This special issue highlights how social psychology can further the understanding of important social, health, interpersonal, and intergenerational issues facing people as they age. This issue has three goals: to generate more interest in aging as an area of study for social psychologists by showcasing researchers who are currently integrating basic social psychological research with issues in aging and lifespan development; to challenge readers to think about how their research programs can interconnect with issues in aging; and to demonstrate how social psychological processes have direct application to many of the issues facing people as they age.

Does human mortality after age 110 continue to rise, level off, or start to decline? This book describes a concerted, international research effort undertaken with the goal of establishing a database that allows the best possible description of the mortality trajectory beyond the age of 110. The International Database on Longevity (IDL) is the result of this ongoing effort. The IDL contains exhaustive information on validated cases of supercentenarians (people 110 years and older) and allows unbiased estimates of mortality after age 110. The main finding is remarkable: human mortality after age 110 is flat at a probability of death of 50% per year. The sixteen chapters of this book discuss age validation of exceptional longevity, data on supercentenarians in a series of countries, structure and contents of the IDL, and statistical analysis of human mortality after age 110. Several chapters include short accounts of specific supercentenarians that add life to demographic research. Content Level Research

In this volume, economists discuss the long-run consequences of aging societies. Using theoretical economic models, long-term projections and simulations, and econometric analysis, answers to the following questions are given: What are the economic consequences for consumption patterns, the supply of labor, capital accumulation, productivity, and the international flow of capital? Where are the political consequences for pension systems, health care and immigration policy? And what changes in politics are needed to handle the issues of populations that age markedly?

'God's purpose for us is to show, as we get older, that he gives us his strength and, through our experiences of him, his wisdom,' says Ian Knox. 'God is not finished with us. In our later years we are not only to be blessed, but to be a blessing and bring a blessing.' As we get older, some of us grow more frenetic in our anxiety to demonstrate that the force is still with us. Others withdraw, often quite abruptly. What is God's view of ageing? The Bible has much to say, and many stories to tell, about those who did great things, those who did ordinary things well, those who prayed, those who used their gifts, those who suffered, those who went right to the end - and those who, in later years, got it absolutely wrong. How are we going to face the prospect of ageing? Will we subside, give up? Or shall we view retirement as a gift from God, an opportunity to reach out to others? Our older years are full of possibilities, not least of which is that of helping others find Christ.

The 398 tables, graphs, and charts in this handbook focus on this growing segment of America's population. Census data are supplemented by statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics and special interest groups such as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). A special glossary defines census and demographic terms, and relevant sources of additional data are included.

Art Therapy and Creative Aging offers an integrated perspective on engaging with older people through the arts. Drawing from the author's clinical, research and teaching experiences, the book explores how arts engagement can intertwine with and support healthy aging. This book combines analysis of current development theory, existing research on creative programs with elders, and case examples of therapeutic experience to critically examine ageism and demonstrate how art therapy and creative aging approaches can harness our knowledge of the cognitive and emotional development of older adults. Chapters cover consideration of generational, cultural, and historical factors; the creative, cognitive and emotional developmental components of aging; arts and art therapy techniques and methods with older adults with differing needs; and examples of best practices. Creative arts therapists, creative aging professionals, and students who seek foundational concepts and ideas for arts practice with older people will find this book instrumental in developing effective ways of using the arts to promote health and well-being and inspire engagement with this often-underserved population.

Contents:
Preface. Acknowledgments. Part I: Introduction to Leadership. Leadership: Challenge of a New Age. Leadership in Retirement -- Who's in charge now? Prelude to Organizational Change. Mapping the Structure of an Organization. Part II: Portraits of Leaders and Leadership-in-Action. Carnegie Hall - Portraits of Power. Centennial Center - Portraits of Power. Three Leaders and How They Found Their Feet. Part III: The Practice of Leadership. The Revolution - From Power to Empowerment. Transforming Leadership. Back to New Basics. References.

Women in the Hebrew Bible presents the first broad overview covering the place of women in the writings in the Old Testament.

The Therapeutic Community: Research and Practice brings together the diverse lens of these communities, illuminating and challenging current practice models and research. The book seeks to demonstrate the working collaboration between research-based and practice-based research, as well as filling the gaps for professions in behavioral health, neurobiology, corrections and workforce development. Each chapter explores how both environment and modality work together to change the quality of an individual's life. The reader is provided with a foundation and introduction to the language of 'Democratic' and 'Concept-based' TCs. This book presents case studies, protocols, fidelity measures and emerging research to help readers incorporate applications into their own practice.

This edited volume focuses on the interplay between sleep and circadian rhythms with health, aging and longevity. Sleep is absolutely important for human health and survival, as insufficient sleep is associated with a plethora of conditions, including the poor quality of life, onset of several diseases, and premature death. The sleep-wake cycle is an evolutionary conserved neurobiological phenomenon, and is a prominent manifestation of the biological clocks localised in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Understanding bidirectional relationship between sleep and circadian rhythms is of utmost importance and urgency, especially in the context of modern lifestyle where sleep is often out of phase with the internal body clocks, social jetlag, artificial lights and so on. The 25 chapters by leading researchers and experts from 11 countries are arranged into seven sections: understanding sleep and clock interlink in health and longevity; sleep, aging and longevity; clock, aging and longevity; melatonin, sleep and clock; genetic regulation of sleep and clock; therapeutic interventions in sleep disorders and clock misalignment; and experimental models to study sleep and clocks in aging and longevity. This book is useful for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers, educators, and other biomedical professionals.

This innovative, ethnographic study of a neighborhood beauty salon investigates how customers constitute a lively, affirming community of peers during their weekly visits. Facing the Mirror gives voice to older women, who, in a sexist and ageist society, are frequently devalued and rendered invisible. These older, mostly Jewish women articulate their experiences of bodily self-presentation, femininity, aging, and caring pertaining to their lives within and outside Julie's International Salon. This book explores the socio-moral significance of these experiences which reveals as much about society as about older women themselves. Women's narratives expose structures of power, inequality, and resistance in the ways women perceive reality, make choices and live in their worlds.

There's good news for middle-aged and older adults who wish to grow emotionally and spiritually and experience satisfaction and joy in their mature years regardless of circumstance, health, or age. A Gospel for the Mature Years shows you how to achieve joy and fulfillment by developing a deep, personal, intimate relationship with God, recognizing your God-given gifts, and using your abilities in service to others. Our later years are not meant to be a time for idleness and withdrawal from life. Rather, this is an exciting, meaningful, and action-packed time when we should grab hold of life and live it fully, advancing God's kingdom in our families, communities, and nation. Meant both for individual reading and for use in churches as a workbook for small discussion groups, A Gospel for the Mature Years is arranged to facilitate use in classes running on a calendar quarter of 13 Sundays. Questions for discussion at the end of each chapter have been designed to encourage individual preparation for participation in the group.Specific topics you learn about include: emotional growth and spiritual development achievement of well-being and fulfillment achieving Christian maturity preventing depression counseling and caregiving using one's gifts and talents overcoming barriers to loving and serving others avoiding burnout and exhaustion when loving and serving others These are increasingly difficult times, requiring that God's people work together by utilizing their talents for the benefit of others. The authors make clear that the call to service does not end with retirement. We can use this inspirational book to identify our gifts and learn how to best use them in service to God and others. A Gospel for the Mature Years will help us produce a society of people with vision--a vision of hope that life can have meaning and purpose regardless of circumstance, and of faith that every person has been given a gift that will enable them to make a difference in this world and make it a better place for their children and grandchildren.

Social Services for Senior Gay Men and Lesbians is an important new reference that provides those in the helping professions with practical information on how to work with the older gay and lesbian population. Although older gays and lesbians are the same in many ways as their heterosexual counterparts, they have an extra "layer" of concerns that are unique to their sexual orientation, including "coming out" to family and medical professionals, fear of discrimination, isolation, and loneliness. This new book helps social service providers address these and other concerns of the aging homosexual.Social Services for Senior Gay Men and Lesbians examines the history of homosexuality and how practitioners have developed ways to better serve this population. The book features case studies of topics that face practitioners and their older gay clients, including: housing needs of older gay and lesbian adults group therapy for older gay males long-term care dilemmas for older lesbians counseling an older gay male who is "coming out" staff development for non-gay social service providers historical review of gay and lesbian issuesBecause so little information exists in these and other areas, Social Services for Older Gay Men and Lesbians is an excellent resource for social workers, psychologists, nurses, counselors, and physicians.

There s good news for middle-aged and older adults who wish to grow emotionally and spiritually and experience satisfaction and joy in their mature years regardless of circumstance, health, or age. A Gospel for the Mature Years shows you how to achieve joy and fulfillment by developing a deep, personal, intimate relationship with God, recognizing your God-given gifts, and using your abilities in service to others. Our later years are not meant to be a time for idleness and withdrawal from life. Rather, this is an exciting, meaningful, and action-packed time when we should grab hold of life and live it fully, advancing God s kingdom in our families, communities, and nation.Meant both for individual reading and for use in churches as a workbook for small discussion groups, A Gospel for the Mature Years is arranged to facilitate use in classes running on a calendar quarter of 13 Sundays. Questions for discussion at the end of each chapter have been designed to encourage individual preparation for participation in the group. Specific topics you learn about include: emotional growth and spiritual development achievement of well-being and fulfillment achieving Christian maturity preventing depression counseling and caregiving using one s gifts and talents overcoming barriers to loving and serving others avoiding burnout and exhaustion when loving and serving others These are increasingly difficult times, requiring that God s people work together by utilizing their talents for the benefit of others. The authors make clear that the call to service does not end with retirement. We can use this inspirational book to identify our gifts and learn how to best use them in service to God and others. A Gospel for the Mature Years will help us produce a society of people with vision--a vision of hope that life can have meaning and purpose regardless of circumstance, and of faith that every person has been given a gift that will enable them to make a difference in this world and make it a better place for their children and grandchildren.

This book covers the essentials of psychotherapeutic work with older adults, discussing how contemporary psychodynamic thought can be applied clinically to engage the older patient in psychotherapeutic work of depth and meaning, work that not only relieves suffering but also promotes growth. It describes the way the difficulties accompanying older age can affect psychological functioning and it examines the unique psychotherapeutic needs of this age group. Using clinical vignettes for illustrative purposes, it explores the psychotherapeutic challenges, tasks, techniques and accomplishments involved in the treatment of older adults. Topics discussed include the reemergence of earlier developmental challenges; the concurrent treatment of late life and revived early trauma; transference and countertransference; the functions of developing an enriched life narrative in restoring the self; existential issues; and mourning. Throughout, the focus is on what psychotherapy can do to help. The demand for mental health services for older adults is growing alongside increasing life spans, but the psychodynamic literature has neglected this population. Blooming in December: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with Older Adults fills this gap, offering a clear guide to effective work with older adults for all psychotherapists and psychoanalysts.

The idea that our society is ageing is a popular source of gloomy predictions for the future. We see today's youth struggling in their mature years to pay for the masses of geriatric baby boomers whose productive years lie far behind.Australia's New Aged shows that this belief is part reality and part myth. While there will be an increase in the proportion of aged people in the next 20 years, this is a temporary phenomenon and it is likely that tomorrow's elderly will quite differently from their parents.Australia's New Aged examines public policy for the aged in the context of an increasingly vocal and active elderly population and cutbacks to health and welfare spending. The authors argue that policy makers have become trapped in a 'social problem' approach to ageing that assumes the elderly are a homogeneous, disadvantaged group with common interests. They examine a range of cases and identify negative consequences of inappropriate assumptions in terms of structural blindness and brutality. They show that this approach is no longer viable and argue that both policy makers and the aged care industry will need to be more sensitive to diversity and more flexible than ever before.Australia's New Aged is essential reading for students, policy makers and anyone working with the aged. John McCallum is Professor of Public Health and Dean of the Faculty of Health at the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur and co-editor of Grey Policy (1990). Karin Geiselhart is a journalist previously employed by the Office for the Status of Women in Canberra.

This anthology responds to the recurring call for quality in home care service provision. It presents to agency administrators, managers, supervisors, and front line service providers a set of the most up-to-date policy, program, and practice developments in the field. Each contributor to New Developments in Home Care Services for the Elderly explores issues of client/staff diversity and the challenges associated with working with clients grappling with disabling conditions.Contributors in New Developments in Home Care Services for the Elderly explore issues of client/staff diversity and the challenges associated with working with clients grappling with various disabling conditions. Topics addressed include: alternative organizational models in home care the importation of high technology services into the home legal and ethical issues in home health care counseling homebound clients and their families clinical assessment tools and packages case management and the home care client home care entitlements and benefits evaluating and monitoring the effectiveness of in-home care marketing home health care services home care service experiences in other countriesNew Developments in Home Care Services for the elderly covers a continuum of care ranging from housekeeping services to self-care education, teaching, and training services to nursing and medically related services. Consequently, the information contained within this volume is of immediate relevance to a multidisciplinary audience having both direct (field) and indirect (office) service responsibilities in the home care organization. Social workers, nurses, business administrators, and public health professionals will find this an invaluable guide for providing effective home care services.

Will you be ready when it's time...?
Whether whittling down to the essentials for a parent moving into a room or two or downsizing for ourselves, ignoring the spirit and basing decisions on health and safety alone could have devastating results.
In this hope filled book you will learn how to:
Identify needs and desires to create a quality new life Cope with the Depression Era mind-set Create emotionally sustaining environments to nurture the soul Ready and sell the family home Ask the RIGHT questions to help divest of treasures Manage your energy and spirit throughout the process Determine when it's time to consider alternative placement Perform the ordinary in a non-ordinary way -- allowing you to preserve and heal family relationships
Expert's Acclaim for Moving Your Aging Parents
"A creative and inspiring godsend for helping Mom and Dad transition to the next phase of life. Valuable for caregivers, healthcare professionals, and seniors interested in aging with independence, dignity and grace."
--Jacqueline Marcell, author Elder Rage, host of Coping With Caregiving radio show
"What a truly remarkable and elegantly written book. The information is relevant for every relocation regardless of the age or circumstances of the client."
--Sally B. Yaryan, Director, Professional Development & Education; Austin Board of REALTORS (r)
"As a thirty-five year plus veteran of health care practice as a Registered Nurse, specializing in the care of the elderly, I offer my heart-felt endorsement of this excellent book. It offers concrete plans to follow and emphasizes the emotional and spiritual counterparts that transform seemingly difficult chores into acts of mutual joy, growth, and love."
--Mary Durfor for Rebecca Reads
Learn more about this author at www.FocusOnSpace.com
From the Aging With Grace Series at Loving Healing Press www.LovingHealing.com

With the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare system. In Aging Nation, renowed experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of the issues and their impact on everyone, old and young. Deserving poor or greedy geezers? The debate rages on. In a period of huge government deficits and the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. The policy debates have never been more contentious; they range from deciding who should receive limited subsidized housing and medical services to the ongoing battle over saving Social Security and other entitlement programs. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare infrastructure that will implode under the strain of intergenerational conflict. This book debunks most aging crises put forth by merchants of doom and offers a new policy focus for our nation. In Aging Nation, renowned experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of these issues and their impact on everyone, old and young.

Focusing on contemporary ideas about how aged care is provided, this book poses the question: How can people who are aged and frail live out the final phase of their lives with dignity? In seeking answers, the author examines what it means to be 'at home' in residential care in a novel and compassionate way. In an ethnographic study of how elderly residents can be given the right care, this book provides a new route into the bodily realities of ageing. It is a vital contribution to the search for alternative approaches to aged care provision.

This open access book addresses the important and neglected question of older workers who are excluded from the labour market. It challenges post-capitalist discourses of active ageing with a focus on restrictive end-of-career and retirement measures. The book demonstrates how a paradigm shift is generating real processes of exclusion for important sectors of the population. By providing strong empirical evidence from different contexts, the impact of different life course trajectories on the risks and the opportunities at the end of career are demonstrated. The organisation of workplace and institutional frameworks which reinforce inequalities are also presented. As such the book is an essential reading for students, academics and policy makers who seek to understand how exclusion processes operate to the disadvantage of older workers in the labour market.

This important book examines the relationship between religion and mental health throughout the life cycle, with a special emphasis on later life. It asserts that successful aging is possible regardless of physical health or environmental circumstances, and that religious beliefs and behaviors may facilitate successful aging. Aging and God thoroughly examines the effects of religion and mental health on aging and provides a centralized resource of up-to-date references of research in the field. It focuses on recent findings, theoretical issues, and implications for clinical practice and contains ideas for further research. In Aging and God, you?ll also find information on project design that can help you develop grant applications and carry out studies.Aging and God is a helpful book for both mental health and religious professionals. It helps mental health specialists better understand the spiritual needs of older adults and the impact that religion can have on facilitating mental health. It also describes how religion can be utilized in clinical practice and integrated into psychotherapeutic approaches to older patients. The book brings religious professionals current knowledge of the major psychological problems that older adults face and how religion can be used to help alleviate these problems.Full of pertinent information, Aging and God addresses theoretical aspects of human development, focusing on cognitive, moral, and religious faith development examines situations and disorders of particular concern to older persons and looks at how religion can be used as a resource?applies research findings to the problem of meeting the spiritual and mental health needs of elders with chronic or acute health problems provides an in-depth look at end-of-life issues such as physician-assisted suicideHospital and nursing home chaplains will find this book informative and encouraging, as will gerontologists, hospital administrators, and community clergy faced with increasingly older congregations. It gives mental health professionals new strategies to help improve the later years of older adults, and makes an excellent text for courses on religion, mental health, and aging. Middle-aged and older adults, as well as their families, will also find Aging and God enjoyable and inspiring as they attempt to grapple with the myriad adjustment and coping problems associated with aging.

This book studies the relationship between women, ageing and celebrity. Focusing on an array of case studies and star/celebrity images, it aims to examine the powerful, contradictory and sometimes celebratory ways in which celebrity culture offers a crucial site for the contemporary and historical construction of discourses on ageing femininities.

Presents the foundations for understanding gerontology and addresses, chapter by chapter, many different aspects of ageing. The "gerontological boom" of the 20th century has led to spectulation about what it will be like to grow old in years to come and the resulting consequences for society. In addressing the different aspects of ageing, this book contributes to the science of "gerontology". The various chapters cover the meaning of later life, cognitive loss in old age, personality changes and adjustments, abnormal ageing including dementia and depression.