The first of its kind, this volume is a critical companion for service providers who work with African American, American Indian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican elders and their families in nursing homes and other settings addressing placement issues. These groups are likely to use nursing homes in larger numbers as cultural shifts, such as higher divorce rates and increased outside-of-home employment for females, transform traditional family dynamics. Contributors are experienced social workers, and most belong to the specific ethnic or racial group that is the focus of their chapter and have also provided nursing home services to this group. They provide a wealth of demographic, historical, cultural, and practice information crucial to understanding and providing services to older adults and their families.

Many nursing home residents experience physical and/or cognitive debilitation and increased dependence as older adults, and cultural and situational differences create variations in how these changes are experienced and addressed. In this volume, contributors touch upon all of these areas as well as ways in which prejudice and discrimination have shaped intergenerational and other relationships for members of specific ethnic and racial groups. Little has been written about the characteristics, needs, and experiences of racially and ethnically diverse nursing home residents and their families and requirements for culturally competent social work practice. Written by social workers for social workers and other service providers, this book fills a gap in a rapidly growing area of gerontological service and provides a truly comprehensiveexamination of cultural and practice phenomena.

The demographic and social structure of most industrialized and developing countries are changing rapidly as infant mortality is reduced and population life span has increased in dramatic ways. In particular, the oldest-old (85+) population has grown and will continue to grow. This segment of the population tends to suffer physical and cognitive decline, and little information is available to describe how their positive and negative distal experiences, habits, and intervening proximal environmental influences impact their well-being, and how social and health policies can help meet the unique challenges they face. Understanding Well-Being in the Oldest Old is the outcome of a four-day workshop attended by U.S. and Israeli scientists and funded by the U.S.-Israel Bi-National Science Foundation to examine both novel and traditional paradigms that could extend our knowledge and understanding of the well-being of the oldest old. This volume engages social scientists in sharing methods of understanding, and thereby possibly improving, the quality of life of older populations, especially among the oldest old.

What you do really does matter! This book is a must read for nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, and others in leadership positions in long-term care. It offers practical, commonsense, easy-to-implement approaches that will yield immediate positive results. It also serves as a wake-up call to leaders who doubt their impact and as an affirmation to leaders who struggle daily to do a good job. Let Meeting the Leadership Challenge in Long-Term Care open the door to new possibilities and set your organisation on a better course. Too often long-term care leaders feel overwhelmed by regulatory, financial, and corporate constraints and succumb to the myth that staff turnover is an inevitable cost of doing business. This book debunks this myth, revealing the powerful link between staff satisfaction and successful organisational performance that delivers high quality, high census, good surveys, and a healthy bottom line. Based on extensive on-the-ground experience with implementing and guiding hundreds of nursing homes through successful organisational transformations, the authors offer advice and wisdom that can make your organisation more successful, efficient and stable, whether it is currently struggling or thriving. Just a few of the take-home lessons from your this constructive guide include how to Get and keep the right staff, including how to identify ""triple crown winners"" Reduce staff stress and promote solid teamwork Build a positive chain of leadership that brings out the best in the staff Convert money now spent on turnover into resources to support stability Improve corporate support with an instructive ""Stop Doing List"" Use quality improvement and culture change practices to achieve high performance Increase staff, family, and resident satisfaction Make a meaningful impact as a leader Watch these benefits unfold right before your eyes in one of the most unique features of this book: a journal documenting administrator David Farrell's experience turning around a nursing home that was by all measures doing poorly. Through his difficulties, triumphs, tragedies, and everyday experiences, see how better outcomes are attainable by focusing on leadership practices that make a difference. Widely recognised as experts in the long-term care field, the authors of Meeting the Leadership Challenge in Long-Term Care combine their years of experience in nursing home leadership and management to create a resource that can transform how long-term care facilities are run. 2012 National Mature Media Award (Bronze Award Winner)

A comprehensive and practical guide to dementia, this book is essential reading for anyone who has a friend or relative with the condition. This updated edition reflects new guidance on approaches to supporting people with dementia, focussing especially on the UK, and includes quotes from people with dementia as well as from family carers. The book explores each stage of the journey people with dementia face and explains how it affects the person, as well as those around them both at home and in residential settings. It shows how best to offer support and where to get professional and informal assistance. Focussing on the progressive nature of dementia and the issues that can arise as a result, it gives practical advice that can help to ensure the best possible quality of life both for the person with dementia and the people around them.

Includes colour illustrations This practical reference draws together the combined expertise of a wide range of health professionals in managing this condition. Their work is soundly based on recent research into its pathology manifestations and treatment to develop appropriate management strategies. Part of the value in this book lies in its reference to patient perspectives and how they can contribute to the most effective care.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Ambient Assisted Living, IWAAL 2011, held in Torremolinos-Malaga, Spain, in June 2011 as a satellite event of IWANN 2011, the International Work-Conference on Artificial and Natural Neural Networks.. The 30 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. They are organized in topical sections on mobile proposals for AAL, applications for cognitive impairments, e-health, smart and wireless sensors, applied technologies, frameworks and platforms, and methodologies and brain interfaces."

A distinguished team of contributors from the fields of medicine, philosophy and law address some of the issues which arise over the provision of care for dependent elderly patients. Some of the chapters are concerned with the challenge of achieving good quality medical care, the chronic inadequacies of policy making in the UK context, and the prospects for improvement in the medium term. Other chapters look at some of the threats to dependent elderly patients posed by longer-term social and ideological trends which find expression in proposals for age-limits to health care, advocacy of living wills and euthanasia, arguments for withdrawing tube-feeding from certain categories of patient, and certain proposals for resource allocation. This interdisciplinary volume will have a wide appeal to those involved in care of the dependent elderly, to health policy analysts and health care economists, and to bioethicists.

No one wants to think about getting older. It's true. At any age, when things are moving along normally day to day and everyone seems fit and well, there seems no reason to think about future problems that your friends and relatives might (and probably will) come across as they age. In fact, it might even seem a little morbid to think such thoughts, or possibly even tempting fate? Yet there will come a time when you must raise these issues and, ideally, this should be before any problems arise. The Essential Family Guide to Caring for Older People is the ultimate source of information and help for families with care responsibilities. Deborah Stone draws on her extensive experience working in elder care to offer practical advice on every aspect of the field indepth. Topics range from how to get help immediately, legal information, care funding options, a guide to useful technology and advice on the main physical and mental health issues that affect older people. Plus guidance is given on dealing with social services and ensuring you choose the right care for your situations. Crucially, the book also offers help on how to cope as a carer with practical advice on juggling family, work and your caring responsibilities while looking after yourself.

Sensory Stories contain just a few lines of text, and are brought to life through a selection of meaningful sensory experiences. They have been found to be highly effective in helping care for people with dementia, and can enable them to engage with their memories, life history and more, in a way that would otherwise not be possible. Despite these benefits, there is very little guidance on how to incorporate this approach in everyday care. This book looks at how sensory engagement can help someone with dementia feel safe and secure, minimise their anxieties, support their cognitive abilities, as well as other benefits. Full of practical advice, this book provides everything you need to put Sensory Stories into practice. Written at a level suitable for both family members and practitioners, this innovative book will be invaluable for anyone supporting a person with dementia.

The ageing of the population is a demographic phenomenon, a social problem and a policy issue. The increase in the numbers of aged and in the costs of supporting and caring for them have also brought increases in family care, in deinstitutionalisation of aged care services and in issues of quality and outcomes of care and consumer rights. The growing recognition of the feminisation of ageing also has significant social and policy consequences. In this 1998 book, Diane Gibson synthesises a wide range of material to provide an overview of these issues and policy responses worldwide. The book then looks in-depth at Australia, a country typical in the problems it faces, and a world leader in many of its solutions. Gibson also offers a more conceptual examination of theoretical implications and practical consequences. She elucidates debates in ways which will set new standards for aged care policy and practice worldwide.

Dementia not only affects the person presented with the diagnosis, but their family and friends too. This book provides practitioners with strategies to support the whole family and understand their dementia journey both pre- and post-diagnosis. This is facilitated through a series of activities and reflective prompts. There is also a dedicated chapter offering structured exercises for health and social care practitioners and students. The book introduces the Lawrence family, where Peter has been diagnosed with dementia, and provides perspectives from each family member, allowing practitioners to become acquainted with the lived experience of everyone involved. The reflective questions allow readers to become actively engaged to maximise their knowledge and understanding, and to better contextualize what the dementia experience feels like for family and friends. With its focus on the all-important lived experience of the whole family during the diagnostic process and beyond, this is essential reading for any practitioner working with people with dementia.

This text highlights good practice in elderly care and identifies useful approaches, with examples of where these exist. There is consideration of issues involved in the new Community Care Act, especially the assessment of need and access to services. The overall empha sis is on the quality of health care, the relevant contributions of clinical audit, and other quality assurance initiatives.;It should be of interest to geriatricians and other staff involved in health care of the elderly.

Creating dementia-friendly communities can give people with dementia the chance to continue meaningful lives with reciprocal personal relationships. Underpinning successful dementia-friendly communities is an awareness of people with dementia as active citizens and the importance of supporting engagement in community life. This book offers an overview of the dementia-friendly communities movement, showing the many benefits of this approach. It describes community initiatives from across the globe, such as Dementia Friends, memory cafes, and creative engagement with the arts through organizations like TimeSlips. This compassionate book tells another story about dementia, away from negative stereotypes. This alternative approach claims people can retain a sense of dignity, hold onto hope, sustain meaningful relationships, and live with a sense of purpose with support from their communities.

Detailed knowledge and specific awareness of delirium is crucial in elderly care, due in part to the overlap with delirium and dementia. This introductory reference guide can be used by professionals and students to expand their understanding and skills in delirium care to better respond to the needs of people under their care. There are also detailed chapters on quality improvement and educational initiatives which will be of great help to the delirium workforce in delivering improved care. Setting out clear and accessible learning objectives, Rahman provides the essential information needed to improve care for those with delirium. Showing how to identify and correctly diagnose delirium, this book addresses different aspects of care including the management of delirium and the various interventions available, as well as ethics and safeguarding. It will also empower patients and carers to better understand delirium, and engage in the discourse of their care. As a widespread yet underrepresented issue, this book is a vital and much-needed resource.

The Gift of Generations is a comparative study of aging and the social contract in Japan and the United States. By using original, systematically comparable data collected in these countries, the book explores the different cultural definitions of vulnerability and giving, and the ways they shape and constrain the social strategies of routinizing helping arrangements. The book succeeds in interweaving the theory and practice of the social contract by developing the concept of symbolic equity.

Long-term memory endures and short-term memory becomes tenuous in old age. We are our memories. Linking an old person to their experience has been shown to reaffirm 'the self'. If this is done skillfully, sensitively and without intrusion, the benefits are twofold. First, and most important, the old person becomes less anxious, cut off and confused and , in linking to the past, is more able to participate in the present. Second, it may only be possible for those who care for confused old people to understand their worries and pre-occupations if their past lives are known and respected. These experienced authors in reminiscence work provide a detailed, practical guide that is filled with anecdotes and information. The contents cover; the definition of old age; reminiscence work using oral history and group work; communication; reminiscence work projects; building resource banks and cultural information. Reminiscence work is practised by many social and health care disciplines, for example, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, residential care workers and volunteers. This book should be of interest to nurses working with older people; occupational therapists; social workers; and clinical psychologists.

Mary Ellen Geist decided to leave her job as a CBS Radio anchor to return home to Michigan when her father's Alzheimer's got to be too much for her mother to shoulder alone. She chose to live her life by a different set of priorities: to be guided by her heart, not by outside accomplishment and recognition.
The New York Times wrote a front page story about Mary Ellen on Thanksgiving 2005. It was one of the most e-mailed stories for the month. Mary Ellen also kept a blog of her experiences, which received an enormous response from readers on WCBS880.com. Through her own story and through interviews with doctors and other women who've followed the "Daughter Track"--leaving a job to care for an aging parent--Geist offers eye-opening advice. She shares emotional insights on how to encourage interaction with the loved one you're caring for; how to determine daily tasks that are achievable and rewarding; how the personality of the patient affects the caregiving and the progression of the disease; as well as invaluable advice about how the reader can take care of themselves while accomplishing the Herculean task of constant caregiving to others.
Geist's years in journalism allow her to report on Boomers' caretaking dilemmas with professional objectivity, and her warm voice brings compassion and insight to one of the most difficult stituations a son or daughter may face during his or her life.

An exploration of the emotional toll a transition into assisted living can have, as well as an offering of practical knowledge and advice on how to make wise choices during this difficult time While acknowledging the intense experience of grief and bereavement that surrounds the relinquishment of independent living, this book explores how to ensure that those going into care retain their identity and are not reduced to peripheral status as "patient" or "resident." This book is written both for those preparing to enter residential care and for those--professionals, volunteers, pastors, family members, and friends--who can offer support to ease the struggle of transition. Covering practical details from how to choose a home to what to pack when moving, it will help facilitate a smooth transition at an emotional time of upheaval.

"Longer lifespans and the needs of the oldest old are challenging the senior living industry to find bold and compassionate solutions to combine programs and services with housing. Victor Regnier's latest research provides a thoughtful and insightful roadmap that arrays new ways of thinking from small-scale settings to community based options. International case studies offer possible solutions with the best thinking from around the globe...all with Vic's unique perspective of extracting themes and concepts that are broadly applicable and essential to addressing the needs of those that live on life's fragile edge." --David Hoglund, FAIA "Supporting the independence of the oldest-old is a tough problem Victor Regnier addresses in his latest book on aging and housing. Like previous work, Victor relies on the best practices of northern Europeans to outline a three-prong approach. First, providing extremely comprehensive home care services in an "apartment for life" setting. Second, reforming the conventional nursing home by exploring small group style accommodations. Third, combining new technology with community based services to age in place. Case studies document the experiences of others in making these programs work here and abroad. The magnitude of the 90+ and 100+ population increases in the next 50 years make it clear how important it is to address this concern today." --Edward Steinfeld Darch "The movement of health care from the institution to the home is a theme that Regnier identifies as one of the most important lessons in rethinking the issue of how to support the ever growing and increasingly aged older population here and abroad. He examines simple but profound approaches we can take in making long-term care a more humane proposition. Familiar themes like humanizing technology and optimizing the impact of the natural environment are brought together with clear policy thinking about what we need to do. The timing is good because the impact of this growing segment of society will have major repercussions on health care for the next 50-70 years." --Stephan Verderber, Ph.D. A comprehensive guide to designing housing for the world's aging population The dilemma of helping older people maintain their independence through better housing with services is growing. This book presents innovative solutions for those who create and provide housing for the world's increasingly longer-living population. By focusing on three specific housing and service arrangements, it offers alternatives that provide greater freedom of choice than the current living arrangements that exist today. It presents selected examples of housing and service solutions from the US, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands to stimulate thinking about the possibilities of community-based service models. Housing Design for an Increasingly Older Population looks at a trio of options for housing the "oldest-old: " the Dutch Apartment/Condo for Life Model (AFL); decentralized Small/Green Houses; and the provision of enhanced personal and health care for people who want to stay in their own home. It offers unique and eye-opening chapters covering: what older people want; what age changes affect independence; demographics and living arrangements; how long-term care is defined; concepts and objectives for housing the frail; care giving and management practices that avoid an institutional lifestyle; innovative case studies; programs that encourage staying at home with service assistance; therapeutic use of outdoor spaces; how technology will help people stay independent; and more. Based on the author's numerous conversations with other experts, as well as his examinations of high quality settings from Northern Europe and the US Building case study examples showcase innovative and compassionate solutions In-depth coverage of three major systems that work Examines successful programs such as PACE, Friendly Cities, NORC, and the "Village to Village Network" to demonstrate the progress made in helping older, frail people stay in their own homes for as long as possible Housing Design for an Increasingly Older Population: Redefining Assisted Living for the Mentally and Physically Frail is an important book for those who create, design, and manage assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as for those who set policies regarding health, and personal care for our world's aging society.

This book examines a central element of social welfare, old age security, exploring the history of policies in both developed and underdeveloped countries to assess their structure, ideology and effectiveness. The authors test five theoretical perspectives on old-age security policy in four industrial nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany) and three developing countries (India, Nigeria, Brazil), challenging the view that old age policy is the outcome of class conflict between capital and labour. Instead, the authors adopt a neo-pluralist perspective which emphasizes the influence of ethnic religious and regional groups, as well as "the grey lobby", over that of class-based groups. The authors attempt to test ideas derived in part from these historical case studies by analysing quantitative data from a broader sample of countries (18 industrial nationa and 32 developing nations), and they use these results to anticipate future policy developments in the U.S.

This thoughtful and compassionate account addresses some of the difficult ethical and medical issues raised in the provision of health care for the dependent elderly patient. Care of the dependent elderly is subject to conflicting priorities arising from the demands of patients, their relatives, the fair allocation of medical and financial resources, and the medical ethos to prolong life. A distinguished team of contributors, selected from the fields of medicine, philosophy, ethics, and law, discuss and critically evaluate these issues. This volume will provide a focus for further debate and interest in this important subject.

Japan is aging rapidly, and its government has been groping with the implications of this profound social change. In a pioneering study of postwar Japanese social policy, John Creighton Campbell traces the growth from small beginnings to an elaborate and expensive set of pension, health care, employment, and social service programs for older people. He argues that an understanding of policy change requires a careful disentangling of social problems and how they come to be perceived, the invention (or borrowing) of policy solutions, and conflicts and coalitions among bureaucrats, politicians, interest groups, and the general public. The key to policy change has often been the strategies adopted by policy entrepreneurs to generate or channel political energy. To make sense of all these complex processes, the author employs a new theory of four "modes" of decision-making--cognitive, political, artifactual, and inertial. Campbell refutes the claim that there is a unique "Japanese-style welfare state." Despite the big differences in cultural values, social arrangements, economic priorities, and political control, government responsibility for the "aging-society problem" is broadly similar to that in advanced Western nations. However, Campbell's account of how Japan has taken on that responsibility raises new issues for our understanding of both Japanese politics and theories of the welfare state.

Originally published in 1992.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This book introduces a process-based, patient-centered approach to palliative care that substantiates an indication-oriented treatment and radical reconsideration of our transition to death. Drawing on decades of work with terminally ill cancer patients and a trove of research on near-death experiences, Monika Renz encourages practitioners to not only safeguard patients' dignity as they die but also take stock of their verbal, nonverbal, and metaphorical cues as they progress, helping to personalize treatment and realize a more peaceful death. Renz divides dying into three parts: pre-transition, transition, and post-transition. As we die, all egoism and ego-centered perception fall away, bringing us to another state of consciousness, a different register of sensitivity, and an alternative dimension of spiritual connectedness. As patients pass through these stages, they offer nonverbal signals that indicate their gradual withdrawal from everyday consciousness. This transformation explains why emotional and spiritual issues become enhanced during the dying process. Relatives and practitioners are often deeply impressed and feel a sense of awe. Fear and struggle shift to trust and peace; denial melts into acceptance. At first, family problems and the need for reconciliation are urgent, but gradually these concerns fade. By delineating these processes, Renz helps practitioners grow more cognizant of the changing emotions and symptoms of the patients under their care, enabling them to respond with the utmost respect for their patients' dignity.