This tale will ring true with all good people who have proud and fiercely independent elderly parents. It tells of the decisions the author had to make arising from the gradual change in his mother during the latter years of her life. It's about love, duty, guilt and remorse. At times funny, at times heart-warming, at times sad, it dares to relate the increasingly common but dreaded question faced by many - to care or not to care.

Working Daughter is a revelatory look at who's caring for our aging population and how these unpaid family caregivers are trying to manage caring for their parents, raising their children, maintaining relationships, and pursuing their careers. It follows the author, who was enjoying a fast-paced career in marketing and raising two children when both of her parents were diagnosed with terminal illnesses on the same day. In the challenges she faced and the choices she made, readers will learn how they can navigate their own caregiving experiences and prepare for when they are inevitably called on to care for their parents.

Explores the mother-daughter relationship in the context of caregiving Across the Unites States, about 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older in the last 12 months. Much of this caregiving is performed by women and often for their mothers or mothers-in-law, relationships that may be warm, fraught, or complicated. Even in the best of circumstances, caregivers can feel burned out, strained, and exhausted, but add to the mix the complicated emotions that come from caring for a loved one and you may have a perfect storm. Here, Jeanne Lord provides valuable emotional support and information for daughter caregivers to mother care-receivers during a stressful and uncertain time. It is unique in that it offers not only personal insights from caregiving daughters, but the perspectives of their mothers, as well. Lord followed the women on their journeys over the course of ten years, so the follow-up interviews give readers an opportunity to fast forward into the future lives of the caregiving daughters to read about their perspectives, and gain insights into new attitudes and ideas for life after caregiving. Through compelling stories and in-depth interviews, the very complex relationships between mothers and daughters in a caregiving situation are explored and revealed in an objective light. Offering comfort and understanding to the reader, the book also offers suggestions, ideas, resources, and support for navigating the care of their loved one.

Validation is a successful way of communicating with older adults with Alzheimer's-type dementia and responding to their challenging behaviors. The Validation method helps reduce stress, enhance dignity, and increase happiness for both the elder and the caregiver. Since its inception in 1989, Validation has helped thousands of professional and family caregivers improve their relationships with residents and loved ones with dementia by acknowledging older adults' expressed feelings rather than focusing on disorientation and confusion. Professionals will learn how to: Build relationships with residents based on empathy and compassion Understand and deal with challenging behaviors Interpret nonverbal cues to promote better communication Implement Validation in your own care setting through the experiences shared by Authorized Validation Organizations around the world The Validation method is easy to learn, and positive results can be seen in both residents and caregivers. Residents express less anger and anxiety, decreasing the need for chemical and physical restraints. Residents communicate more freely and more often. Residents often move better and experience an improved sense of self-worth. Staff members express a greater sense of fulfillment at work and feel better prepared for handling difficult situations. Families visit more often. The Validation Breakthrough is an essential resource for professionals in all settings serving adults who may be confused and disoriented, including assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, hospice, home health care, adult day services, and family care settings. NEW to this edition: Updated language and explanations for the Phases of Resolution Revised case studies reflecting contemporary settings and issues Restructured content for clarity and ease of use

The authors have raised an important construct for all of us who work in the public sector regarding what underlies and directs the rapid advancement of technology solutions in developing and developed economies. . . DeMello and Furseth deserve credit for raising our awareness to the true driver behind the successful integration and acceptance of technology in this increasingly innovation-driven world: culture.' - from the Foreword, David A. Lindeman, Director CITRIS Health, University of California, Berkeley, Director, Center for Technology and Aging, US There is a growing trend toward innovation in public services, and the integration of public and private entities in their delivery. This book aims to improve the ability to innovate successfully in large-scale public/private endeavors. The authors develop an underpinning theory of innovation, and extend it to address key issues in public/private collaboration. As an example, they explore the subject of independent living for seniors and persons with disabilities across four countries - the US, UK, Norway and Japan. The resulting model provides a vehicle for all major stakeholders to better understand the dynamics of innovation, which will in turn offer the opportunity to improve performance and successful adoption. This book will provide useful insight for students of innovation, public service planning and delivery, and health and social services. In addition, the original opinion research on residents of the four countries will prove interesting for students of sociology and medical anthropology.

In this book, an award-winning journalist tells the story of people devising innovative ways to live as they approach retirement, options that ensure they are surrounded by a circle of friends, family, and neighbors. Based on visits and interviews at many communities around the country, Beth Baker weaves a rich tapestry of grassroots alternatives, some of them surprisingly affordable

-- an affordable mobile home cooperative in small-town Oregon

-- a senior artists colony in Los Angeles

-- neighbors helping neighbors in "Villages" or "naturally occurring retirement communities"

-- intentional cohousing communities

-- best friends moving in together

-- multigenerational families that balance togetherness and privacy

-- niche communities including such diverse groups as retired postal workers, gays and lesbians, and Zen Buddhists.

Drawing on new research showing the importance of social support to healthy aging and the risks associated with loneliness and isolation, the author encourages the reader to plan for a future with strong connections. Baker explores whether individuals in declining health can really stay rooted in their communities through the end of life and concludes by examining the challenge of expanding the home-care workforce and the potential of new technologies like webcams and assistive robots.

This book is the recipient of the annual Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Prize for the best project in the area of medicine.

A prominent geriatric psychiatrist details the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of places where those with dementia are treated-from emergency rooms and psychiatric hospitals to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The Harsh Realities of Alzheimer's Care: An Insider's View of How People with Dementia Are Treated in Institutions is the first book of its kind. Written by an eminent geriatric psychiatrist who has worked with dementia patients in more than 70 facilities, the book distills all he has learned about dementia care, for better and, more often, for worse. Both a shocking expose and a practical guide, the book takes readers into nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. It reveals the inadequacies and dangers of these institutions, detailing issues that result in poor care including federal standards for minimum staff training that are, in some cases, lower than those established for dog groomers. The author cites improvements that must be made in emergency rooms and inpatient psychiatric facilities treating victims of dementia, and he documents the downside of memory clinics. But there are steps caregivers can take to protect their loved ones-and themselves. Each chapter concludes with "reality lessons" that offer practical, affordable strategies for coping with dementia's many challenges. Vignettes and experiences from author's practice illustrate strategies that will improve quality of life for caregivers and their loved ones

Around half the world's population live in countries where the fertility rate is far below the replacement rate and where life expectancy is increasing dramatically. Using Singapore as a case study, Social Policy in an Ageing Society explores what might happen in a dynamic and prosperous society when falling births, longer life expectancy and rising expectations put disproportionate pressure on scarce resources that have alternative uses. David Reisman investigates the challenges facing Singapore, where a rapidly rising median age and the growing pressure of the elderly upon medical attention are threatening to disrupt the economic and even the political status quo. The dependency of the old upon the young is becoming a financial and an emotional burden. Health care is swelling in quantity and price. Voluntary and compulsory savings are being used up. New demands for pensions and subsidies are challenging the national ideology of family network and self-reliance. Despite a wealth of prospective problems, the author argues that viable solutions can be found. Discretionary savings can increase. Reverse mortgages can monetise owner-occupied property. A higher participation rate can give the elderly the opportunity to earn a living for themselves. This book concludes that public policy must play its part in facilitating these solutions. It must ensure that the old retain their dignity. The old should not lie where they fall. This comprehensive, intelligible and highly original cross-disciplinary study will appeal to a wide-ranging audience. Readers will include academics, researchers and students with an interest in health economics, the economics of development, social policy and administration, public policy and the socio-economic aspects of medicine.

This annotated bibliography surveys the significant research from the last 20 years about the legal, medical, psychological, social, and economic aspects of the employment of the elderly. Rife identifies sources dealing with the demography of our aging work force, the characteristics and problems of older workers in different populations, training and placement programs, job searches, age discrimination, and future issues. Researchers, policymakers, students, teachers, and readers in public, business, and institutional libraries will find this unique and current guide to databases, periodicals, government documents, and a broad array of other source materials invaluable. This easy to use interdisciplinary guide offers an introductory overview, topically organized chapters, and full author and subject indexes.

Social Welfare, Aging and Social Theory explores how we can understand the changing relationship between social welfare and human aging. The book begins by reviewing how historical changes in society impacted on shaping emergence of scientific approaches to understand and problematize and bio-medicalize aging as akin to an illness and disease. The discussion moves to trace how particular social science theories were developed to reinforce negative perceptions of aging. The book also develops its own reflexive approach with in-depth examples of social welfare in national, international and global contexts in how aging is theorized in the postmodern world were alternative possibilities can be encountered.

Both the content and format of this new essential book show the authors' unique understanding of what caregivers need most and have the hardest time finding: direct, practical, problem-solving answers that teach them to cope and help them regain control. The easy-to-read, relaxing informality of questions and answers - a one-of-a-kind format in eldercare books - simultaneously solves readers' problems and provides them with an often gently humorous, occasionally provocative, and frequently poignant look into the emotions and lives of their fellow caregivers. Complete with helpful interactive worksheets and resource lists, this book's helpful mixture of humour, comforting support, and concrete advice offers invaluable support and practical advice.

This book features nearly three hundred articles providing practical information on how to care for elders. Written by more than three hundred experts, this accessible state-of-the-art resource addresses home care, including family-based care; nursing-home care; rehabilitation; case management; social services; assisted living; palliative care; and more. Each article concludes with references to pertinent Web sites.

People older than eighty-five, sometimes called "the oldest old, " are now the fastest growing age group in the United States. As such they merit the attention of healthcare professionals, social workers, specialists in social gerontology, and everyone with a family member in this expanding segment of society. In this informative book, Drs. Johnson and Barer present original research showing how those eighty-five and older are adapting to the daily challenges of advanced age. They also examine what competencies people in this group need to survive and continue living within the larger community. The authors address the topics of health and physical status, family and social relationships, and quality of life, as well as the implications of this increase in life expectancy for families and society. An especially interesting feature of the book are vignettes that illustrate how the oldest old perceive and interpret their world, and thereby convey the "aura of survivorship." This book will be of interest to students, researchers, and policy makers in the fields of aging and wellness.

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.

This is a wide-ranging sourcebook filling a gap in the literature about employment policies and programs for older persons. The contributors represent the perspectives of the individual, the employer, and society-at-large. Their essays consider labor force characteristics; historical trends; key features of social security, pensions, and other retirement matters; age discrimination; economic, social, and political aspects related to employment and the elderly. A lengthy bibliography enhances the use of this major new reference tool for students, scholars, and practitioners in gerontology, social work, and business.

A resource guide by and about elders and the process of aging, this volume provides a list of over 1,500 references, all annotated, covering a wide range of subject areas. It is organized under such topics as "Customs and Beliefs," "Narratives," "Traditional Arts," "Health and Healing," and "Applied Folklore," and is further divided into regional and topical subheadings. It also features works on methods and concepts in field research in folklore, oral history, and community studies, a chapter on general works from other fields of interest, as well as a chapter on films. The introduction offers not only a description of the nature and role of elders as creators and carriers of culture, but also a challenge to readers--reflected in the broad range of materials cited--defying both narrow conceptions of aging and the aged, and limited notions about the full scope of expressive culture addressed by folklore studies.

Experts in gerontology, clinical psychology, and geriatric medicine provide an analytical survey and abstracts of the significant literature and research dealing with alcoholism and aging over the last 30 years. This research guide offers a general survey with sections dealing separately with the prevalence, precipitants, effects, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcoholism in the older generation. The book also offers directions for future research. The narrative ends with a listing of references that have been assessed. The annotated bibliography gives abstracts for 301 sources that are arranged by types of works: bibliographies, overview articles, books and book chapters, empirical studies, and miscellaneous works. Cross-references and author and subject indexes make this guide readily accessible to students and teachers in the field of sociology, gerontology, psychology, medicine, and public health.

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.

Tragically, some older people are abused in the very places where they should hope to find 'care'. This work contains perhaps the best analysis of the state of knowledge of this abuse at the time of writing, ten years ago. The problems they describe still exist, and the analysis remains relevant.

Noted scholars of environment-aging relations and environmental psychology examine the value of selected classic, contemporary, and in one instance, completely new theories for enhancing both research and service provision on housing for elderly populations. The contributors examine the housing needs of older populations and provide theory-driven innovative solutions for improving the fit between older persons and their residential environments. Some issues covered are the need for greater understanding of the psychological needs of older individuals seeking environmental support; for a holistic understanding of elder-environment relations in physical, social, and phenomenological contexts; for inclusion of ignored perspectives; and for recognition of the continuing value of major founding theories. This book will be of interest to students, scholars, and professionals in psychology, gerontology, environmental policy, housing, and social services.