplan, M. Kautto, H.G. Koenig, D. Lain, R. Lee, G.W. Leeson, E. Le , Z. Li, P. Lloyd-Sherlock, B.L. Lowell, A. Lusardi, A. Mason, R. McKinnon, A.M. Parnell, P. Profeta, N. Redondo, M. Sanchez, C. Saraceno, K. Spencer-Suarez, M.Tenikue, V. Timonen, F.M. Torres-Gil, S. Vickerstaff, B. Vriehoef, J. Warburton, A. Webb, E. Westerhout

Concise and accessible overview of key concepts of the psychology of aging by a renowned scholar and practitioner on the topic, for use in the classroom as a supplement to developmental and clinical psychology courses, and a valuable resource for interdisciplinary studies with a focus on gerontology. Aging 101 dispels common myths about the older and aging population and provides a wealth of evidence-based information that introduces aging theory, many common problem areas that impinge on older adults, as well as treatment approaches. This reader-friendly, compact book explores how psychologists understand and treat Alzheimer's disease and dementia patients, and their caregivers; older adult sexuality including the unique sexual problems confronting gay male, lesbian, bisexual and transgender older adults; older adult abuse; substance abuse; and issues surrounding death and dying, among other compelling topics.

As the Baby Boom generation approaches traditional retirement age, the aging of the global labor force will continue to lead to an increase in the number of people who will transition into retirement in the next decade. Retirement researchers have made several important advances in their field in recent years that represent a shift from examining retirement through an economic to a psychological perspective. Retirement is not simply a one-time decision-making event; rather, it represents a process through which workers decrease their psychological commitment to work and behaviorally withdraw from the workforce. Approaching retirement from this perspective, The Oxford Handbook of Retirement offers comprehensive, up-to-date, and forward-thinking summaries of contemporary knowledge on retirement. The approach is interdisciplinary, spanning human resource management, organizational psychology, development psychology, gerontology, sociology, public health, and economics. The chapters assembled in this volume are organized into five parts, providing comprehensive coverage conceptualizations of retirement from multiple disciplines; existing theoretical perspectives and research findings on retirement, including adult development, career development, organizational and management, and economic perspectives; current and future challenges in retirement research and practice; and recommendations and suggestions for prospective areas of research. Assembling expertly authored chapters from leaders in the field, this volume provides a comprehensive summary on the knowledge domain of retirement useful for students, academics, and retirement researchers.

Bernhard Weicht provides a multi-layered analysis of how we understand and construct care in everyday life, the meanings it has for ourselves, our families, our relationships, identities and our sense of society and what is right and proper, making an original contribution to the discussion of the nature of care ethics and its political potential.

The technological capacity to transform biology - repairing, reshaping and replacing body parts, chemicals and functions - is now part of our lives. Humanity is confronted with a variety of affordable and non-invasive 'enhancement technologies': anti-ageing medicine, aesthetic surgery, cognitive and sexual enhancers, lifestyle drugs, prosthetics and hormone supplements. This collection focuses on why people find these practices so seductive and provides ethnographic insights into people's motives and aspirations as they embrace or reject enhancement technologies, which are closely entangled with negotiations over gender, class, age, nationality and ethnicity.

This major reference is a substantially revised edition of Palmore's "International Handbook on Aging," which was voted Choice Outstanding Academic Book of 1980. The reference collects and summarizes information on programs and research in gerontology in most countries where significant work is taking place. The chapters are arranged alphabetically, with each chapter devoted to a particular country. The countries selected represent a wide range of social, political, geographic, and economic conditions, and ten new countries are included in this edition.

Each chapter provides current information on the unique features of the country profiled; the roles and status of the aged; problems of the elderly; programs for older adults; research in biomedical, psychological, and sociological aspects of aging; and sources of additional information. Each chapter closes with a list of works for further consultation, and the handbook concludes with an appendix of gerontological associations and a bibliography. Gerontologists, social scientists, and policymakers will find this reference a valuable and current guide to developments and research on aging around the world.

The core of the research reported in this study was a survey of men and women 55 years and older sampled from a comprehensive list of residents. The authors asked questions about social networks, control over household assets, household composition, life satisfaction, and subjective health, among other things. The social network questions had been used in an earlier study done in Kentucky. Nearly everything else had been developed for the Delhi study. The findings were similar to those in the earlier study: the size of people's networks does not decline materially until they are older (80 plus). Age itself did not seem that important, but health was crucial. Persons who reported they were healthy had larger networks.

As one might expect, joint family life has great impact on the nature of social life among older people. This has to do with the big difference in the situation of men and women in India. In addition to being patrilineal kin groups, joint families are dominated by male economic interests. The males as a collective group inherit property. Women have much less control of household assets. This ethnographic fact appeared very clearly in the answers to questions about participation in household decision making. High involvement in decisions, which the authors construed as a measure of power, spilled over into other aspects of the social aging process. Persons who were powerful in their households tended to have large networks, better subjective health, and much higher life satisfaction. They also tended to be men. The women tended to have small networks, low life satisfaction, lower subjective health, and less power. These differences between men and women were all substantial and highly significant. Gender is an extraordinarily important factor in the outcomes of social aging processes in India.