In 2011, seven thousand American "baby boomers" (those born between 1946 and 1964) turned sixty-five daily. As this largest U.S. generation ages, cities, municipalities, and governments at every level must grapple with the allocation of resources and funding for maintaining the quality of life, health, and standard of living for an aging population.
In "The New Neighborhood Senior Center," Joyce Weil uses in-depth ethnographic methods to examine a working-class senior center in Queens, New York. She explores the ways in which social structure directly affects the lives of older Americans and traces the role of political, social, and economic institutions and neighborhood processes in the decision to close such centers throughout the city of New York.
Many policy makers and gerontologists advocate a concept of "aging in place," whereby the communities in which these older residents live provide access to resources that foster and maintain their independence. But all "aging in place" is not equal and the success of such efforts depends heavily upon the social class and availability of resources in any given community. Senior centers, expanded in part by funding from federal programs in the 1970s, were designed as focal points in the provision of community-based services. However, for the first wave of "boomers," the role of these centers has come to be questioned.
Declining government support has led to the closings of many centers, even as the remaining centers are beginning to "rebrand" to attract the boomer generation. However, "The New Neighborhood Senior Center"demonstrates the need to balance what the boomers' want from centers with the needs of frailer or more vulnerable elders who rely on the services of senior centers on a daily basis. Weil challenges readers to consider what changes in social policies are needed to support or supplement senior centers and the functions they serve.

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

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

-- a senior artists colony in Los Angeles

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

-- intentional cohousing communities

-- best friends moving in together

-- multigenerational families that balance togetherness and privacy

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

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

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

How do you ensure the best possible care for the elders in your life? This is the question Carol Chiarito asked when she began the process of finding an assisted living community for her mother, Doris. But everywhere she looked, she was confronted with meaningless jargon and a deluge of information that was often difficult to understand. When Carol couldn't find a clear, practical guide to consumer-centered eldercare, she wrote her own. It's As Simple As Where You Live: A Guide for Beginning the Journey Through Eldercare offers invaluable tips, guidelines, and strategies for people navigating this important life change. Whether you are caring for both parents, just Mom or Dad, or a beloved grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend; whether you have siblings to share the responsibility or are the sole caretaker; whether you live in New York City or San Francisco, Toronto or San Antonio; whether your elder is a thousand miles away, down the street, or in your own home-there are elements of the journey we all share. This book will introduce you to a community of people who are on the same path, and who have found the answers they were seeking. Aging is inevitable. But aging with grace and dignity, in a warm and loving community, is a choice. At the end of the day, it's as simple as where you live.

Even in the later stages of the disease, when memory, words and relationships are affected, it is possible for people with dementia to express emotions, imagination, humour, sensitivities and personal preferences. This book demonstrates the many ways in which puppetry and associated art forms such as singing and story-telling can be used in a person-centred way to create opportunities for these human responses to emerge. The author describes different scenarios in which puppetry can help facilitate connections, including in response to changes in relationships, communicating when words fail and in times of distress or conflict. She explains how puppets can be used to stimulate memories, celebrate life achievements and promote self-esteem and confidence, as well as with those nearing the end of life as part of palliative care. Strategies for introducing puppetry and other forms of creative stimulation into daily care are suggested, and real examples are used to illustrate how creativity may benefit the person with dementia beyond the immediate session. Step-by-step instructions for making a variety of puppets are also included. This thought-provoking book will be a source of inspiration and practical ideas for care staff and activity coordinators, creative arts therapists, occupational therapists, puppeteers and other artists working in care settings, as well as relatives of people with dementia looking for new ways to connect with their loved ones.

For millions of Americans, the heartbreak of watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer's disease is a pain they know all too well. Alzheimer's disease burdens an increasing number of our Nation's elders and their families, and it is essential that we confront the challenge it poses to our public health. In 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA), requiring the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the National Alzheimer's Project to create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's disease; co-ordinate Alzheimer's disease research and services across all federal agencies; accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's disease; improve early diagnosis and co-ordination of care and treatment of Alzheimer's disease; improve outcomes for ethnic and racial minority populations that are at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease; co-ordinate with international bodies to fight Alzheimer's globally. This book addresses each of these points and provides further insight on the national plan to address this disease.

Alzheimer's disease is an illness of the brain. It causes large numbers of nerve cells in the brain to die. This affects a person's ability to remember things and think clearly. People with AD become forgetful and easily confused. They may have a hard time concentrating and behave in odd ways. These problems get worse as the illness gets worse, making it more difficult for caregivers. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease is a challenge that calls upon the patience, creativity, knowledge, and skills of each caregiver. This book is for those who provide in-home care for people with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. The goal is to improve home safety by identifying potential problems in the home and offering possible solutions to help prevent accidents.

How do you choose a care home for a relative or friend? The care home may look perfect in the brochure, but is that a true reflection of what it's like to live there? Can the manager's claims be trusted? Written by an insider who's worked in care for sixteen years, this book will show you how to tell if all is really as it seems. Are the home's residents looked upon as people, or just as money generators? Will your mum be allowed something to drink in the evening, or will she be left thirsty just so that she won't need the lavatory in the night? This is a book for anyone with a relative or friend in residential care. It's also a book for current and future residents and the carers who look after them. 'Behind those care home doors' will show you what to really look for in a care home and how to check the standards of care provided and what to do if things go wrong. The author describes her front line experiences of abusive behaviours and harrowing standards of care, often from senior staff. She questions why carers who have the most contact with patients are frequently ignored when they raise concerns. Typical care home fees are equal to a staying in a good hotel with a private nurse and yet many homes are cutting staff to inappropriate levels. The author describes working in a care home with fees in excess of GBP900 per week and a menu promising smoked mackerel pate, homemade crusty bread and salad while the staff were obliged to serve muffin and chips, fish fingers and spaghetti hoops, out of date food, and mean portions. If you're contemplating working in a care home 'Behind those care home doors' will give you an insight and help you to decide whether care is the right career for you physically and emotionally. This book would also make valuable reading for care home managers and owners who may be finding the day to day pressures within their organisation are leading to decisions they know to be wrong.

The topic of communication in elderly care is becoming ever more pressing, with an aging world population and burgeoning numbers of people needing care. This book looks at this critical but underanalyzed area. It examines the way people talk to each other in eldercare settings from an interdisciplinary and globally cross-cultural perspective. The small body of available research points to eldercare communication taking place with its own specific conditions and contexts. Often, there is the presence of various mental/physical ailments on the part of the care receivers, scarcity of time, resources and/or flexibility on the part of the care givers, and a mutual necessity of providing/receiving assistance with intimate personal activities. The book combines theory and practice, with linguistically informed analysis of real-life interaction in eldercare settings across the world. Each chapter closes with a "Practical Recommendations" section that contains suggestions on how communication in eldercare can be improved. This book is an important and timely publication that will appeal to researchers and carers alike.

Sandra Gaffney entered her first nursing home for long-term care at the unusually young age of fifty. Fourteen years earlier she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next sixteen years, Gaffney lived in nursing homes in Florida, Virginia, and Minnesota, as the ways she could be close to family changed.

She describes her situation in these words: "As a nursing home resident, I require total or maximum care. I have limited use of my hands and arms. With special splints, I am able to turn the pages of my books, use the telephone and TV/VCR/FM radio remote control. When my cup is positioned properly, I can drink independently. I am able to walk with a platform walker and the help of two nursing assistants. My walking is not functional; it is only for exercise. After I moved into my third nursing home, I learned to operate a power wheelchair by using an adaptive switch between my knees. ... All other areas of physical care have to be done for me. My speech is impaired. If people listen carefully, they can understand what I am saying. ... I am able to eat regular food and breathe on my own."

Gaffney became an acute observer and strategist about how to live in a nursing home. Her first-person account, dictated to family members and assistants, covers making the decision to enter a nursing home, choosing the right one, and understanding its culture. She talks about how to furnish your room and about all the issues that arise in a resident's typical day. She has much to say about communication with staff and family about "how to help others help me." Gaffney's daughters, Amy and Bridget, and her friend Ellen Potter provide additional perspectives on the caregiving experience.

Sandra Gaffney entered her first nursing home for long-term care at the unusually young age of fifty. Fourteen years earlier she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next sixteen years, Gaffney lived in nursing homes in Florida, Virginia, and Minnesota, as the ways she could be close to family changed.

She describes her situation in these words: "As a nursing home resident, I require total or maximum care. I have limited use of my hands and arms. With special splints, I am able to turn the pages of my books, use the telephone and TV/VCR/FM radio remote control. When my cup is positioned properly, I can drink independently. I am able to walk with a platform walker and the help of two nursing assistants. My walking is not functional; it is only for exercise. After I moved into my third nursing home, I learned to operate a power wheelchair by using an adaptive switch between my knees. ... All other areas of physical care have to be done for me. My speech is impaired. If people listen carefully, they can understand what I am saying. ... I am able to eat regular food and breathe on my own."

Gaffney became an acute observer and strategist about how to live in a nursing home. Her first-person account, dictated to family members and assistants, covers making the decision to enter a nursing home, choosing the right one, and understanding its culture. She talks about how to furnish your room and about all the issues that arise in a resident's typical day. She has much to say about communication with staff and family about "how to help others help me." Gaffney's daughters, Amy and Bridget, and her friend Ellen Potter provide additional perspectives on the caregiving experience.

This book examines the risks and benefits of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC). CCRCs can benefit older Americans by allowing them to move among and through independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care in one community. They offer a range of contract types and fees that are designed to provide long-term care and transfer different degrees of the risk of future cost increases from the resident to the CCRC. Developing CCRCs can be a lengthy, complex process that requires significant long-term financing and accurate revenue and cost projections. Once operational, risks to long-term viability include declining occupancy and unexpected cost increases. While few CCRCs have failed, challenging economic and real estate market conditions have negatively affected some CCRCs occupancy and financial conditions.

As communication skills decline in people with dementia, a supportive environment becomes crucial to a resident's ability to express needs and desires. But how do you recognise what physical and social changes will help improve functioning, communication, and quality of life? The Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit (ECAT) for Dementia Care is your answer. This evidence-based toolkit includes the tools you need to assess, intervene, and modify on an individualised basis to ensure the quality of life for people with dementia. Use the validated Assessment Forms, and in three easy-to-follow steps you will be able to assess activity performance with quick yes/no questions; evaluate the environment to identify barriers and problems; and pinpoint individualised recommendations for intervention. ECAT's developers are researchers and experienced clinicians who have made sure that ECAT integrates effortlessly into evaluation and treatment sessions; helps keep up case load demands with creative solutions; satisfies regulatory requirements; leads to straightforward functional therapeutic interventions; and identifies low-cost, person-centred environmental modifications. ECAT for Dementia Care has more than 300 specific recommendations for interventions and modifications that will reduce typical problems encountered during routine activities of daily living for people with dementia. With the ECAT's functionally based assessment and intervention system, you will be fully equipped with solutions. Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit for Dementia Care Toolkit (ECAT) Card Pack contains 25 cards (24 full-colour Sequencing Cue Cards and 1 double-sided single colour card (Gray Scale Contrast Tool and Type Size Reading Test).

Being old is different in many ways: different from what we anticipated in younger years, different from other chapters in our lives, and, nowadays, different from what it has been in the past. Above all, is a totally new individual experience and different for each person. To look at the complexity of these differences is the aim of this book. In "Being Old is Different" some basic person-centred principles and their implementation in everyday care are described; the themes that become relevant in the last chapters of life, and their impact on care for old people, are highlighted.The book aims to demonstrate why the Person-Centred Approach is particularly useful in this field; how it can be transferred into practice; how it helps to improve the life quality of old people and, at the same time, make work more satisfying for carers. Marlis Portner's book is not about specific nursing or therapy methods but about fundamental principles, which are valuable in different areas of care. The term 'carer', therefore, is used here for all those who, professionally or voluntarily, work with old people, and the term 'care' embraces nursing as well as therapeutic and supportive activities.

A candid, humane, and improbably humorous look at the world of eldercare
In nursing homes across the country, members of the Greatest Generation are living out their last days. Life is a succession of pokes and prods, medications, TV, bingo, and, possibly, talking to Ira Rosofsky. With a compassionate eye but mordant wit, Rosofsky, a psychologist charged with gauging the mental health of his elders, reveals a culture based not in the empathy of caretaking, but rather in the coolly detached bureaucracy of Medicare and Medicaid.
A portrayal of what is increasingly becoming the last slice of life for many, "Nasty, Brutish, and Long" is also a baby boomer's poignant meditation on mortality, a reflection on his caregiving for his parents' final days, and an examination of the choices that we, as a society, have made about health care for the elderly who are no longer of sound mind and body.

Geropsychology-the field of psychology concerned with the psychological, behavioral, biological, and social aspects of aging-has developed repidly in the past two decades, in response to the ever increasing aging population worldwide. This clinical casebook describes current best practice in managing complex cases involving common mental health issues in later life. It includes chapters by leading authorities in the field-experienced practitioners, researchers, and educators-who address contemporary issues in clinical work with older adults. It will be useful for clinicians wishing to update their practice, educators looking for case material to enrich their didactic courses, and students and practitioners new to working with older adults seeking guidance in approaching casework with this population. The book spans the international arena of practice, illustrating both universal themes in clinical work as well as regional practice issues that can inform health professionals more broadly. Each chapter is designed to inform the reader about the rich context in which clinical work occurs, including how the setting, the therapist's approach, and the nature of the problem interact to influence outcomes. Throughout, the cases have been carefully chosen to reflect archetypal scenarios and provide practical, empirically informed guidance for assessment, formulation, and formulation, and interventions. The cases deal with complex issues of diagnosis and formulation, assessment and intervention techniques, ethical and legal issues, and interdisciplinary perspectives that will appeal to a wide range of mental health professionals. The text provides points for reflection from the cases, as well as key references in the area, with an emphasis on current issues and theoretical perspectives. Providing a range of expertise in a single source, the Casebook of Clinical Geropsychology is an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the mental health needs of older people.

"Social Work with Older People" provides an authoritative and practical guide to working with older people in a range of settings. It addresses the complexities of individual work with older people, as well as work with families, groups and the wider community, and is not afraid to tackle the challenges as well as opportunities of practice in this area.

The book begins by explaining the demographic changes that have led to a 'greying' of the general population. It goes on to discuss the diversity in experiences of ageing across society, and the range of issues which confront older people and those who wish to work proactively with them. Clear attention is paid to the processes of assessment, care planning and review, with readers encouraged to reflect on developing good practice through case studies and exercises. Although it has a strong practical emphasis, the book also stresses the value of theoretical perspectives, with insights from fields such as sociology and psychology woven throughout the book. Clear links are also made to policy guidelines and organizational standards, without losing sight of the deeper, often more complex, issues that arise when working with older people.

"Social Work with Older People" will be essential reading for social work students and practitioners, but also for others who are interested in the development of practice with older people as citizens and service users.

Thirty million people today care for ailing family members in their own homes--a number that will increase dramatically over the next decade as baby boomers enter old age, as soldiers return home from war mentally and physically wounded, as medical advances extend lives and health insurance fails to cover them.

Offering both companionship and guidance to the people who find themselves caring for their intimates, "An Uncertain Inheritance" is a collection of essays from some of the country's most accomplished writers. Poignant, honest, sometimes heartbreaking, often wry, and funny, here is a book that examines caregiving from every angle, revealing the pain, intimacy, and grace inherent in this meaningful relationship.

Care Managers: Working With The Aging Family Addresses The Unmet Needs Of Care Managers Working With Aging Clients As Well As The Client's Entire Family. With Its In-Depth Focus On The " Aging Family System, This Book Fills A Gap For Medical Case Managers And Geriatric Care Managers Giving Them Tools To Better Meet The Treatment Goals Of Aging Clients And Their Families, As The Older Clients Move Through The Continuum Of Care In Institutional Based Settings Or Community Based Settings. Care Managers: Working With The Aging Family Uniquely Focuses On Helping The Entire Family Unit Through The Process Of Death And Dying, Helping Midlife Siblings To Work Together To Render Care To Aging Parents. It Adds Proven Techniques To The Care Manager Repertoire Such As Family Meetings, Forgiveness, Technology, And Care Giver Assessment. It Offers Multiple Tools To Do An Effective Care Plan So That Both The Needs Of The Family And The Older Client Are Met.

This handbook is aimed at clinicians and others who are engaged in caring for ageing adults with developmental disabilities. It is intended to inform understanding, promote assessment, assist in care planning, and especially to improve everyday living for this needy but sadly often neglected group of vulnerable individuals. The authors base their guidance on evidence, focusing on important insights that are likely to be valuable to the clinician interested in the care of the individuals on whose behalf the book has been prepared.

A brief general overview of the area is followed by a detailed consideration of dementia in the context of developmental disability, including cause, diagnosis, assessment and natural history, with case examples. The next chapters concentrate on two of the most high-profile of all the major groups of developmental disabilities, with their own unique patterns of ageing: Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Other less common causal syndromes, and their characteristics with ageing, are then reviewed. This is followed by a detailed guide to drug treatment issues in this group. The final chapter considers wider issues of psychosocial intervention and life planning for the ageing individual with developmental disability.

On investigative visits to nursing homes across the nation, Beth Baker has witnessed profound changes. Culture change leaders are tearing up everything -- the floor plans, the flow charts, the schedules, the lousy menus, the attitudes, the rules -- and starting from scratch. They are creating extraordinary places where people live in dignity and greet the day with contentment, assisted by employees who feel valued and appreciated. Perhaps most surprising, these homes prove that a high quality of life does not have to cost more. Some of the best homes in the nation serve primarily low-income people who are on Medicaid. In this new book, Baker tell the story of a better way to live in old age. Although each home is different, they share common values: respecting individual choices; empowering staff; fostering a strong community of elders, staff, family members, and volunteers; redesigning buildings from a hospital model to a home (where pets and children are part of everyday life); and honoring people when they die. Her visits to more than two dozen facilities include those associatd with the Eden Alternative, Green House, Kendal, and the Pioneer Network. Whether these transformational homes become the norm or the domain of a lucky few is the question that faces the next generation of elders, the baby boomers.

On investigative visits to nursing homes across the nation, Beth Baker has witnessed profound changes. Culture change leaders are tearing up everything -- the floor plans, the flow charts, the schedules, the lousy menus, the attitudes, the rules -- and starting from scratch. They are creating extraordinary places where people live in dignity and greet the day with contentment, assisted by employees who feel valued and appreciated. Perhaps most surprising, these homes prove that a high quality of life does not have to cost more. Some of the best homes in the nation serve primarily low-income people who are on Medicaid. In this new book, Baker tell the story of a better way to live in old age. Although each home is different, they share common values: respecting individual choices; empowering staff; fostering a strong community of elders, staff, family members, and volunteers; redesigning buildings from a hospital model to a home (where pets and children are part of everyday life); and honoring people when they die. Her visits to more than two dozen facilities include those associatd with the Eden Alternative, Green House, Kendal, and the Pioneer Network. Whether these transformational homes become the norm or the domain of a lucky few is the question that faces the next generation of elders, the baby boomers.