Two things are certain in the contemporary workplace: the aging of employees, and negative attitudes toward them especially those with disabilities by younger colleagues and supervisors. Yet related phenomena seem less clear: how do negative stereotypes contribute to discrimination on the job? And how are these stereotypes perceived in legal proceedings? Bringing theoretical organization to an often unfocused literature, Disability and Aging Discrimination offers research in these areas at the same level of rigor as research into racial and gender discrimination. The book applies Social Analytic Jurisprudence, a framework for testing legal assumptions regarding behavior, and identifies controversies and knowledge gaps in age-discrimination and disability law. Chapters provide historical background or present-day context for the prevalence of age and disability prejudices, and shed light on the psychosocial concepts that must be understood, in addition to medical considerations, to make improvements in legal standards and workplace policy. Among the topics covered: Applying Social Analytic Jurisprudence to age and disability discrimination. The psychological origins and social pervasiveness of ageism. Growing older, working more: the boomer generation on the job. Limitations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Disability and procedural fairness in the workplace. Cross-cultural perspectives on stigma. The first volume of its kind, Disability and Aging Discrimination is essential reading for researchers, forensic and rehabilitation psychologists/psychiatrists, and those involved in the well-being of older and disabled workers. Content Level Research Keywords AD-AAA - ADA - ADEA - Vocational Rehabilitation Act - age discrimination - ageism Related subjects Population Studies - Psychology & Law

This comprehensive handbook presents the major philosophical perspectives on the nature, prospects, problems and social context of age and aging in an era of dramatically increasing life-expectancy. Drawing on the latest research in gerontology, medicine and the social sciences, its twenty-seven chapters examine our intuitions and common sense beliefs about the meaning of aging and explore topics such as the existential experience of old age, aging in different philosophical and religious traditions, the place of the elderly in contemporary society and the moral rights and responsibilities of the old. This book provides innovative and leading-edge research that will help to determine the parameters of the philosophy of aging for years to come. Key Features * Structured in four parts addressing the meaning, experience, ethics and future of aging * Comprehensive ethical coverage including of the retirement age, health-care for the elderly and the transhumanist life-extending project * Focused treatment of the dementia 'epidemic' and the philosophy of the mind and self The Palgrave Handbook of the Philosophy of Aging is an essential resource for scholars, researchers and advanced students in the philosophy of the self, moral and political philosophy, bioethics, phenomenology, narrative studies and philosophy of economics. It is also an ideal volume for researchers, advanced students and professionals in gerontology, health care, psychology, sociology and population studies.

Examines and clarifies the role of adult children as service providers to elderly parents. Drawing upon extensive interviews with elderly parents and adult children, the author describes how each group perceives the relative importance of helping services and suggests means by which children can increase helping behavior.

Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Ninth Edition tackles both the biological and environmental influences on behavior and the reciprocal interface between changes in the brain and behavior that span the adult lifespan. This information is very important to many features of daily life, from workplace to family, and in public policy matters. It is complex and new questions are continually raised about how behavior changes with age. Providing perspectives on the behavioral science of aging for diverse disciplines, the handbook explains how the role of behavior is organized and how it changes over the course of life. Along with parallel advances in research methodology, it explicates in great detail, patterns and sub-patterns of behavior over the lifespan, and how it affects biological, health and social interactions.

Over the past decades Europe has witnessed fundamental changes of its population dynamics and population structure. Fertility has fallen below replacement level in almost all European countries, while childbearing behavior and family formation have become more diverse. Life expectancy has increased in Western Europe for both females and males, but has been declining for men in some Eastern European countries. Immigration from non-European countries has increased substantially, as has mobility within Europe. These changes pose major challenges to population studies, as conventional theoretical assumptions regarding demographic behavior and demographic development seem unfit to provide convincing explanations of the recent demographic changes. This book, derived from the symposium on "The Demography of Europe" held at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany in November 2007 in honor of Professor Jan M. Hoem, brings together leading population researchers in the area of fertility, family, migration, life-expectancy, and mortality. The contributions present key issues of the new demography of Europe and discuss key research advances to understand the continent's demographic development at the turn of the 21st century.

Over the next 40 years the number of people aged 60 and over in the world is set to grow by one and a quarter billion. More than 80 per cent of these people will be living in developing regions, such as Asia, Africa and Latin America. What are the implications of this for the world and what will old age be like for these people? This original book provides a sophisticated analysis of links between development, population ageing and the experiences of older people. Drawing on a broad array of evidence, it challenges a number of widely held misconceptions and generalisations. The book highlights the diversity and complexity of international experiences and argues that the effects of population ageing on development are strongly influenced by policy choices. It argues that pension programmes in developing countries often promote inequality and clientelism, that health policies over-look basic provision and lifelong promotion, and that care needs continue to be neglected. It includes country case study chapters which analyse the experiences of India, South Africa and Argentina. The book will be of interest to people working in a wide range of academic disciplines, including economics, gerontology, social policy and development studies. It will also provide a key reference point for policy makers and practitioners concerned with developing countries.

This in-depth description of life in a nursing/care home for 70 residents and 40 staff highlights the daily care of frail or ill residents between 80 and 100 years of age, including people suffering with dementia. How residents interact with care assistants is emphasised, as are the different behaviours of men and women observed during a year of daily conversations between the author, patients and staff, who share their stories of the pressures of the work. Living Before Dying shows a world where, in extreme old age, people have to learn how to cope with living communally.

Most of the research done in social cognition has been conducted with younger adults and may not be applicable to a much older population. Social Cognition and Aging provides a snapshot view of research that has been done with older adults or is directly applicable to this population. Focusing on issues of self identity, social interactions, and social perceptions, this book provides a broad overview of how aging affects one's own perceptions and actions as well as how others perceive and interact with the aged. Coverage includes such topics as self-control, memory, resilience, age stereotypes, moral development, and the "art" of living. With contributions from top researchers in both gerontology and psychology, this book is an important reference for academics and professionals alike in personality, cognition, social psychology, adult development, sociology, and gerontology.

This collection offers a fascinating comparative analysis of two very different approaches to social policy on ageing. By analyzing the different foundations and systems established by Beveridge in Britain and Bismarck in Germany this book provides a well-constructed and truly comparative perspective on a range of key issues. Each chapter is co-authored by a leading German and a British figure in the field allowing for a unique insight into the differing policies.

"The rapid Asian fertility transitions of the last few decades will lead to population ageing in the coming decades in one country after another. Societies can choose how they will respond to the rising share of the elderly, but there is no choice about the inevitable demographic trend. In this important volume, ably edited by Evi Nurvidya Arifin and Aris Ananta, demographers, economists, sociologists, and anthropologists analyse the implications of population ageing for family and community welfare and public policy. Most importantly, the authors emphasize the opportunities, as well as the costs of population ageing. Older persons have always been a source of unpaid family labour, and with changes in public perceptions, many healthy and productive elderly can make significant contributions to the broader community and society." - Professor Charles Hirschman, Professor of Sociology, University of Washington. "Ageing is increasingly being recognized as an important emerging issue in Southeast Asia. This book is a timely contribution covering key issues and concerns on the subject and is a clear clarion call to view older persons as assets rather than liabilities. The comprehensive overview and analysis, and experiences from various countries presented by scholars make this book a useful resource for better understanding of the critical issues. The thoughtful proposals provided for necessary future action on concerns that need to be addressed are worthy of consideration especially for building inclusive societies." - Dr Thelma Kay, Director, Social Development Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok. "A welcome and timely volume that realistically considers the challenges that the rapid increase in older persons pose for the family, community and society at large in the context of Southeast Asia. Most importantly, it shifts the focus from viewing older persons simply as liabilities to one that recognizes their value as an asset that can be enhanced through appropriate actions at each of these levels, especially ones that take into account the rapidly changing socio-economic and technological environment in which population ageing is taking place." - Professor John Knodel, Research Professor Emeritus, Population Studies Center and Professor Emeritus, Sociology, University of Michigan.

Long Lives Are for the Rich is the title of a silent ominous program that affects the lives of millions of people. In all developed countries disadvantaged and, especially, poor people die much earlier than the most advantaged. During these shorter lives they suffer ten to twenty years longer from disabilities or chronic disease. This does not happen accidentally: health inequalities – including those between healthy and unhealthy life styles – are mainly caused by social inequalities that are reproduced over the life course. This crucial function of the life course has become painfully visible during its neoliberal reorganization since the early 1980s. Studies about aging over the life course, from birth to death, show the inhumane consequences as people get older. In spite of the enormous wealth that has been piled up in the US for a dwindling percentage of the population, there has been growing public indifference about the needs of those in jobs with low pay and high stress, but also about citizens from a broad middle class who can hardly afford high quality education or healthcare. However, this ominous program affects all: recent mortality rates show that all Americans, including the rich, are unhealthier and dying earlier than citizens of other developed countries. Moreover, the underlying social inequalities are tearing the population apart with nasty consequences for all citizens, including the rich. Although the public awareness of the consequences has been growing, neoliberal policies remain tempting for the economic and political elites of the developed world because of the enormous wealth that is flowing to the top. All this poses urgent questions of social justice. Unfortunately, the predominant studies of social justice along the life course help to reproduce these inequalities by neglecting them. This book analyzes the main dynamics of social inequality over the life course and proposes a theory of social justice that sketches a way forward for a country that is willing to invest in its greatest resource: the creative potential of its population.

Most studies of ageing have been done by the non-aged. To correct this imbalance, Hazan enlisted the resources of an unusual and innovative group of elderly persons in Cambridge, England. Gathering together in a structured curriculum of seminars and discussion groups and calling themselves the University of the Third Age, the elders intellectually reexamine the spectrum of sociocultural and epistemological principles starting with basics. Hazan's careful observation, description and transcription of the words of the Third Agers demonstrates that cognition and discourse go through transformations and permutations as individuals attain the so-called wisdom years. Alone in the literature on ageing, Hazan's contribution lights the way for much new thinking and research on and among our older population.

The ageing of the population has enormous implications for the provision of, and access to, health care. Christina Victor's important textbook provides comprehensive overview of the experiences of older people, chapters on physical health, mental health, disability and lifestyle, a thesis of current policy developments, the key debates on the future health of elders and an international, up-to-date perspective. Written by a leader in the field, the book covers key questions such as the fitness of future older people, the widening inequalities in their health and whether health in old age is related to habits and behaviour in earlier life.

Significant improvements in lifestyle and medical science are leading to an ever increasing elderly population in the United States and other developed nations. The U.S census bureau estimates that the number of people over 65 will nearly double by 2030, and that the elderly will comprise nearly one-fifth of the world's entire population within the next 20 years. In Animal Models of Human Cognitive Aging, Jennifer Bizon, Alisa Woods, and a panel of international authorities comprehensively discuss the use of animal models as a tool for understanding cognitive changes associated with the aging process. The book provides substantive background on the newest and most widely used animal models in studies of cognition and aging, while detailing the normal and pathological processes of brain aging of humans in relation to those models. Additional chapters comprehensively review frontal cortical deficits and executive function in primates as related to humans, and the use of transgenic modulation in mice to model Alzheimer's and other age-related diseases. Groundbreaking and authoritative, Animal Models of Human Cognitive Aging provides a valuable resource for Neuroscientists, Gerontological Scientists and all aging medicine researchers, while serving as a primer for understanding current brain aging studies.

How can we understand older people as real human beings, value their wisdom, and appreciate that their norms and principles both matter in themselves and are affected by those of others? Using a life-course approach, this book claims that the complexity and potential creativity of later life demands a humanistic vision of older people and ageing. This denies that older people are 'other' than ourselves, stressing 'ties of recognition and concern' which bind all human beings together.At the same time, it acknowledges the specificities of different experiences of older age and the diversity of meanings connected with them. It presents a range of contexts and methodologies through which such meanings can be understood. The book interprets ageing as a process of creating meaning, carried out by older people but significant for those around them, and influenced by the norms and values of their societies. It then considers the impact of social norms on older people's capacities to age in creative ways.What real obstacles are there to older people's construction of meaningful lives, what is going on when they feel they are ageing well? In former times, the idea of a meaningful later life was associated with the idea of wisdom; some of its contemporary dimensions are explored here. This collection offers a lively and creative response to contemporary challenges of ageing and how to understand it. It is aimed at students, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers interested in ageing.

This book brings together the newest and the most innovative scholarship on Nigerian children-one of the least researched groups in African colonial history. It engages the changing conceptions of childhood, relating it to the broader themes about modernity, power, agency, and social transformation under imperial rule.

Current social policy recognizes that older people should be treated as experts in their own lives and be actively involved in their care. This book explores what can be learned from older people's experiences in managing ageing. Direct connections are made between the everyday experiences and perspectives of older people, related research, and theoretical perspectives. This yields an engaging and informative analysis of how older people manage the ageing experience and what this means for policy and practice directed at promoting older people's wellbeing. The book provides an original and much-needed exploration of the strategies used by older people. It is topical and highly relevant to current issues in social policy, social work, and social care. As a unique and valuable resource for teaching, research, and practice in these areas, it provides key messages from recent and current research, relating to the experiences of older people and different aspects of community care practice.

This insightful, research-driven book offers practical advice to older adults seeking new intimate relationships, lasting friendships, and better relationships with family members and children. Written to appeal to men as well as women, Mature Friendships, Love, and Romance: A Practical Guide to Intimacy for Older Adults is a serious book about love, romance, intimacy, and sexuality, as well as friendship and family. It is about what happens when older adults lack close relationships and about practical ways to address that isolation and loneliness. Through personal stories and vignettes, readers will see how notions of friendship, intimacy, and love change as we age, what mature love is, and what factors can make it challenging. Among the topics discussed are late-life divorces and breakups of long-term relationships; finding new and intimate friendships; resolving problems with adult children that can emerge when you enter a new, loving relationship; and choosing activities to increase your pool of potential friends and mates. Internet dating is addressed, as are the general thoughts and actions of happy people who agree life can start at 60. Presents powerful personal stories about mature love and intimacy Includes case studies of mature adults experiencing love and intimacy problems, offering explanations of the problems and effective and realistic solutions Discusses current research on love and intimacy problems of older adults

Although the public most often associates dementia with Alzheimer's disease, the medical profession now distinguishes various types of "other" dementias. This book is the first and only comprehensive guide dealing with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), one of the largest groups of non-Alzheimer's dementias. The contributors are either specialists in their fields or have exceptional hands-on experience with FTD sufferers.Beginning with a focus on the medical facts, the first part defines and explores FTD as an illness distinct from Alzheimer's disease. Also considered are clinical and medical care issues and practices, as well as such topics as finding a medical team and rehabilitation interventions. The next section on managing care examines the daily care routine including exercise, socialization, adapting the home environment, and behavioral issues. In the following section on caregiver resources, the contributors identify professional and government assistance programs along with private resources and legal options. The final section focuses on the caregiver, in particular the need for respite and the challenge of managing emotions.This new, completely revised edition follows recent worldwide collaboration in research and provides the most current medical information available, a better understanding of the different classifications of FTD, and more clarity regarding the role of genetics. The wealth of information offered in these pages will help both healthcare professionals and caregivers of someone suffering from frontotemporal degeneration.

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.

This book examines the migration of older persons to rural retirement destinations in the United States. While the majority of older persons are residentially stable, those who migrate are disproportionately likely to move to a rural community. Moreover, with the aging of the baby boom generation, particular rural communities can expect to continue attracting older in-migrants in the future. The book examines rural retirement migration from the older in-migrants' perspective and from the vantage point of the destination communities to which they move. This integrated micro-macro approach permits the authors to view older in-migrants as embedded in particular types of environments that facilitate and/or constrain their opportunities for productive living during older age. It also permits the examination of positive and negative effects of older in-migration for destination communities.

This book explores the lived, embodied experiences of aging men as a counterpoint to the weary stereotypes often imposed on them. Conventionally, in Western cultures, they are seen as inevitably in decline. The book challenges these distorted images through a detailed analysis of aging men's life stories.

This book explores the adoption of "active ageing" policies by EU15 nations and the impact on older peoples' work and retirement policy options. It explores the labor market policies (including unemployment benefits, active labor market policies and partial pension receipt) and pension policies (pension principles, early retirement and incentives for deferral) adopted by these nations from the mid-1990s onwards, addressing three main questions. First, to what extent was the EU's vision of "active ageing" adopted in EU15 nations between 1995 and 2010? Second, what was the nature of policy reforms in these nations over this time period? Finally, which sub-groups within the older age cohort were subject to active ageing policies in these countries? The data indicate convergence towards the EU-vision of active ageing is complex, with nations adopting a variety of different reforms and policy mixes, which in turn focus on different groups within the older age cohort.

Evidence of widening inequalities in later life raises concerns about the ways in which older adults might experience forms of social exclusion. Such concerns are evident in all societies as they seek to come to terms with the unprecedented ageing of their populations. Taking a broad international perspective, this highly topical book casts light on patterns and processes that either place groups of older adults at risk of exclusion or are conducive to their inclusion. Leading international experts challenge traditional understandings of exclusion in relation to ageing in From Exclusion to Inclusion in Old Age. They also present new evidence of the interplay between social institutions, policy processes, personal resources and the contexts within which ageing individuals live to show how this shapes inclusion or exclusion in later life. Dealing with topics such as globalisation, age discrimination and human rights, intergenerational relationships, poverty, and migration, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in ageing issues.