If you have responsibility for providing activities for older adults and you aren't sure whether what you are providing is effective, or you have exhausted all your own activity ideas then this book is for you. This clear and easy-to-use resource provides the tools you require to develop and implement a range of activities that meet the needs of your group. Structured around the ten areas of activity need - cognitive, creative, cultural, educational/employment, emotional, physical, self-esteem, sensory, social and spiritual - this book is a resource of activity ideas with hints, tips and suggestions for successful planning and delivery, and guidance on recording and evaluating activity programmes. It explores some of the adaptations required to meet the needs of younger clients, those with dementia, and those with communication difficulties. It is an ideal resource for anyone working with elderly people wanting to improve on an existing activity programme, or wishing to commence one.

Applying interdisciplinary perspectives about everyday life to vital issues in the lives of older people, this book maps together the often taken-for-granted aspects of what it means to age in an ageist society. Part of the Ageing in a Global Context series, the two parts address the materialities and the embodiments of everyday life respectively. Topics covered include household possessions, public and private spaces, older drivers, media representations, dementia care, health-tracking, dress and sexuality. This focus on micro-sociological conditions allows us to rethink key questions which have shaped debates in the social aspects of ageing. International contributions, including from the UK, USA, Sweden and Canada, provide a critical guide to inform thinking and planning our ageing futures.

An in-depth analysis of the nursing home industry in America -- its past, present, and future. It focuses on the business aspects of the industry, and provides a detailed examination of the main issues concerning all nursing homes -- trends in health care expenditures; the legislative history of the industry; growing demand for care and how to measure it; the present structure of the industry; funding and financing concerns; government regulation; inter-industry competition and opportunities for growth; global comparisons; and public policy considerations.

Through firsthand accounts and research, Grief Education for Caregivers of the Elderly focuses on the education, training, and support of individuals who care for the elderly. This book provides caregivers with methods to cope with grief and loss and will help educators design programs that meet the needs of their consumers: the elderly and their families, friends, and service providers. From Grief Education for Caregivers of the Elderly, you'll learn how to cope with the stress and emotions of caregiving and improve the quality of services to your patients. With an emphasis on caregivers of the institutionalized elderly and the special services provided by clergy, chaplains, and pastoral counselors, Grief Education for Caregivers of the Elderly offers the caregiver or educator several model workshops focusing on grief, loss, and bereavement care. Grief Education for Caregivers of the Elderly contains proven methods and strategies that will sharpen and enhance your caregiving skills, including: focusing on the emotional responses and phases of dying, including denial, anger, and acceptance, to help patients deal with death considering physical and administrative atmosphere and your elderly population when setting goals and designing workshops to provide optimal patient/resident care discussing the themes of grief and loss, stress management, handling change, and promoting self-care for caregivers in workshops and through self-evaluations developing workshops that open with grief history surveys and attitude checklists, discuss normative development and issues of old age, and have themes based on the biological, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the elderly person providing caregivers with an opportunity to practice what they have learned through case studies, simulated role play, open discussions, and care plan designing thinking about your own mortality and learning about your feelings and ideas of growing old Utilized at a psychiatric nursing home facility of New Hampshire Hospital, the workshop exercises in Grief Education for Caregivers of the Elderly have allowed caregivers to express personal feelings; talk about beliefs and experiences; learn about biological, psychosocial, and spiritual processes of grief and phases of bereavement; and apply these understandings and insights into typical caregiving situations. Grief Education for the Caregivers of the Elderly gives you the framework for such a program, using vignettes, composite case material, poetry, and a holistic approach to health care to emphasize the importance of your emotional health and enhanced care of the elderly.

A dramatic shift in the average age of the U.S. population and the increasing number of elderly Americans has introduced new and challenging healthcare dilemmas. This book addresses these issues with contributed chapters by the leading authorities in the field of behavioral medicine. It deals with health and healthcare needs of the elderly by considering basic changes that result from aging and some of the more specific problems that accompany it.
Content highlights include a review of the basic tenets of genetics and molecular biology including some of the methods of looking at heritable differences in health and well-being. Quality of life concerns are addressed, including the differences between men and women, as well as other gender issues. Several chapters deal with the effects of aging on immunity. The latter part of the book emphasizes the psychosocial implications of aging on cardiovascular disease. Chronic illness among the elderly is also addressed.

'This timely report by HelpAge International sets out to establish some of the key social and political issues affecting older people's lives. It marks the first documentation of this information and I feel sure that it will be an important contribution to the growing debate' From the Foreword by Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General, World Health Organization The world's population is ageing. The majority of older people live in the developing world, where unprecedented growth in the number of older people has major implications for economies, health systems, housing, working patterns and family relationships. The Ageing and Development Report is the first extensive survey of the issues. Drawing on HelpAge International's long experience in over 60 countries, with contributions from world experts in the field, key themes such as community involvement, family life, health and well-being, poverty and exclusion, gender, migration and economic security are addressed. Case studies and statistics provide a comprehensive review of the condition of older people in the world's poorest countries. The Report argues for a fundamental shift in policy and opinion on ageing to reflect the real economic and social contributions of older people and enable them to retain their independence. It will be essential reading for development policy makers and practitioners in governmental and non-governmental agencies, demographers and gerontologists.

"Aging Public Policy: Bonding the Generations" is presented in three parts. Part One describes the policy process as a response to human needs through the laws of our country. Part Two explores the national policy development on behalf of older persons. Part Three describes the major public policies on behalf of the elderly that include Social Security, Medicare, The Older Americans Act, institutional care, employment and retirement policies. The final chapter discusses the advocacy process in the field of aging.

Television in the Nursing Home: A Case Study of the Media Consumption Routines and Strategies of Nursing Home Residents is a three-stage ethnographic study of media use by the elderly in long-term care facilities. This research concludes that watching television is the most prevalent and pervasive activity for patients. Activity directors can now learn how television and media can offer diversion, enhancement of personality, awareness, and sociability to their patients and offers suggestions on roommate coordination, selection of appropriate media, and communication resources. Containing the latest knowledge involving communication and gerontology, Television in the Nursing Home will help you offer programs that will meet the demands of an expanding elderly population.Developed as a perspective for examining patterns of social interaction, Television in the Nursing Home gives suggestions on how you can use the media to create new activities for patients, maximizing the television as a resource for the elderly. You will gain valuable insight on: proof to dispel the myth that television in long-term patient care causes withdrawal and depression a breakthrough in the treatment of media and aging, enhancing media-based activities and the use and purchase of electronic equipment for care facilities studies on how and why television is the most accessible medium of communication information for the development of new media designed specifically for use by the elderly creation of media-centered activities that recognize the potential for therapeutic use of communication technologies in the nursing homeThe research presented in Television in the Nursing Home establishes the fact that television consumption, once thought to be problematic, should be seen as desirable and necessary. This important book also proves how television is a resource that provides comfort, self-expression, and sociality. This first-ever study will convince you that television and media use in long-term care is beneficial and essential to the wellness of your patients.

This fourth edition of the text has been fully updated and includes a number of new features and topics and covers the changes to the structure of the NHS. The book brings together research, policy and practice relating to older people in today's society. It incorporates literature from other relevant sources including the social sciences and medicine. Anthea Tinker examines the impact of legislation introduced since 1992, notably within the NHS as well as implementation of the Community Care Act. The text also seeks to highlight issues of current concern, such as abuse of the elderly.

Health care providers and social workers at nursing homes may feel they have little time to design programs for the family members of their residents, yet you will learn in How to Get Families More Involved in the Nursing Home that the benefits of such programs are immense and the time investment will pay off. You learn of four family programs that can be put into use immediately or can be changed or expanded to fit the needs of an individual setting. In addition, you will witness how educational workshops, support groups, family councils, and holiday socials increase family involvement in the nursing home, which in turn improves the quality of care and life that long-term residents experience.In the daily bustle of trying to meet the needs of all residents, staff members do not generally have time to devote to family members who often feel awkward during their visits and do not realize their help would be welcomed. Nursing home coordinators and social workers can use the model support groups and workshops this book provides to open the lines of communication between staff and families and enable them to work together to assess and meet residents' needs. Implementation of these programs encourages families to take an active role in the operation of the nursing home and to participate in the decisions and events that affect the residents' lives. How to Get Families More Involved in the Nursing Home provides easy, step-by-step procedures for the installation of family programs without overtaxing social workers and directors already under pressure.In addition to the four model programs developed and presented by author Tammy LaBrake, a Public Health Social Work Consultant, this book examines research findings on the lack of family participation in nursing homes despite the offering of family programs. You learn how to overcome barriers to communication and collaboration between staff members and family members and capitalize on the amount of participation that does exist within a nursing home. You also learn how to convey to families that they are equally responsible for the well-being of their resident and that their input and assistance are necessary to correct problems that cannot be remedied by staff members alone. Finally, How to Get Families More Involved in the Nursing Home demonstrates that workshops, social gatherings, and councils do contribute to the formation of a community where family members and staffers find the mutual support necessary to provide excellent health care and soften the institutional atmosphere.

Health care providers and social workers at nursing homes may feel they have little time to design programs for the family members of their residents, yet you will learn in How to Get Families More Involved in the Nursing Home that the benefits of such programs are immense and the time investment will pay off. You learn of four family programs that can be put into use immediately or can be changed or expanded to fit the needs of an individual setting. In addition, you will witness how educational workshops, support groups, family councils, and holiday socials increase family involvement in the nursing home, which in turn improves the quality of care and life that long-term residents experience.In the daily bustle of trying to meet the needs of all residents, staff members do not generally have time to devote to family members who often feel awkward during their visits and do not realize their help would be welcomed. Nursing home coordinators and social workers can use the model support groups and workshops this book provides to open the lines of communication between staff and families and enable them to work together to assess and meet residents' needs. Implementation of these programs encourages families to take an active role in the operation of the nursing home and to participate in the decisions and events that affect the residents' lives. How to Get Families More Involved in the Nursing Home provides easy, step-by-step procedures for the installation of family programs without overtaxing social workers and directors already under pressure.In addition to the four model programs developed and presented by author Tammy LaBrake, a Public Health Social Work Consultant, this book examines research findings on the lack of family participation in nursing homes despite the offering of family programs. You learn how to overcome barriers to communication and collaboration between staff members and family members and capitalize on the amount of participation that does exist within a nursing home. You also learn how to convey to families that they are equally responsible for the well-being of their resident and that their input and assistance are necessary to correct problems that cannot be remedied by staff members alone. Finally, How to Get Families More Involved in the Nursing Home demonstrates that workshops, social gatherings, and councils do contribute to the formation of a community where family members and staffers find the mutual support necessary to provide excellent health care and soften the institutional atmosphere.

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Winner, 2020 Eileen Basker Memorial Prize, given by the Society for Medical Anthropology The troubling dynamic of the American home care industry where increased independence for the elderly conflicts with the well being of caregivers Paid home care is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States, and millions of Americans rely on these workers to help them remain at home as they grow older. However, the industry is rife with contradictions. The United States spends a fortune on medical care, yet devotes comparatively few resources on improving wages, thus placing home care providers in the ranks of the working poor. As a result, the work that enables some older Americans to live independently generates profound social inequalities. Inequalities of Aging explores the ways in which these inequalities play out on the ground as workers, who are disproportionately women of color and immigrants, earn poverty-level wages and often struggle to provide for themselves and their families. The ethnographic narrative reveals how two of the nation's most pressing concerns-rising social inequality and caring for an aging population-intersect to transform the lives of older adults, home care workers, and the world around them. The book takes readers inside the homes and offices of people connected to two Chicago area home care agencies serving low-income and affluent older adults, respectively. Through intimate portrayals of daily life, Elana D. Buch illustrates how diverse histories, care practices, and social policies overlap and contribute to social inequality. Illuminating the lived experience of both workers and their clients, Inequalities of Aging shows the different ways in which the idea of independence both connects and shapes the lives of the elderly and the working poor.

This is a book on how home is made when care enters the lives of people as they grow old at home or in 'homely' institutions. Throughout the book, contributors show how home is a verb: it is something people do. Home is thus always in the making, temporal, contested, and open to negotiation and experimentation. By bringing together approaches from STS, anthropology, health humanities and health care studies, the book points to the importance of people's tinkerings and experiments with making home, as it is here that home is being made and unmade.

This unique book clearly depicts a need for supervision in gerontological social work settings and provides a framework for approaching supervision. Grounded in two distinct bodies of literature, social work supervision and gerontological social work, this important book thoroughly examines present gerontological practice and principles and focuses on the stages and styles of helping, and teaching case workers to improve agency efficiency.Gerontological Social Work Supervision assumes some gerontological knowledge and experience with aging on the part of the supervisor, yet provides an abundance of informative and practical methods to aid agency success rates with their clients. The authors discuss the supervisory position as a positive asset in all aspects of case work and management. Throughout the chapters, the value of a supervisor is compounded, whether the supervisor is helping a worker in seeing a broader scope of the field of social work with the elderly, providing guidance through gray areas of ethics, or teaching practice skills for work with individuals, groups, or families, the need for an involved and prepared case worker supervisor becomes increasingly clear through the theories and scenarios presented. Extensive examples and helpful considerations make this an invaluable book for agency supervisors and workers. An entire chapter is devoted to providing supervision in the educational arena, promoting a greater awareness of gerontological social work in students preparing for the field. The appendices are packed with lists of additional works on supervision in social work, bibliographies of selected readings in case management, entitlement, long term care, and familycaregiving.

This is a guide which offers advice to individuals, organizations and agencies on how to develop day care programmes for patients with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. At the same time, the book offers guidance to those who intend to adapt an established day care programme for the needs of Alzheimer sufferers. A range of programme aspects are covered from administration, financing, fund raising, public relations, client issues, program activities, problems facing participants' families, programme evaluation and supplementary resources.

Stressing the importance of communicating effectively, understanding the needs of older persons, and developing trust at all levels of service, this is a valuable sourcebook that places special emphasis on maintaining the integrity, independence, and individuality of older persons. Contributors include specialists in the fields of medicine, therapy, communication, psychology, environmental planning, activities planning, law, ethics, human sexuality, and death and dying. Questions for discussion and select bibliographies enhance this important collection. In the decades ahead, many careers will be directly or indirectly linked to providing services for the elderly and/or their families. This versatile volume will prove essential for all those who serve our nation's older population - and those who are for the first time considering the fulfilling field of ageing.

This book, set within a social gerontology and transport behaviour studies paradigm, examines current debates and issues around transport for older people and its relationship to health and wellbeing for individuals and society as a whole. This timely title explores transport and travel needs and motivations of older people, barriers older people face using public and community transport, difficulties in accessing public spaces for walking and cycling. The safety of older drivers and recent advances in technology are also investigated. Concluding by looking to the future in addressing digital cities, driverless cars and other changes in ICT that may affect older people and their travel behaviour, a variety of global perspectives examine the social aspects of mobility and transport from a psychological, sociological, and geographical perspective. This title will be of interest to those working with older people in the health and wellbeing sector, those involved in transport and town and country planning and academics examining gerontology and associated social science subjects.

This book provides a critical engagement with the intensified struggles to be found within elderly care provision. Various social and political processes, including the forces of globalisation and the de-gendering of care, have changed how we might understand this national and global political concern. Emerging discourses such as neoliberalism have also reframed elderly care to increase existing tensions at the individual, national, and transnational level. Dahl argues that in order to grasp these new realities of care we need a new analytical framework that redirects us to new sites of contestation. Dahl approaches these issues from a post-structuralist and radical feminist position, while drawing from feminist sociology, feminist political science, nursing philosophy and feminist history. In particular, Struggles In (Elderly) Care highlights how the predominantly feminist theorization of care has been dominated by a sociological bias that could be improved using insights from political science concerning concepts of power and struggle, and the importance of the state and governance. This book will be of interest to researchers in sociology, gerontology, nursing, and feminist studies.

Demographic and epidemiological changes mean that frail older people have come to be seen as an expensive problem for health care systems. The challenge for professionals and policy-makers is to find ways to respond to the coming crisis by delivering high-quality care in the home. This collection offers a critical analysis of home care policy and practice. It focuses on how high-quality care is provided and the practices and policies that support this. It offers case studies (both policy- and practice-oriented empirical studies) from countries that share a basic orientation to social welfare: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The nine chapters set out a critical agenda for the development of "good" practices in challenging times. This book is essential reading for students, practitioners and researchers who wish to understand diverse problems in care provision for frail older persons and the complexities of policy responses in different health and social care contexts.

"This book is particularly relevant now as the baby-boomer generation is aging and a greater proportion of the world's population is growing older. Interpersonal communication is clearly the most critical process for promoting social integration and adaptation of older adults within society. Yet understanding of the complex dynamics of interpersonal communication with the elderly is severely limited and the aged are often stigmatized, stereotyped, and isolated. This book will help clarify the role of communication in effective social integration and adaptation of the aged by providing comprehensive and in-depth analyses of relevant research and theory. The book integrates information on the most important issues and contexts influencing interpersonal communication and aging and the individual chapters are written by an excellent group of authors who have demonstrated expertise on their topics. The book is well organized, clearly written, and comprehensive. The major topics are logically organized and compelling. I highly recommend this book!" --Gary L. Kreps, Northern Illinois University "Aging obviously occurs at many levels, with biological, psychological, and social systems showing multidirectional and interdependent changes. What is less obvious is how these factors affect communication in later life. This volume represents a strong contribution toward solving this problem by bringing together a group of prominent scholars with diverse perspectives on language, communication, and aging." --Elizabeth A. I. Stine, University of New Hampshire "The Hummert, Wiemann, and Nussbaum book brings together a strong theoretical base with the presentation of new data. The chapters go well beyond the typical literature reviews usually found in edited volumes. The contributors provide sophisticated presentations of a variety of socially significant and unique topics, including the communicative impact of physical and cognitive changes sometimes associated with aging, patronization, verbosity, frailty, conversational skills, proper names, and the presentation of self. Some of the chapters are strongly quantitative while others are more interpretive. After building a strong rationale for the volume, the editors go on to put together a series of well-written chapters that provide a much needed emphasis on the social construction of relationships through communication. The book should prompt much new research and advance our understanding of interpersonal communication and the aging process significantly." --Teresa Thompson, University of Dayton "The rich diversity of theoretical and methodological perspectives highlighted within the various chapters is an impressive feature of this edited collection. These essays add conceptual breadth and depth to our understanding of interpersonal communication and the process of aging." --Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin "This book is a valuable addition to the gerontological literature. Written from the perspective of the communication researcher, it brings together existing literature and offers new insights to gerontologists working in many social science disciplines. I recommend Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood as a resource to any scholars interested in older adults." --Victor G. Cicirelli, Professor of Developmental and Aging Psychology, Purdue University "This book is very timely. Communication is offering a new wave of aging research, and interpersonal processes in communication are where our experiences and our personal theories of aging are grounded. This book brings together many of the researchers who are breaking new ground in communication and aging. It offers a valuable overview of where we have gone in aging theory communicatively, and where we need to go. Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood demonstrates the rich diversity of methods and traditions of communication research that are beginning to illuminate gerontology." --Nikolas Coupland, University of Wales, Cardiff By highlighting the commonalities across a range of disciplines, Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood provides a unique and broad-based perspective on communication and aging. This integrative approach brings together the best of the current research and theory from communication, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, and medical sociology. The underlying framework of the book centers around three topics--cognition, language, and relationships--exploring the individual areas as well as the ways they intersect. In addition, this volume brings to light the implications of the elderly population's individual differences as they affect communication, and illustrates the positive as well as the negative effects of the aging process on language production, relational satisfaction, and other communication-related variables. This major reference source, Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood, is essential reading for anyone concerned with the issues of aging and communication.

The literature on depression in old age has tended to be dominated by the medical model with its focus on symptoms and treatment. This report breaks new ground by adopting a psycho-social approach one that explores depression in the context of the everyday lives of older people. Commissioned by Help the Aged, this report: reviews the nature and scope of the evidence base around depression and older people; evaluates current policy and practice responses; and identifies gaps in the evidence base and areas for further work. Finding that older people with depressive disorders are largely invisible within health and care services and that many fail to seek or receive effective treatment, the report also: recognizes the importance of daily hassles in undermining older peoples mental well-being; highlights the importance of mental health promotion; argues for the need for an holistic approach to older peoples services which balances physical with mental needs; and prioritizes the socia

Direct payments have been available to older people receiving community care services in the UK since February 2000. However, scepticism remains about older people's desire and ability to use direct payments and take-up so far has been low. Drawing on interviews with older people, local authority care managers and direct payments support service workers, this topical report looks at how older people use direct payments and how they make them work. It considers the role of direct payments support services and local authority care managers in making direct payments a real option for older people. The report is particularly valuable in reflecting the views and experiences of older people themselves. Key issues discussed include: the benefits of direct payments to older people; the experiences of a group of minority ethnic older people receiving direct payments; the perspectives of care managers; the role of direct payments support services; local authority funding of support services. This report is essential reading for managers, supervisors and social workers in local authority social services departments, those involved in the education of social workers and care managers, and dire

This volume and its companion, The new dynamics of ageing volume 1, provide comprehensive multi-disciplinary overviews of the very latest research on ageing. Together they report the outcomes of the most concerted investigation ever undertaken into both the influence shaping the changing nature of ageing and its consequences for individuals and society. This book concentrates on four major themes: autonomy and independence in later life, biology and ageing, food and nutrition and representation of old age. Each chapter provides a state of the art topic summary as well as reporting the essential research findings from New Dynamics of Ageing research projects. There is a strong emphasis on the practical implications of ageing and how evidence-based policies, practices and new products can produce individual and societal benefits.

Describes a wealth of diverse employment opportunities in gerontology and how to land them. How do you know if a career in gerontology is right for you? What opportunities exist in the field? Completely updated to reflect significant changes to policy and management of resources, the second edition of 101 Careers in Gerontology provides a wealth of helpful and timely guidance in this rapidly growing field. Written for all levels of job seekers ranging from community college students to credential-seeking professionals, the book outlines a multitude of opportunities that dovetail with careers ranging from Sociologist and Home Care Agency Administrator to Architect and Documentary Filmmaker. Interviews with practitioners provide insight into job particulars and the experience of starting out with a degree versus on-the-job-learning. The book describes five emerging gerontology-related fields, updates already existing job profiles including salary scales, and includes many new careers and their education requirements. New interviews are replete with advice and job search tips. The section "Thoughts and Advice from Leaders in the Field of Aging", adds additional grist to the mill. Surprising additions to the list of career profiles include Retirement System Wealth Manager, Custom Clothier, Health Coach, Social or Cultural Historian, Travel/Tourism Specialist, Senior Theater Director, and many others. This second edition encompasses career changes and opportunities resulting from the newly created Administration from Community Living (ACL), and those influenced by policy changes in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Affordable Health Act. Also new to the second edition are lists of gerontology professional organizations that can be helpful career search resources and links to professional organizations specific to each career profile. Changes to the Second Edition Include: Many new careers and their education requirements Updated job profiles including salary scales A description of three types of commonly required credentials and how to prepare for them Coverage of such emerging fields as Entrepreneurial Gerontology, Global Aging, Journalism and Aging, and Urban Gerontology Career changes resulting from policy changes in relevant government agencies Lists of professional organizations specific to each career profile 13 new interviews and 12 interviews updated from first edition Information about national, international, and local gerontology organizations including student and new professional member sections Updated and expanded glossary of acronyms