This book, now in paperback, revisits Peter Townsend's classic study of residential care for older people in Britain conducted in the late 1950s. It provides not only a fascinating account of residential care for older people over the last 50 years but is also an important contribution to the literature on research methods.

Gerontology is a multidisciplinary field, and this bibliography provides a multidisciplinary perspective on research on aging. The volume begins with an introductory chapter that desribes the range of interests to be found in gerontology, discusses the core concepts, and directs the reader to appropriate journals and handbooks. The bibliographic chapters that follow provide information on the most important works related to particular areas of gerontological research. Included are bibliographies on caregiving and health care, rituals related to death and dying, sleep disorders, Alzheimer's Disease, coronary disease, and the use of growth hormone in aging research. The chapters reflect social, anthropological, biological, ethical, and medical views. Each chapter begins with a brief essay on the latest trends in the field, and each entry includes a citation and a descriptive and evaluative annotation. Detailed indexes add to the usefulness of the volume.

One measure of public program response to rapidly expanding older populations is the approach to old-age pensions under social insurance, social assistance, and provident fund systems. Social insurance is clearly the preferred method of meeting the income needs of the elderly, but historical, as well as current social and economic conditions are forcing many nations to reevaluate the characteristics of viable and sustainable social insurance programs. This has led to a variety of innovations in old-age pension programs development, including revised benefit formulas, raised retirement ages, increased income testing, and expanded reliance on private occupational supplemental programs.

The essays in this new international handbook analyze the impact of the economic, social, and cultural effects of aging populations on government social insurance policies. They offer a perspective on how twenty different countries have approached income maintenance programs for the elderly. Collectively, the contributors demonstrate how governments, non-governmental entities, communities, and families respond to changes in traditional income and social service support systems. They provide not only descriptions of existing programs, but also a better understanding of the factors that gave rise to their distinct characteristics. This important new collection will be required reading for everyone involved in elderly services.

This book seeks to invert the negativity inherent to the well-articulated challenges of long-term care for older people by focusing on progression and improvement for policy and practice. Building on ample research in 13 European countries, evidence is provided for how the construction of long-term care systems can be taken forward by practitioners, policy-makers and stakeholder organizations. By focusing on prevention and rehabilitation, the support of informal care, the enhancement of quality development as well as by decent governance and financing mechanisms for long-term care, stakeholders may learn from European experiences and solutions on the local, regional and national levels.

Despite the rapid aging of the population and the tremendous growth in ethnic and racial diversity among the elderly in our society, empirical studies on long-term care needs and service use of minority elders have been lacking. Based on two national datasets, this is the first comprehensive analysis of long-term care needs, patterns, and determinants of in-home, community-based, and nursing home service utilization and informal support among African American and Hispanic elders, as compared to those of their non-Hispanic White counterparts. The authors also compare caregiver burden within the three groups and present recommendations for ethnic-sensitive long-term care policy and practice for minority elders.

This literature review was undertaken in order to determine what caregivers needed to know about elderly sexuality, to determine the needs of elderly people related to their sexuality, and to determine how caregivers could best assist them in meeting those needs. In selecting materials to be annotated for this book, the first priority was given to empirical studies. Also included were articles by prominent practitioners and researchers interested in elderly sexuality, literature reviews, and books written for the lay population which are often cited in the professional literature. In addition to seeking knowledge about elderly sexuality and understanding attitudes about sexuality, this literature review sought information about measurement issues and measurement instruments frequently used in research within elderly populations. Also of interest were investigations of educational and training programs involving caregivers.

The editors undertook this project to promote the International Conference on Death, Grief, and Bereavement in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA. Throughout its history, the conference has attracted internationally known speakers. This book illustrates the quality of their presentations. Section One, "Professional Applications in End of Life Care," begins with Currier, Hammer, and Neimeyer's examination of the importance of the social network, including both religion and family, not just the individual, in working with those at the end of their lives. The authors analyse the impact of social support and its health implications. In Chapter 2, Parkes looks at the influence of child development on adult life and bereavement. Rather than simply showing how insecure child development affects loss as adults, he examines how insecure attachments in childhood can lead to extreme attachments to God, homes, territories, political leaders, and symbols and discusses interventions for these extreme attachments. Papadatou (Chapter 3) develops a model for professionals and caregivers who work with the dying. She suggests that those who give care to the dying also have multiple needs and also face suffering, examines the private world of professionals and what is healthy and what is unavoidable, and describes both functional and dysfunctional coping patterns used by professionals. Kobler (Chapter 4) uses case studies to explain how to develop and maintain relationships with children and their families in paediatric palliative care. She offers strategies for using rituals and ways to initiate and maintain relationships with children and their families. Thompson (Chapter 5) focuses on the effects of working in situations involving high levels of emotion and the stress that may result. He makes a strong case that such stress can do harm to individuals, groups, and whole organisations and offers a model for a more holistic approach that incorporates social and organisational strategies and practical ways to prevent and manage stress. Eves-Baine and colleagues (Chapter 6) examine the application of paediatric and adult-based principles to the newborn period. They discuss how to create the best situations for families when life-sustaining medical therapy has been withdrawn, how to support the family, and the ethical challenges that perinatal palliative care presents. The authors offer models for care through the journey of palliative and bereavement care. Section Two, "Facing End of Life and Its Care," begins with Gilbert's chapter presenting a strong argument that caregivers need to honour the multiple tracks that come with dying while maintaining a focus on the wishes of the dying person. He offers ways for the team to better meet the needs of the dying person. Koppleman (Chapter 8) follows the journey of a friend who faced death. It is a powerful story, told from the point of view of the dying in a scholarly fashion. Smith and Potter (Chapter 9) suggest that palliative care for the dying can be defined as offering "comfort care," both for those who are dying and for their loved ones. The authors present a model of the psycho-spiritual side of palliative care as a way of offering comfort to all those involved. Adams (Chapter 10) examines different methods of working with patients and families. It looks at the ways in which such work can be complicated by factors of geographic distance, differences in family reactions, differences in treatment plan concepts, and in meaning making. All of these factors may become stumbling blocks and may prevent the delivery of positive support. Pizzini (Chapter 11) looks at the experience of dying in prison from the perspective of inmates who are terminally ill, prison medical staff, and prison security staff. She discusses how to maintain dignity of the dying and a "good death" while in prison. McCord (Chapter 12) discusses attempts by hospice patients and others diagnosed with terminal illnesses to die either by their own hand or with physician assistance. She presents common risk factors, strategies to assess the degree of risk and possible plans for suicide and suicide postvention in the context of hospice. Section Three, "Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care" begins with The End of Life: Two Perspectives in which Robert G. Stevenson looks at two perspectives on the end of life that are not often examined in terms of their impact on the individual and his/her attitude toward this time. The two perspectives are that of adolescents, and that are shown in a military ceremony used in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Feu de Joie or Fire of Joy. In Chapter Fourteen, Janet McCord discusses suicide attempts by hospice patients and others diagnosed with terminal illnesses to die either by their own hand or with physician assistance. Connor's description of the need for hospice and palliative care around the world and the challenges of developing palliative care globally, and offers models that can be used around the world. Cox and Cox (Chapter 15) suggest ways to offer end-of-life care to Roman Catholics who do not fit the traditional model of hospice care and examine special needs, theology, and rituals. Cox and Sullivan (Chapter 16) offer suggestions on end-of-life care for American Indians, explaining cultural differences among American Indians and suggesting ways to improve care to a group that is generally neglected in hospice care. Smith (Chapter 17) looks at the cultural differences and understandings of Fundamentalist Christian views of a "good death" and the afterlife, ways to negotiate faith understandings that complicate end-of-life care, and ways to comfort individuals who may be marginalised because they do not share the theological views of the dying individual or key family members.

This most timely, authoritative, and insightful book provides a new framework for understanding the circumstances currently surrounding America's elderly. It establishes the important foundation of three key forces which are changing the national perspective on the aging. They are: generational claims on the government to respond to social needs; diversity in aging populations; and increasing longevity. Torres-Gil provides a context, supported by informative background material, for recognizing the significant demographic changes being experienced in the United States. The work considers the policy issues, decisions, controversies, and choices now associated with aging and demonstrates how the perception of the elderly has changed from the 1960s and 1970s to today. It asks what is fair in the allocation of public and private resources to the elderly. How does the nation pay for services? How do we make and implement the political and economic decisions with which a government and a society are now faced?

Torres-Gil examines the ability of the government and the active labor force to support a large elderly population and urges a change in the current delivery of services and benefits. He addresses all the essential issues necessary to avoid inter-generational conflict--including comprehensive planning, the building of social consensus, and inter-generational coalitions.

"Wages for Caring" examines policies and programs of compensation for family caregivers of the disabled elderly from a broad analytical perspective, weighing current policies of home care services against principles of access, equity, quality, and funding of long-term care. Linsk, Keigher, Simon-Rusinowitz, and England challenge widely held assumptions that currently hold the family responsible for care, and accept the government's role in deterring or delaying institutionalization. The authors focus on programs and policies that already exist which could be adjusted to include families and to promote support of family caregiving. In assessing the potential of broad implementation of wages for caring, they contend that if implemented appropriately, family compensation may offer benefits not available through any other kind of service system.

First, the authors review incentives to family care and services to families providing home care, and include an overview of attendance allowance and caregiver compensation programs in other developed countries. Next, they present several original studies in an integrated format to allow for the analysis of pros and cons of several compensated family care programs. Third, they examine provisions of Medicaid programs at the state level, as well as provisions of the aging network and their potential to complement family care. The focus is largely on poor clients and families, for whom the burden of care has the most relevant costs in terms of potential government liability. Finally, the authors develop consumer centered criteria to evaluate policy and program provisions, with special attention to the special needs of low-income elderly and their families. Wages for Caring will prove particularly useful to public policymakers, social workers, gerontologists, and researchers.

One of the few studies of how the elderly help others through formal and informal volunteerism. While a large number of studies focus on the help older people receive from relatives and friends, this work examines the many ways in which older people are involved in giving care to others. Written by a sociologist and based on a stratified sample of hundreds of individuals, this study assesses a number of dimensions of care giving. While much of this labor goes unnoticed, it is central to the building and maintenance of family and community ties, and reveals ways in which social life is organized around aging, gender, and marriage. Patterns of formal volunteerism and informal care are studied in relation to age, sex, marital status, and other important variables that affect this essential but underplayed aspect of American community life.

Cogent, concise, and up-to-date, this comprehensive and multidisciplinary one-volume encyclopedia written by experts from many fields covers all the major aspects of home health care for the elderly in America today. Patients, health care providers, and concerned family members, as well as students, teachers, practitioners, and policymakers in the fields of medicine, nursing, health care, social work, psychology and psychiatry, therapy and rehabilitation, sociology, public policy, and public administration will find this information important to their work in caring for the elderly. The clearly written articles discuss common problems, home care measures, trends, key issues, groups, and agencies. The entries point to sources for further reading. An appendix linking related topics, descriptions of 37 key organizations with addresses, a lengthy bibliography, and a full index make this basic reference easily accessible for broad audiences of readers.

* offers a fresh approach, employing new and exciting custom methodologies in psychodrama * inspires and gives helpful tools to those who work with people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, loss, illness, self-effacement, abuse, or any issue that causes loneliness and depression * fhe focus is on old age and dementia; however, the tools and illustrations can be used by therapists, teachers, and personnel of all fields

Many older people, indeed the majority, have many years of relatively good health after the usual retirement age. Contrary to widely accepted stereotypes, evidence indicates that those who wish to use their skills and abilities for productive contributions may encounter significant barriers.

Bass, Caro, and Chen and the experts who contributed to the volume provide an original reassessment of the current options available to older people. The authors argue that polices, practices, and societal messages help determine what choices are realistically open to older individuals. The attitudes and policies of family, workplace, and government as well as those of educational and religious institutions all contribute to defining what opportunities really are available for older people. The authors show, too, that considerations of gender and ethnicity are powerful in their impact on what those in the later years of life may or may not do. Although leisure is attractive to many in their elder years, the authors stress that it is but one of the number of choices that should be available. Employment, volunteering, and other new productive roles should not be denied to those who want to continue them and who, in the process, enrich their own and society's well-being. The authors provide authoritative analysis and new perspectives on aging.

Productive Ageing is the involvement of older adults in society through employment, volunteering, caregiving, education and skill building. In 2020 there will be 248 million people in China aged 60 and over. At the same time, the birth rate continues to drop and family structures are being transformed. In the face of such pressing demographic challenges, the productive engagement of older adults is a clear-cut strategy to strengthen families and communities while simultaneously promoting the health of older adults. From a human capital perspective, an ageing population represents resources to address societal needs; and the active engagement of older adults can enhance and maintain the physical, mental and cognitive health of the older adults. The challenge is to develop policies that support productive engagement and implement evidence-based programs that create opportunities for older adults in active engagement in the community. Contributions of older adults will be necessary for social and economic development of families, communities, and society. Productive Engagement in Later Life covers the 2009 China conference on productive aging and discusses how to initiate and build productive aging agenda in China and around the globe. This book was originally published as a special issue of China Journal of Social Work.

The aging of society is a growing concern in all advanced nations, and at the forefront of concern is long-term care for frail older people. Enactment of a new public long-term care insurance program by the Japanese government in 1997 provided an excellent opportunity for a conference focusing on an ideal long-term care system for frail older people. The conference was organized around four major themes: Social aspects, including family dynamics and the role of formal providers; Clinical aspects, including effective treatments for physical and mental disabilities; Macroeconomic and macropolitical settings for public policy; Program design and management issues. With contributions from the fields of medicine, nursing, social work, gerontology, political science, economics, and sociology, this volume provides an overview of key problems and possible solutions in programs for frail older people from a unique international perspective.

Social work in geriatric services deals with the care of the elderly in many facets. This new book addresses many of the important topics in social work with the elderly, including the prevalence of chronic disease in the elderly, conducting research with older people, cognitive functioning and social integration, exercise for the elderly, suicide and depression in the elderly, smoking cessation for elderly clients, health screening, and more.

This book provides insights into the theoretical framework of 'tensions' related to care for children and the elderly. It analyzes if, and under what conditions, welfare state reforms have contributed to strengthening existing tensions, creating new tensions, or relaxing such tensions.

This volume presents important findings on conflict and abuse in families of the aged. A valuable resource for those in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and social work as well as psychotherapists who work with the aged, the staff of elder abuse programs, adult protective service workers, and legislators. the authors provide a fresh, historically balanced, empirical and theoretical framework for the view that elder abuse and neglect is an extreme manifestation of family conflict.

"Lisa P. Gwyther, Journal of Gernontology"

This volume presents important findings on conflict and abuse in families of the aged. A valuable resource for those in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and social work as well as psychotherapists who work with the aged, the staff of elder abuse programs, adult protective service workers, and legislators.

In virtually all the developed countries of the Western world, people are living longer and reproducing less. At the same time, costs for the care of the elderly and infirm continue to rise dramatically. Given these facts, it should come as no surprise that we are experi- encing an ever-increasing concern with questions relating to the proper care and treatment of the aged. What responsibilities do soci- eties have to their aging citizens? What duties, if any, do grown chil- dren owe their parents? What markers should we use to determine one's status as "elderly"? Does treatment of pain in aged patients present special medical and/or moral problems? How can the com- peting claims of autonomy and optimal medical care be reconciled for elderly persons who require assisted living? When, if ever, should severely demented patients be included in nontherapeutic clinical tri- als? These questions, and others of similar interest to those con- cerned with the proper treatment of the aged, are discussed in depth in the articles included in this text. The essays in this volume of Biomedical Ethics Reviews fall loosely into two broad categories. The first four articles-those con- tributed by Sheila M. Neysmith, Allyson Robichaud, Jennifer Jackson, and Susan McCarthy-raise general questions concerning the propri- ety of Western society'S current mechanisms for dealing with and treat- ing elderly citizens. The remaining four articles-those by Simon Woods and Max Elstein, Marshall B.

Leutz and his colleagues offer the most practice-oriented and realistic assessment of how chronically ill elders are being served at the community level. They analyze options and opportunities open to policy makers and practitioners relative to long-term care in the community environment where so many elders want to be. In the process, the authors evaluate the range of needs, the importance of gender and cultural differences, and the effectiveness of Medicare and Medicaid as entitlement strategies.

Community care constitutes a major gap in the nation's health-care system. The authors show that there are many persuasive reasons to build, staff, manage, and pay for high quality community-care systems. Such programs are demonstrated to be affordable and to meet better the needs of a large percentage of elders who require long-term care. The authors set forth goals for community-care systems and criteria for assessment. This timely analysis, coupled with practical, socially compelling recommendations, responds effectively to the realities of an aging population and the great public policy and related fiscal concerns.

Elderly issues currently inspire a great deal of research, discussion, and public policy debate. Cox's informative, comprehensive, and sensitive consideration of an especially vulnerable elderly segment--the frail--makes a genuine contribution to the understanding of frailty that must guide support systems and public policy. Issues addressed in this work include not only the consequences of frailty but also its prevention. The forms of support or assistance which some older individuals require as their limitations increase are detailed. Mental health concerns, health care, housing, and caregiving, are discussed, with particular attention given to the needs of ethnic elderly. Community programs, many of them highly creative and effective, are reviewed. Insights are gained from experiences in other countries. The pressing need for a better understanding of what actually constitutes frailty is emphasized. Such understanding is seen as a prerequisite for more effective community response and improved national policy. This is a balanced, informed, and practical analysis of a socially compelling and broadly experienced issue and human condition.

This edited volume examines the social networks of older people in nine countries from a range of perspectives in order to determine the potential of informal support structures to deliver the bulk of care in today's society. Researchers from the United States, Canada, England and Wales, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and Israel present up-to-date analyses of support networks in each of their countries. The social policy implications of the comparative data are critically reviewed. The findings clearly suggest that social network availability is diminishing for a significant minority of elderly people. However, current practice in most countries reveals little purposive interweaving of formal services and informal networks, in order to strengthen the function of the latter and to prolong their presumed benefits.

Aging: From Fundamental Biology to Societal Impact examines the interconnection of the cellular and molecular basis of aging and societal-based challenges and innovative interventions. Sections take a societal-based angle on aging, describing several flagship initiatives for healthy living and active aging in different regions, cover the biology of aging which includes the hallmarks of aging, explain the pathophysiology of aging, describing different comorbidities associated with aging and possible interventions to decrease the impact of aging, and envision future and innovative measures to tackle aging-related morbidities. Contributions from an interdisciplinary panel of experts cover such topics as the biology of aging to physical activity, nutrition, psychology, pharmacology, health care, social care and urban planning.

The contributors to this volume reference a shared, longitudinal corpus of spontaneous conversation elicited in natural settings from speakers with moderate to late moderate Alzheimer's Disease, utilizing other collections as appropriate, to analyze conversation, discourse and written text by and about Alzheimer's speech. Cross-disciplinary contributions from the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Germany, representing linguistics, gerontology, geriatric nursing, computer science, and communications disorders report on empirically-based investigations of social and pragmatic language competencies and strategies retained by AD patients which could ground communication enhancements or interventions.

Drawing on the author's first-hand experiences with families, this book provides crucial, accessible information and answers the difficult questions that often arise when a family member with an intellectual disability is diagnosed with dementia. Linking directly to policy and practice in both dementia and intellectual disability care, this book takes an outcome-focussed approach to support short, medium and long-term planning. With a particular emphasis on communication, the author seeks to ensure that families and organisations are able to converse effectively about a relative's health and care. The book looks at how to recognise when changes in the health of a relative with an intellectual disability could indicate the onset of dementia, as well as addressing common concerns surrounding living situations, medication and care plans. Each chapter is structured to identify strategies for support whilst working towards outcomes identified by families as dementia progresses.