Key Demographics in Retirement Risk Management argues that the weakening of public and employer-sponsored social safety nets in several countries will permanently increase pre-retirees' risk-anxiety and create pressure towards readjustment of their expectations about the quality of their lives in retirement. The result will be to raise the priority of achieving effective comprehensive retirement related risk management. This achievement requires an emphasis upon the cascading of linked risks, and careful attention to the optimization of scarce resources used to manage those linked risks. Professional financial and retirement planning advisors comprise a key source of help. This book develops new knowledge concerning the factors that help to explain three important aspects of access to these professional advisors. The results of this analysis are used to illustrate the process of identifying distinctive population segments, key demographics, on the basis of multiple population attributes treated simultaneously. The illustration is further extended with an identification of distinctive population segments relative to performance on a composite indicator of the conduct of multiple retirement risk management activities. The book also discusses implications of the pattern of gender differences in preparedness to address retirement's challenges, highlighting subgroups of women in which inadequate preparedness is pronounced.

"Aging, Health, and Longevityin the Mexican-Origin Population"creates a foundation for an interdisciplinary discussion of the trajectory of disability and long-term care for older people of Mexican-origin from a bi-national perspective. Although the literature on Latino elders in the United States is growing, few of these studies or publications offer the breadth and depth contained in this book.

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In recent years the field of cognitive aging has flourished and expanded into many different disciplines. It is probably, therefore, inevitable that some of the research has become very narrow, primarily focused on "counting and classifying the wrinkles of aged behavior," rather than addressing more broad, general, and important questions. Timothy Salthouse's main goal in this book is to try to identify some of the major phenomena in the field of cognitive aging, and discuss issues relevant to the investigation and interpretation of them. He does not attempt to provide a comprehensive survey of the research literature on aging and cognition because many excellent reviews are available in edited handbooks. His principal aim is rather to stimulate readers to think about the big questions in cognitive aging research, and how they might best be answered.

Over the last two decades, many changes have happened to the social welfare policies of various industrial countries. Citizens have seen their pensions, unemployment benefits, and general healthcare policies shrink as "belt tightening" measures are enforced. But in contrast, long-term care has seen a general growth in public financing, an expansion of beneficiaries, and, more generally, an attempt to define larger social responsibilities and related social rights. The aim of this book is to describe and interpret the changes introduced in long-term care policies in Western Europe. The volume argues that recent reforms have brought about an increasing convergence in LTC policies. Most of the new programs have developed a new general approach to long-term care, based on a better integration of social care and health care. The book explores increasing public support given to family care work (in the past, the family would take care of the elderly or infirm) and increasing growth and recognition of a extended social care market (by which care has shifted from a moral obligation based on family reciprocity to a paid, professional activity). A new social care arrangement has therefore been developing in Western countries, based on a new mix of family obligations, market provision, and public support. In order to understand such changes, this analysis will take into account the social and economical impact of these reforms.

The second edition of this engaging text reflects a welcome new paradigm for aging-that of aging as a positive stage of life. Written for undergraduate and masters-level students, it provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the wide variety of subject areas within gerontology, and combines research with engrossing narratives, new trends, and controversial topics. Substantially updated, the second edition features integrated content on the diversity of the aging population. State-of-the-art information includes new science on the biology of aging; chronic conditions; integrated care; changing roles for older adults; new demographics; and critical policy issues. The second edition examines career opportunities in gerontology and includes Practical Applications and Activities for Students, new scenarios, and many more charts and graphs. The book also includes PowerPoint slides, a test bank and an instructor's manual. Key Features: Conceptualizes a positive approach to aging, with an emphasis on the advantages and opportunities presented by the large and growing number of older Americans Delivers comprehensive, interdisciplinary coverage of aging topics Dispels negative myths about aging Engages the reader with vivid narratives and thought-provoking activities Offers a broad range of subject areas in the field, from biological aging processes, to economics and living arrangements Provides Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint slides, and multiple resources for additional learning New to the Second Edition: Presents a new chapter on careers in aging, which explores expanding opportunities Explores new and updated demographics Includes new information on personality, palliative care, age-friendly communities, homelessness, social networks, Medicaid and more Presents a new approach to elder abuse focusing on solutions to social isolation, a major cause of abuse Includes coverage of policies throughout the book, as they apply to their role in an aging society, in the workplace and retirement, in providing opportunities for older people to give and receive support, and in health care Uses Bloom's latest taxonomy for Learning Objectives

This book examines the key aging processes in seven countries (United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, China, Nepal, and South Africa) and the main policies that have been, and are being, developed to deal with this rapid change in the demographic profile. It addresses the problems that are identified as well as the positive aspects of aging within each of these contrasting societies. Thus it makes a significant contribution to the major debates about growing old across the globe.

If you died today, would your family know how to settle your estate? If you were told today that you have cancer and you have a month to live, would your family know what your final wishes are? If you suddenly lose all your financial memory, due to Alzheimer's, would your family know what to do? Do you have a parent or loved one whose health is declining? Are you a senior that needs help in estate planning or is thinking about moving into a facility? Or, are you a senior planning to stay at home but expect to need help in the future? Dying the Right Way is a caregiving story for seniors, families, and caregivers, a journey from the beginning of caregiving through the death experience and settling of the estate. Dying the Right Way prepares seniors and families for the time when caregiving is needed, and offers a system for caregiving in the home for family caregivers or for monitoring professional caregivers. Dying the Right Way extends the caregiving experience to assist seniors through the document preparation phase, the search for a residential facility, life support, the dying experience, funeral planning, and settling of the estate.

Ageing, meaning and social structure is a unique book advancing critical discourse in gerontology and makes a major contribution to understanding key social and ethical dilemmas facing ageing societies. It confronts and integrates approaches that have been relatively isolated from each other, and interrelates two major streams of thought within critical gerontology: analyses of structural issues in the context of political economy and humanistic perspectives on issues of existential meaning. The chapters, from a wide range of contributors, focus on major issues in ageing such as autonomy, agency, frailty, lifestyle, social isolation, dementia and professional challenges in social work and participatory research. This volume should be valuable reading for scholars and graduate students in gerontology and humanistic studies, as well as for policy makers and practitioners working in the field of ageing.

Ageing population poses a set of complex policy and dilemmas for social security systems, intensifying the concerns about rising expenditures in health care and long-term care for elderly. In this context, ageing societies has many valuable lessons to learn by studying Japan's experience dealing with its hyper-aged society and particularly from its strategies to ensure the financial sustainability of the Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) system.

Based on an exhaustive literature review, and the results from six original researches on long-term care expenditures in Japan (LTCE) conducted during a doctoral program, the book provides a comprehensive view in analyzing trends and factors associated with increasing expenditures in the Long-Term Care Insurance system in Japan.

The book address relevant topics such as; the main socio-demographic changes experienced by the Japanese society during the last three decades, predictors of the LTCE, measuring efficiency in nursing homes, the impact of the LTCI 2005-reform to contain expenditures, cost-effectiveness of the in-home and community based services and institutional LTCE in the last year of life. The book end with a discussion on futures challenges and strategies oriented to contribute with the sustainability of LTCI system in Japan."

In the 1990s providing mental health services to the elderly and particularly to elderly Native Americans had been an issue of some concern for the last several decades. Despite this, many public decisions made at the time were based on inadequate data. Due to this lack of data, there had been little research devoted to determining the factors associated with mental health among elderly Native Americans. Instead, the growing body of mental health research had "been based on limited samples, primarily of middle-majority Anglos." Originally published in 1994, the purpose of this research was to utilize existing data to close the gap in our understanding of mental health among elderly Native Americans.

Thisbriefs on human suffering adds to human understanding of suffering by contextualizing both stories and statistics on suffering, while showing that suffering adds a useful perspective to contemporary thought and research on quality of life, social well-being, and measures of societal progress. The scholarship on suffering is made more comprehensible in the book by using nine different conceptual frames that have been used for making sense of suffering. The primary focus of this work is with the last frame, the quality of life frame. Overall, this chapters show how the research on quality of life and well-being can be enhanced by embracing human suffering. "

Despite continuing ageist beliefs that sexuality is a privilege designed only for the young and physically healthy, research continues to indicate that the majority of older adults maintain interest in sexuality and may engage in fulfilling sexual behavior well into their last decade of life. Unfortunately, many professionals remain unaware of general knowledge of elderly sexuality, including the expected and normal physiological changes that can occur within the context of both male and female aging. The presence of chronic illness and other medical problems certainly can influence the expression of an aging adult's sexuality, and emergent research suggests that there are effective ways to cope with menopause, heart disease, arthritis, incontinence, diabetes, sleep disorders, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction (ED), among others. Dramatic changes have taken place within the last decade alone in terms of non-surgical treatment for incontinence and ED, with forms of sex therapy, biofeedback, and PDE-5 inhibitors. Regrettably, many aging adults and their care providers remain unaware of their increased risk factors for STDs, including HIV infection via lack of knowledge, changes in the vaginal lining, and typical declines in immune function. Estimates suggest that by the year 2020, more than half of all individuals living with HIV will be over the age of 50. Although some high quality professional books are available for clinicians, they tend to be disjointed research bibliographies, edited volumes on a narrowly focused aspect of elderly sexuality, or texts that are more than 10 years old. With the extent of new information available regarding sexuality and aging, an up to date, empirically based text is necessary.

It has been ten years since the National Hormone and Pituitary Program (then called the National Pituitary Agency) sponsored a symposium on human growth hormone (hGH). Numerous advances have occurred during this period. This book does not attempt to summarize past achievements. Rather, it deals with the contemporary issues in hGH research. A discussion of the present state of the art, of necessity, includes a review of the past. Some of the topics herein discussed include the following: 1. Growth hormone releasing factor (GRF). In 1973, the growth hormone inhibitory factor (somatostatin) had recently been discovered. The search for a releasing factor in humans led to its discovery not in the pituitary but in a pancreatic tumor that secreted growth hormone. The advances are discussed in this book. The current hope is that GRF will eventually become an effective therapeutic agent for idiopathic hypopituitarism in childhood and adolescence. 2. Biosynthesis of hGR by recombinant DNA technology. Current advances are discussed. Although hGH is not yet an approved drug, it will eventually become one. This will broaden our horizons in terms of hGH effectiveness in disorders other than hypopituitary dwarfism. The current experience with this type of hGH in both the Vnited States and Europe is reviewed by several authors.

Taken over the course of more than a year of exclusive access, this work applies large format still life photography to the context of a unique prison community, E Wing at Kingston Prison in Portsmouth. For eight years this was Britain's only wing dedicated to holding elderly lifers: murderers, rapists, paedophiles and other violent criminals aged from their late 50s to over 80 years old. "Still Life: Killing Time", is not simply a reportage about a particular prison. Elements of metaphor, abstraction and documentary explore the experience of long term incarceration and the passage of time, and touch on how ageing and physical decline affect the prison environment. The claustrophobia of these close up, deliberate and regular compositions reflects both the nature of the place and the experience of working in E Wing.The recurring motifs - bars, squares, boxes, grids - show the segmentation and ordering of time and space that is fundamental to prison life, while the details of the inmates' possessions, notice-boards, walls, tables and bedsides suggest their state of mind and how they adapt to long term incarceration and getting old in an institution.

By recounting actual court cases, this book examines the multi-billion-dollar elder fraud industry, the special vulnerabilities of those it targets, and the ease and frequency with which it obtains hundreds of thousands of dollars per victim. It also reveals successful strategies for combating that industry and the important contributions to that effort by concerned bankers, doctors, reporters and others in the private sector. The cases reveal an increasingly sophisticated global industry that targets each victim with a series of repeat "hits." This tactic--criminals call it "reloading"--sets the elder fraud industry apart from groups that defraud younger individuals. Twelve key age-related fraud vulnerabilities are illustrated in the cases. So, too, are the scammers' skills in mapping their target's unique combination of vulnerabilities and then tailoring their narratives to exploit each one. Most of the cases highlight actual victims, scam artists or fraud fighters. Their individual stories range from inspiring and sometimes comical to frustrating and deeply disturbing. Readers with aging parents, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, members of the financial industry and others who work with older adults will find it particularly useful.

Why do people age differently? Research in the field of gerontology has indicated that there are large individual differences in personality, cognitive functioning, physical health, and psychological well-being, as well as in the quality of life in the later years. It is this variability and the reasons why people age differently that this book explores. Thoughtfully written, Aging presents an overview of what is known about genetic and environmental influences on aging. Beginning with an overview of family, adoption, and twin designs, author Cindy S. Bergeman examines such topics as the research in the area of longevity and health, cognitive functioning, personality, and psychopathology; and social support, life events, and measures of the family environment. The book concludes with a summary of the field of gerontological behavioral genetics. This book will stimulate discussion and future work about the origins of individual differences in later life and will be invaluable to professionals and practitioners in the fields of developmental psychology, psychology, aging, family studies, and nursing.

China, which is fast on its way to becoming the most powerful economic force in the world, has four unique characteristics that distinguish it from other countries in Asia: (1) The proportion of aging population is growing faster than that of Japan (the country previously recognized as having the fastest rate) and much faster than nations in western Europe. (2) An early arrival of an aging population before modernization has fully taken place, with social policy implications. It is certain that China will face a severely aged population before it has sufficient time and resources to establish an adequate social security and service system for older people. (3) There will be fluctuations in the total dependency ratio. The Chinese government estimates are that the country will reach a higher dependent burden earlier in the twenty-first century than was previously forecast. (4) The government s fertility policy (single child per family) and its implementation has a strong influence on the aging process. Fewer children are being born, but with more elderly people a conflict arises between the objectives to limit population increase and yet maintain a balanced age structure (Peng and Guo 2001). The intersection of these fourfold factors means that the increased aging population is giving rise to serious concerns among Chinese social policy makers. There is a chronic lack of good resource materials that attempt to make sense of social policy in its relationship to examining the problems and possibilities of human aging grounded in an analysis of economic of social policy in China and impact on rural and urban spaces. Such analysis of China will be covered by conceptual, theoretical, and empirical approaches. The book will also discuss substantive topics of housing, community care, family care, pensions, and mental health. The book brings together a truly world class array of researchers to provide discussions of critical implications of aging social policy and the economic impact in China."

Drawing on research across a wide range of European countries, this book analyzes the key issues at stake in developing long-term care systems for older people in Europe with a focus on progression and improvement for policy and practice.

This book explores the adoption of 'active ageing' policies by EU15 nations and the impact on older peoples' work and retirement policy options. Policies examined include unemployment benefits, active labour market policies, partial pension receipt, pension principles, early retirement and incentives for deferral.

Europe currently is the oldest continent in the world and its population is still ageing. This demographic shift affects society, economy, and welfare states. Scholars from various disciplines and the public noted this development and wonder what effects it may have, but lack adequate information. They call for explanations that are concise and easily accessible. The book at hand fills this lacuna. It introduces readers to the most important developments, theories, concepts, and discussions in ageing studies - always keeping an eye on the current situation in Europe. Each chapter adopts the perspective of a different discipline, e.g. public health, sociology, economics, or technology. To make the explanations easy to understand, the book includes learning tools such as learning objectives, multiple choice questions, and a glossary.

This book outlines the methodology and results of the Fiction and the Cultural Mediation of Ageing Project, led by a research team from Brunel University, UK. It investigates how older people resist stereotypical cultural representations of ageing and demonstrates the importance of narrative understanding to social agency.

Kornhuber and Deecke first recorded and reported the Bereitschaftspotential in 1964. The aim of this book is to bring together in a single volume some of the important research on the Bereitschaftspotential and other movement-related cortical potentials and to highlight and address some of the pertinent questions relating to the Bereitschaftspotential and to identify the key issues for future investigation in this field. This book represents a unique compilation of information about the Bereitschaftspotential and related cortical potentials and techniques for measuring preparatory processes in the brain. The book will be of interest to motor physiologists, psychologists and neurologists working in clinical or research laboratories.

This volume explores the strengths and opportunities of old age as these are manifested by the accomplishments of aging artists, late artistic works, and elderly arts audiences. It critically examines the psychology of creativity, cognitive development, and gerontology, and will be of interest to a wide range of professionals and students in these fields.

''Full of valuable definitions, descriptions, discussion and succinct summaries....the volume forms an interesting, up-to-date reservoir of information on 'preparation for aging'. As a source of specific insights and alternative perspectives it is a welcome addition to the literature.'' -Aging and Society