Our societies are ageing, and we need to identify sustainable and person-centred solutions for supporting frail older people in their homes. Reablement offers a radical new integrated care approach which supports older people to regain and maintain functioning and independence. This interdisciplinary book provides an introduction to the remarkable, if haphazard, international growth in reablement policies and practices in aged care over the past 20 years. Incorporating theoretical and empirical research, it considers benefits for clients and care workers, cost-saving potentials and reablement provision for people with dementia. Finally, the book reflects on key findings, challenges and the way forward for long-term care for older people.

This original collection explores how critical gerontology can make sense of old age inequalities to inform and improve social work research, policy and practice and empower older people. With examples of practice-facing research, this book engages with key debates on age-related human rights and social justice issues. The critical and conceptual focus will expand the horizons of those who work with older people, addressing the current challenges, issues and opportunities that they face.

To provide high quality dementia care, professionals need to be both knowledgeable about dementia and skilled in the provision of care. This book is an introductory reference guide that will help students, professionals and practitioners develop their skills and expertise to better respond to the needs of people with dementia. It sets out information and advice on essential topics, research and evidence-based practice within dementia care in a clear, sensible way. Based on the standard course structure for higher and further dementia education, this wide-ranging textbook covers topics including dementia diagnosis, person-centred care and law, ethics and safeguarding. The new go-to book for the dementia curriculum, it is an invaluable tool for anyone wishing to improve the required core skills and values needed to care for those affected by dementia.

No one wants to put an aging relative in a "home." But very few people have an understanding of the issues involved and options available for an older person who needs outside care. This important book offers a variety of new insights into ways of maximizing choice, independence, and well-being, and minimizing the emotional stunting often associated with institutionalization. Both imaginative institutional programs and such alternatives as community maintenance are examined.

With more people living longer lives, there is increased importance in the health care industry on improving services for the elderly. This comprehensive book gives an expert overview of the topics and challenges, along with imperative ethical and legal frameworks. The book also details existing programs and benefits in relation to a realistic portrayal of population needs. Other important issues are covered such as long-term palliative care and hospice, other vulnerable populations, elder abuse, public-private collaboration, evidence-based policy-making, and much more.

People are leading significantly longer lives than previous generations did, and the proportion of older people in the population is growing. Residential care for older people will become increasingly necessary as our society ages and, we will require more of it. At this moment in time, the rights of older people receive attention at international and regional levels, with the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the African Union exploring the possibility of establishing new conventions for the rights of older persons. This book explores the rights of older people and their quality of care once they are living in a care home, and considers how we can commence the journey towards a human rights framework to ensure decent and dignified care for older people. The book takes a comparative approach to present and future challenges facing the care home sector for older people in Africa (Kenya), the Arab world (Egypt), Australia, China, England, Israel, Japan and the USA. An international panel of experts have contributed chapters, identifying how their particular society cares for its older and oldest people, the extent to which demographic and economic change has placed their system under pressure and the role that residential elder care homes play in their culture. The book also explores the extent to which constitutional or other rights form a foundation to the regulatory and legislative structures to residential elder care and it examines the important concept of dignity. As a multi-regional study of the care of older person from a human rights perspective, this book will be of excellent use and interest, in particular to students and researchers of family and welfare law, long-term care, social policy, social work, human rights and elder law.

The baby boom generation were born between 1946 and 1964 and are the largest population cohort in US history. They should number about 90 million by mid-century, more than doubling their current size. The massive increase in seniors and relative decline of those of working age in the US is mirrored in almost all the world's most populous countries. This book connects the dots between the US baby boom generation and the marked increase in natural and human-caused disasters. It evaluates options available to seniors, their aids, for and not-for and for-profit organizations and government to reduce vulnerability to hazard events. These include coordinated planning, risk assessment, regulations and guidelines, education, and other risk management efforts. Using interviews with experts, cases studies, especially of Superstorm Sandy, and literature, it culls best practice and identify major gaps. It is original and successful in making the connection between the growing group of vulnerable US seniors, environmental events, and risk management practices in order to isolate the most effective lessons learned.

This book examines policies on unpaid care throughout the UK since the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act. It questions why, after decades of policies and strategies, unpaid care remains in a marginal position in the social care system and in society more broadly, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides critical analysis of key policies and professional practice over three decades and highlights the continuing challenges faced by people in caring relationships, as well as reflecting on developments in the position of unpaid carers in the system of social care. By questioning why this crucially important sphere of human life remains under-resourced, it sheds light on the ways in which care is understood and how policy makers and service providers perceive the need for support.

Social Work with the Aged and Their Families presents the functional-age model (FAM) of intergenerational treatment, an integrative theoretical framework for social workers practicing with older adults and their families. In keeping with the Council on Social Work Education's curriculum mandate of 2015, social workers are now encouraged to use human behaviour theories in working with their geriatric clients. This fourth edition incorporates much-needed additional techniques to address the mental health assessments of the elderly. FAM addresses the assessment of older adults' biological, psychological, socio-cultural, and spiritual age. It also incorporates an evaluation of the family system, family roles, and family development in this assessment. Interventions at the individual, family, group, and community levels are discussed. This volume, augmented with recent concepts related to successful aging, spirituality, and resiliency, presents the major converging conceptual trends that constitute a model for twenty-first century social work practice in the field of aging. It is an indispensable text for those training in social work practice with the elderly, or those currently in practice.

Focusing on the need for developing new service delivery models for the aged, Health Care of the Aged examines fiscal, political, and social criteria influencing this challenge of the 1990s. The aged are caught in the sweeping changes currently occuring in the financing, organizing, and delivery of human and health care services. From various perspectives, this new book will help shape the direction for elderly health care program development and implementation. With an emphasis on greater long-term care in either home, community, or institutional settings, this important book will increase the understanding for a comprehensive, effective policy designed to carry the growing number of elderly through this decade and into the next. As roles and issues change, this valuable book will become increasingly important to those involved in providing services and care to the elderly. Health care administrators, policymakers, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and caregivers will benefit from the expertise presented in Health Care of the Aged.

Here is an informative overview of the causes and consequences of elder abuse in countries around the world. This book delves into the global problem of elder abuse and identifies similarities and differences that occur from country to country. Elder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives increases understanding of the problem of elder abuse, helping you recognize more easily the causes of elder abuse in your own country and find tactics to counter these causes. Strategies from around the world can help in the development of local community resources and social policies to minimize the occurrence of elder abuse and its impact on the elderly, their families, and all members of society.Elder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives discusses elder abuse in countries ranging from Australia to Finland, from South Africa to Hong Kong, from Ireland to Israel. It addresses the consequences of aging, dynamics of elder abuse, family care of the elderly, formal and informal mechanisms for preventing elder abuse, and methods by which to publicize possibilities of abuse. In each chapter, authors explore: the definition of elder abuse in their country the extent of the problem causes of the problem (as related to values and practices) societal attitudes regarding the existence of the problem private and public efforts to detect and prevent the problem and to intervene where it has occurredElder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives provides the impetus for community resources, social planning, and public resources. It is of interest to individuals who work in social work, nursing, and psychology settings and to those in social science fields of sociology, anthropology, and gerontology. The book can also serve as an enlightening reader for undergraduate and graduate/professional education.

The book examines the health rights of older persons who are more likely potentially to face various disadvantages in terms of healthcare access and affordability, thereby impacting on health outcomes. The point of departure in the analyses is that the health security of older persons is guaranteed only if a country approaches the health of its citizens out of moral obligation, viewing health and well-being as a right rather than an entitlement. Data from five countries in the ASEAN region are analysed with the intent of highlighting the health inequalities and barriers at the societal and individual levels, on the one hand, as well as the gaps at the health and healthcare policy and programmatic levels within each country, on the other. It is also intended that the analyses of the data from the selected countries which represent different stages of development, and thus income levels, provide a useful comparative framework for policymakers in the ASEAN region.

Throughout the world's hinterland regions, people are growing old in resource-dependent communities that were neither originally designed nor presently equipped to support an ageing population. This book provides cutting edge theoretical and empirical insights into the new phenomenon resource frontier ageing, to understand the diverse experiences of and responses to rural population ageing in the early 21st century. The book explores the resource hinterland as a new frontier of rural ageing and examines three central themes of rural population change, community development and voluntarism that characterize ageing resource communities. By investigating the links among these three themes, the book provides the conceptual and empirical foundations for the future agenda of rural ageing research. This timely contribution contains 15 original chapters by leading international experts from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, Ireland and Norway.

Elder abuse has been increasingly recognised over the past ten years in many countries and progress has been made in both understanding and addressing the issue. This volume provides a much-needed international overview of the topic.

Opening with an examination of what elder abuse is, Amanda Phelan sets it in a theoretical context and looks at assessment and approaches to the issue in residential and community care environments. The book then presents a range of country studies, which provide an overview of the context of elder abuse in the country and a discussion of related policy, legislation, research and practice. Countries covered include Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain, China, Australia, Kenya, Israel, Canada and the United States, whilst a regional chapter looks at South America. A concluding chapter draws together cross-cultural comparisons and provides some guidance as to best practice.

The only comprehensive book in this area, "International Perspectives on Elder Abuse" is an invaluable reference for practitioners, academics and researchers from a range of disciplines, including nursing, social work, sociology, public health and social policy.

The Last Years of Long Lives is a unique account of that period of old age which precedes death. Based on 400 complete individual histories and covering a twenty-year period, it looks at the experiences of people over eighty years old in three important areas: disability, family life and health care. Using the life-course approach to research, it reveals rich data about the contributions of formal and informal care and how life expectancy and experiences of disability interact with experiences of care. The reader is invited to conceptualise these phenomena as processes in continuous time - processes that are sometimes long and complex, sometimes short and simple - and learns about the four types of disability career before death. At the same time, the author presents a three-stage model of informal care and examines the main patterns of formal service use. The Last Years of Long Lives presents a new way of looking at old age for students, researchers, practitioners and policy makers and gives a comprehensive picture of what has been called 'the fourth age'.

Focusing on under-researched aspects of social, economic and political change, this volume offers fresh insights into aging, older people and their families. It combines an international and interdisciplinary approach. Chapters explore the contexts in which family roles, institutional practices, public policies and social and cultural discourses evolve, connecting analyses of aging issues and policy development with sound research practices, as well as previously-ignored gaps in professional practice. Topics covered include politics and policy, health and social care, culture and migration, urban and rural sociology, gender studies, technology and economics. The book will be of particular interest to students and researchers in gerontology, community development, geography and population studies, along with researchers and professionals in physiotherapy, nursing and social work.

'A beautiful and moving book that vividly brings home the challenges faced by those with dementia and their carers' Sir Tony Robinson A moving and beautifully illustrated book that captures the real life tales of people living with dementia, as told by their loved ones caring for them. This humorous, heartwarming and often heartbreaking collection will be relatable and supportive for anyone touched by dementia in their lives, and provides insight and information for anyone wanting to know more. The stories reflect on: the impact of receiving a diagnosis, the importance of person-centred care and social inclusion; the power of meaningful engagement, partnerships, peer support and much, much more.

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

This book makes an enquiry into policies surrounding old age and telecare. It contextualises telecare within the wider history of health and social care in England to build the case that there are grand narratives of old age embedded in policies. Divided into four sections, the book covers: * Connecting old age with telecare * A general review of old age and telecare * A critical enquiry into discourses and the identity of old age * Conclusions and future directions. The author highlights the manifestation of old age discourses in care policies, how they have been perpetuated yet also transformed in the context of telecare, and what this means about older people. The book will be of interest to students and academics in the fields of gerontology, sociology, old age studies, philosophy, social policy, health and social care policy, information systems, and critical theoreticians

Demographic changes transform societies and challenge existing institutional solutions and policies. The need for policies addressing these challenges has increasingly been put on the agenda. The Making of Ageing Policy analyzes these innovative policy ideas and practices at both the international and the national level. The book provides insights into the value basis and justifications of ageing policies, the potential for conflict and how policy ideas are embedded in institutional defense and advocacy for institutional change and reform. In terms of policy ideas the economically focused 'productive ageing' dominates, but the book finds instances where the broader 'active ageing' approach has gained a hold in policymaking. Ageing policy reforms within pensions and labour market policy include measures to make people extend their working life. In long-term care reforms abound, and implies changes in the responsibility of financing and provision but the patterns across countries differ substantially. The authors provide normative analysis of ageing policy ideas, divulge political conflicts and consensus on ageing policy, and contribute by describing and analyzing the changing institutional landscape of ageing politics and policies throughout Europe. It will prove insightful for academics and researchers in the field, but it will also appeal to practitioners who are increasingly dealing with demographic challenges across a wide number of policy sectors in their daily affairs. Contributors include: M. Doyle, Z. Drozdzak, R. Ervik, L. Foster, I. Helgoy, N. Kildal, G. Lamura, T.S. Linden, M.G. Melchiorre, E. Nilssen, J. Perek-Bialas, A. Principi, A. Ruzik-Sierdzinska, C. Schiller, V. Timonen, K. Turek, A. Walker

Elder abuse has been increasingly recognised over the past ten years in many countries and progress has been made in both understanding and addressing the issue. This volume provides a much-needed international overview of the topic. Opening with an examination of what elder abuse is, Amanda Phelan sets it in a theoretical context and looks at assessment and approaches to the issue in residential and community care environments. The book then presents a range of country studies, which provide an overview of the context of elder abuse in the country and a discussion of related policy, legislation, research and practice. Countries covered include Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain, China, Australia, Kenya, Israel, Canada and the United States, whilst a regional chapter looks at South America. A concluding chapter draws together cross-cultural comparisons and provides some guidance as to best practice. The only comprehensive book in this area, International Perspectives on Elder Abuse is an invaluable reference for practitioners, academics and researchers from a range of disciplines, including nursing, social work, sociology, public health and social policy.

Explains why there is a crisis in caring for elderly people and how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated it Because government policies are based on an ethic of family responsibility, repeated calls to support family members caring for the burgeoning elderly population have gone unanswered. Without publicly funded long-term care services, many family caregivers cannot find relief from obligations that threaten to overwhelm them. The crisis also stems from the plight of direct care workers (nursing home assistants and home health aides), most of whom are women from racially marginalized groups who receive little respect, remuneration, or job security. Drawing on an online support group for people caring for spouses and partners with dementia, Elder Care in Crisis examines the availability and quality of respite care (which provides temporary relief from the burdens of care), the long, tortuous process through which family members decide whether to move spouses and partners to institutions, and the likelihood that caregivers will engage in political action to demand greater public support. When the pandemic began, caregivers watched in horror as nursing homes turned into deathtraps and then locked their doors to visitors. Terrified by the possibility of loved ones in nursing homes contracting the disease or suffering from loneliness, some caregivers brought them home. Others endured the pain of leaving relatives with severe cognitive impairments at the hospital door and the difficulties of sheltering in place with people with dementia who could not understand safety regulations or describe their symptoms. Direct care workers were compelled to accept unsafe conditions or leave the labor force. At the same time, however, the disaster provided an impetus for change and helped activists and scholars develop a vision of a future in which care is central to social life. Elder Care in Crisis exposes the harrowing state of growing old in America, offering concrete solutions and illustrating why they are necessary.

Policy makers and service providers are increasingly aware that housing and care services for older people need to be more flexible, innovative and inclusive. In Britain, purpose-built retirement villages similar to those that have existed in North America and Europe for some time are attracting increasing attention, reflecting both an awareness of the ageing of our population and a recognition that older people want a greater say in where and how they live, the design of their environments, and the kind of care and support that they might require in the future. This report explores what it is like to live and work in the new Berryhill Retirement Village in Stoke-on-Trent (developed by The ExtraCare Charitable Trust and Touchstone Housing Association), and shows that retirement housing does not have to be planned and developed solely with middle-class professionals in mind. Based on the experiences of residents, staff, families and other stakeholders, the report: identifies the factors that facilitate the development of a positive environment in which to age; asks why people moved into the Village and whether they felt that their lives had improved there; considers the full range of sources of support both inside and outside the Village; details some of the ways in which such environments can facilitate people in their efforts to overcome illness and poor health and enjoy a good quality of life; draws out wider policy and practice lessons for those who might be considering developing similar schemes. The report is essential reading for policy makers and practitioners in housing, health and social care, as well as academics interested in these fields.

Elders can struggle with issues of social isolation and self-esteem, and benefit from having positive coping skills at their disposal. The practical ideas Kathie Erwin imparts in this second edition help mental health professionals working with elderly populations to create an interactive, multi-modal program that addresses the issues and needs elders have. The group modalities are defined in holistic contexts of mind, body, society, and spirituality. Among the group modalities are reminiscence, bibliotherapy, remotivation, humor, expressive art, and therapeutic writing and sacred spaces, which are new to this edition. Mental health professionals appreciate the practical and detailed guidelines for how to design, implement, and monitor progress for various types of group modalities that allow them to put theory into practice easily. Their elder clients will benefit from the methods they develop in group to deal with problems such as isolation and reduced social networks.