'Blisteringly well written, deeply humane and very funny' Daily Telegraph 'Enough to make you die laughing' Daily Mail 'Funny and moving' Daily Express Whether he's initiating a coup d'etat against new regulations with the residents, or forging a bond with the 98-year old who once called him a fat slut, Pope Lonergan's work is infinitely varied. This no-holds-barred account shows what life inside a care home is really like, for both residents and carers. Featuring night-time drama, incontinence pads and the uniquely dark humour of one double-amputee Alzheimer's patient, here you can learn everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you probably really didn't) about Britain's care system. This important memoir challenges us all to think differently about the value of our elderly, and also the carers who look after them.

Around the world and across a range of contexts, homelessness among older people is on the rise. In spite of growing media attention and new academic research on the issue, older people often remain unrecognized as a subpopulation in public policy, programs, and homeless strategies. As such, they occupy a paradoxical position of being hypervisible while remaining overlooked. Late-Life Homelessness is the first Canadian book to address this often neglected issue. Basing her analysis on a four-year ethnographic study of late-life homelessness in Montreal, Canada, Amanda Grenier uses a critical gerontological perspective to explore life at the intersection of aging and homelessness. She draws attention to disadvantage over time and how the condition of being unhoused disrupts a person's ability to age in place, resulting in experiences of unequal aging. Weaving together findings from policy documents, stakeholder insights, and observations and interviews with older people, this book demonstrates how structures, organizational practices, and relationships related to homelessness and aging come to shape late life. Situated in the context of an aging population, rising inequality, and declining social commitments, Late-Life Homelessness stresses the moral imperative of responding justly to the needs of older people as a means of mitigating the unequal aging of unhoused elders.

The politics of old age in the twenty first century is contentious, encompassing ideological debates about the rights and welfare entitlements of individuals in later life. An important aspect is the manner in which older people and their representative groups are given the opportunity to articulate their interests in the policy-making process. Drawing upon key literature in political science, social gerontology and cultural sociology, The politics of old age explores the relationship between ageing, politics and representation. It reveals the complexity of older people's representation and how the power the organisations exercise, their legitimacy and existence remain highly contingent on government policy design, political opportunity structures and the prevailing cultural and socioeconomic milieu. This book is essential reading for policymakers and organisations interested in ageing, policy and the political process and for students of ageing, social policy and political sociology. -- .

The second edition of this landmark textbook is distinguished by its pioneering approach to encompassing disability and aging policies under one umbrella, in response to the newly developed Administration on Aging and Disability. It addresses policy changes impacting health and disability services resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other new legislation, and offers a pioneering approach to transforming policy into practice applications. New to the second edition is current census data and new legislative mandates from the ACA and other policy organizations impacting aging adults and/or disabled populations. Also included is new coverage on Social Media, Motivational Interviewing, Health Literacy, Underrepresented Groups, LGBT, and Rural Communities. Podcasts, available as downloads, present the messages of advocates, lobbyists, policy experts, and consumers who address various aspects of relevant policies and policy development. Unlike other texts, the book focuses on triangulating skills, policies, and programs for graduate students in social work, public health, gerontology, and rehabilitation. It aims thus to enhance understanding of policy development through a critical analysis and review of policy framework, and promotes development of skills in shaping programs and implementing policy. The text lays out tools that facilitate policy and program development to include the media, coalition building, the use of an evidence base, and how each mandated policy addresses these programs and services. Chapters include learning objectives, case studies, review/discussion questions, and resources for additional information. An Instructor's Manual, Test Bank, and PowerPoint slides facilitate the teaching process. New to the Second Edition: Addresses both disability and aging policies Includes updated census data Presents new legislation and mandates for the ACA, Veterans and the Military, Caregivers/Caregiver Support Act, Alzheimer's Support, Health Lifestyles, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, Elder Justice Act, and Substance Use and Misuse Provides new coverage on Social Media, Motivational Interviewing, Health Literacy, Minorities, Incarcerated Individuals, Immigrants/Refugees, LGBT, and Rural Communities Offers podcasts of interviews with key consumers and policy experts Key Features: Lays out tools that facilitate policy and program development Examines major service areas for older adults Addresses philosophical, historical, and demographic challenges Enhances understanding of policy development through critical analysis Includes learning objectives, case studies, review questions, and instructor package

For those fortunate enough to reside in the developed world, death before reaching a ripe old age is a tragedy, not a fact of life. Although aging and dying are not diseases, older Americans are subject to the most egregious marketing in the name of ""successful aging"" and ""long life,"" as if both are commodities. In Rethinking Aging, Nortin M. Hadler examines health-care choices offered to aging Americans and argues that too often the choices serve to profit the provider rather than benefit the recipient, leading to the medicalization of everyday ailments and blatant overtreatment. Rethinking Aging forewarns and arms readers with evidence-based insights that facilitate health-promoting decision making. Over the past decade, Hadler has established himself as a leading voice among those who approach the menu of health-care choices with informed skepticism. Only the rigorous demonstration of efficacy is adequate reassurance of a treatment's value, he argues; if it cannot be shown that a particular treatment will benefit the patient, one should proceed with caution. In Rethinking Aging, Hadler offers a doctor's perspective on the medical literature as well as his long clinical experience to help readers assess their health-care options and make informed medical choices in the last decades of life. The challenges of aging and dying, he eloquently assures us, can be faced with sophistication, confidence, and grace.

This book is about caring for elderly persons in the 21th century. It shows that care has many facets and is influenced by many factors. Central topics of this book thus include the relation between the person depending on care and the care giver(s), the impacts of caregiving on the family and the larger social context, as well as socio-cultural and political aspects underlying the growing need for and the practice of formal and informal care. It is evident that care as a real-life phenomenon of our time needs the co-operation ofmultiple disciplines to better understand, describe, explain and modify phenomena of elder care. Such a need for crossdisciplinary research is even more urgent given the increasing population aging and the impending gaps between demand and supply of care. The present book is dedicated to this approach and provides a first substantive integration of knowledge from geropsychology, other gerosciences, and cultural psychologies by a multi-disciplinary cast of internationally renowned authors. Cultural psychology emerged as a valuable partner of the gerosciences by contributing essentially to a deeper understanding of the relevant issues. Reading of this book provides the reader-researcher or practitioner-with new insights of where the problems of advancing age take our caring tasks in our 21st century societies and it opens many new directions for further work in the field. Finally and above all, this book is also a strong plea for solidarity between generations in family and society in a rapidly changing globalized world.

This collection of readings presents a variety of perspectives on ageing from different communities across the United States: Native American, Puerto Rican, African American, the elderly homeless, white working class, gay and Mexican amongst many others. The readings cover topics such as: life course; social and psychological contexts of ageing; paid and unpaid activity; the American family; and health.

Aging in the Right Place is the most up-to-date and comprehensive resource covering the impact of residential and care settings in older adults. Providing a complete overview of current living arrangements and residential options for older adults, this text also offers a unique perspective on the often overlooked emotional challenges aging adults face when their residential needs must be evaluated. Placing particular value on the experiences and opinions of older adults while also covering the objective recommendations of aging experts, author Stephen Golant, Ph.D. introduces a new framework of "residential normalcy" to assist an aging population in identifying their best housing and care options. Covering virtually every aspect of residential environments in elder care through an expansive range of topics (from government healthcare policies and programs to case studies, opinions, stories, and quotes that illustrate the diverse experiences of today's older adults), Aging in the Right Place also points out housing and care topics that need further research, reform, support, and public awareness. Written by a gerontologist with over 30 years in the field (and personal experience as a family caregiver) this cohesive text is essential for gerontology, long-term care, and healthcare professionals, practitioners, and academics.

A diagnosis of dementia can be frightening for those affected by the syndrome, their family members, and caretakers. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in those over the age of 65. As many as 5 million Americans age 65 and older may have AD, and that number is expected to double for every 5-year interval beyond age 65. But Alzheimer's is only one of many dementia disorders; another 1.8 million people in the U.S. have some other form of dementia. Among all people with dementia, many are believed to have a mixed type of dementia that can involve more than one of the disorders. This book provides a general overview of various types of dementia, describes how the disorders are diagnosed and treated, and offers highlights of research that is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute on Aging, both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. THE DEFINITIVE TEXT ON THE PRINCIPLES AND CLINCAL PRACTICE OF NURSING HOME CAREA Doody's Core Title for 2017! Nursing Home Care is a practical textbook designed to serve as a rich evidence-based resource to provide physicians and other practitioners with the information and knowledge to advance nursing home care. It states and explains the principles underpinning safe, personalized, and dignified nursing home practice using an integrated, cooperative approach. In addition, itprovides the medical knowledge necessary to give quality care to nursing home residents. Nursing Home Care reflects the International Association for Geriatrics and Gerontology's conviction that nursing home practice is an interdisciplinary endeavor that requires a sound theoretical, scientific, and values base in addition to clinical expertise. Mindful of the influences of different culture and context, the premise of this text is that there is a shared and commonknowledge base to guide nursing home practice and approaches to caring that are universal. THIS UNIQUE TEXT IS LOGICALLY DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS: PART 1 covers the origins of the nursing home movement, plus alternative approaches, including aging in place and what older people are saying about nursing home life and culture change. PART 2 focuses on the fundamentals of working as part of a nursing home team providing day-to-day care and the leadership essentials to drive the quality improvement agenda. PART 3 addresses the most common conditions experienced by older nursing home residents. PART 4 is devoted to clinical and nursing aspects of specific disease management. KEY FEATURES: Online supplemental material, including 1,000 PowerPoint slides available to faculty, plus Q&A available from the IAGGI * Over 150 multiple choice questions * Key points for each chapter * An essential study guide for the IAGG certificate in nursing home care

This book explores specific theories on ageing grounded through examination of several issues in social welfare. The book will review different understandings of becoming and being old and how these have been reflected in society in general and social policy in particular. The text aims to explore current debates about ageing populations as well as to understand issues affecting individual older people. A key focus is the crucial relationship between old age and the welfare state, to a large extent concerned with the provision of support to older people. It attempts to understand and evaluate these important welfare issues by exploring conceptual coverage derived from both macro and micro theories of ageing.

This best-selling book explores the crucial role of social workers in securing a better future for vulnerable and disadvantaged adult service users. Tacking the problems most common to this branch of social work it focuses on four major themes: personalization; mental health; substance use; and old age. Edited by the highly respected Martin Davies, and with contributions from some of the leading names in the field, Social Work with Adults provides a clear map and guidance to help navigate between the different elements of social work knowledge and practice. Whether a student on an undergraduate degree taking a module on working with adults or a qualified professional wanting to ensure they are proving the very best service they can, this is essential reading. The breadth and depth of coverage makes this text a perfect handbook for students of adult social work.

With increases in population aging and declining birth rates in industrialized countries well documented around the world, governments of the United States and other countries are facing policy challenges in addressing the health, financial, and social needs of a growing population of older adults. The purpose of this book is two-fold: 1) to introduce students to a number of topics on social policy and aging by discussing U.S. policies alongside examples of those enacted by selected countries around the world, and 2) to challenge students to think critically about the connection between macro social policy and its direct and indirect effects on the daily lives of real people navigating everyday life circumstances.

For some elderly people, the body weakens while the mind stays alert. Others remain physically strong, and cognitive losses take a huge toll. But for everyone, death is inevitable, and each loss is personally felt by those close to the one who has died. End-of-life care is the term used to describe the support and medical care given during the time surrounding death. An older person is often living, and dying, with one or more chronic illnesses and needs a lot of care for days, weeks, and sometimes even months. This book explores helping with comfort and care at the end-of-life and hopes to make the unfamiliar territory of death slightly more comfortable for everyone involved. Discussions on hospice, end-of-life services, costs, ethics, and quality of care are contained herein.

This book focuses on the implications of population ageing in Asia. The book discusses the differences in the magnitude of the aged population in different parts of Asia and highlights the perennial concerns of care and support facing older people and their families as Asian societies grapple with the ageing population. The array of chapters in this book substantiates these challenges and opportunities afforded to different countries in Asia in light of demographic shifts, which range from an examination of broad issues of support for the aged and policy directions in East and Southeast Asia, to specific concerns relating to older people in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Pakistan, Korea, Bangladesh and Nepal. Population ageing across these countries are experiencing increased longevity and a declining birth rate, which is becoming more prevalent. The book explains how, due to changes in population structure, ageing will alter trends in the decades ahead in Asia. This book is unique in that the research cited is not only rich on ageing experiences across Asia but is an important process in bringing together evocative, engaged and comparative insights as to how we understand complex ageing and welfare issues.

Americans are living longer - and staying healthier longer - than ever before. Despite the rapid disappearance of pensions and health-care benefits for retirees, older people are healthier and better off than they were twenty years ago. In "Health at Older Ages", a distinguished team of economists analyzes the foundations of disability decline, quantifies this phenomenon in economic terms, and proposes what might be done to accelerate future improvements in the health of our most elderly populations.This breakthrough volume argues that educational attainment, high socioeconomic status, an older retirement age, and accessible medical care have improved the health and quality of life of seniors. Along the way, it outlines the economic benefits of disability decline, such as an increased percentage of seniors in the workplace, relief for the health-care system and care-giving families, and reduced medical expenses for the elderly themselves. "Health at Older Ages" will be an essential contribution to the debate about meeting the medical needs of an aging nation.

An advanced look at smart technology to promote the independence of the elderly and disabled

Ongoing research and advancements in technology are essential for the continuing independence of elderly and disabled persons. The Engineering Handbook of Smart Technology for Aging, Disability, and Independence provides a thorough analysis of these technologies and the needs of the elderly and disabled, including a breakdown of demographics, government spending, growth rate, and much more.

Each chapter is written by an expert in his or her respective field, and gives readers unparalleled insight into the research and developments in a multitude of important areas, including:

User-need analyses, classifications, and policies

Assistive devices and systems for people with motor disabilities

Assistive devices and systems for people with visual and hearing impairments

Human-machine interaction and virtual reality

Assistive robotics

Technology for user mobility and object manipulation

Smart homes as assistant environments

A discussion of emerging standards and guidelines to build accessible devices, tools, and environments

This book is an indispensable resource for researchers and professionals in computer science, rehabilitation science, and clinical engineering. It also serves as a valuable textbook for graduate students in the aforementioned fields.

This new and updated third edition of the best-selling "Calculating a fair price for care" estimates the potential cost to the public sector of paying fair market fees to a fully modernised care home sector. The demands resulting from an ageing population means that more care homes will be needed in the future. However, most public sector funding agencies do not currently offer fees that are sufficient to encourage care home operators to invest in new capacity for state-funded clients. "Calculating a fair market price for care" offers a transparent and evidence-based mechanism for working out what such fees should be, based on the costs borne by care homes in the financial year 2008/09. Updates for the third edition include a new and simplified approach to working out 'floor' and 'ceiling' fair fees; new staff input and other cost benchmarks derived from a survey of major corporate operators of care homes in 2008 and a downward revision in the target rate of return on capital from 13% to 12%. "Calculating a fair market price for care" is essential reading for commissioners and providers of care services throughout the UK, local councillors, advocacy groups for older people and social policy experts, as well as politicians, civil servants and other policy makers concerned with appropriate funding for long-term care.

A practical guide to advise Baby Boomers how to deal with the daunting task of facing a parents' eventual passing as it relates to residential contents, heirlooms, and the often difficult family interactions and feuds that accompany them.

With fascinating stories and comprehensive checklists, professional estate liquidator Julie Hall walks Baby Boomers through the often painful challenge of dividing the wealth and property of their parents' lifetime accumulation of stuff. From preparation while the parent is still living through compassionately helping them empty the family home, The Estate Lady(R) gives invaluable tips on negotiating the inevitable disputes, avoiding exploitation from scam artists, and eventually closing the chapter of their lives in a way that preserves relationships and maximizes value of assets.

Care for the elderly has increased in both duration and intensity, particularly because of better medical conditions resulting in increased lifespan. Thus understanding the numerous dimensions of ageing will play a consequential role in determining future national policies. This book addresses a wide spectrum of issues faced by the elderly in India, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, primarily from social and economic perspectives. South Asian cultures more than others have traditionally endorsed living arrangements that entail co-residence of aged parents with their children, which has been the crux of the support system of the aged. Significant shifts in family structure spurred by modernization prompted increased family nucleation.

All three countries offer interesting insights as India is projected to have an ageing population of 90 million in the near future, and Sri Lanka has one of the highest proportions of ageing people in the developing world. By delving further, one can view these trends in the context of widespread poverty and inadequate social security systems in India, and high human development indicators in Sri Lanka.

Families often wrestle with the decision to move a person with dementia into a care home. The decision can be highly charged and emotional, involving feelings of loss, sadness and guilt. Moreover, developing a good relationship between the family and the care home is not an easy matter. In this accessible guide the authors take person-centred dementia care a step forward by outlining ways in which care homes can help families to become partners in the caring process. Using case examples, quotations and research-based evidence, the authors offer practical advice and good practice guidelines for supporting relatives who choose to be involved in the care of people with dementia living in a care home, as well as highlighting the value of this involvement. The book is written in an easy-to-read style and incorporates useful features such as checklists for reviewing current practices and summaries of key points for each chapter. An invaluable resource for care home managers and staff, this book will also be helpful for families of people with dementia, as well as for students and researchers interested in dementia care practice.

The first part of the book is entitled 'Family, Transition and Ageing' and addresses rapid social and economic changes in China through a kaleidoscope of differential perspectives that focus on how family continues to be an important reference point for the past, present and future institution in the care of older people. The second part of the book focuses on the tangible social forces associated with managing old age: 'Welfare, Consumption and Ageing'. This section is important in locating the structures and agents of power that are relevant to maintaining trust and social relations between older people, the Chinese State and its dualism of state welfare and consumption of welfare.

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.

En esta exhaustiva y practica guia, Stella Henry, experta en cuidados a largo plazo, ayuda a los lectores a dominar la abrumadora logistica y las fuertes emociones que provoca el tomar decisiones respecto al cuidado de nuestros mayores, ya sea un padre, una madre o un ser querido. Basandose en sus 36 anos de experiencia como administradora y en el tiempo que paso cuidando a sus dos padres (uno de los cuales padecio los estragos de la enfermedad de Alzheimer), Henry aborda todos los temas dificiles: la deteccion de los sintomas de demencia, la redefinicion de roles entre hermanos, la forma en que se debe examinar una residencia de vida asistida o un hogar de ancianos, la mudanza y los modos de manejar las demandas de "llevame a casa!." Tambien explica los laberintos medicos, legales y de seguros. En estos tiempos en que casi 10 millones de personas en este pais necesitan cuidados a largo plazo, la "Guia para el Cuidado de Nuestros Mayores" es de lectura indispensable.