This essay collection develops new perspectives on constructions of old age in literary, legal, scientific and periodical cultures of the nineteenth century. Rigorously interdisciplinary, the book places leading researchers of old age in nineteenth-century literature in dialogue with experts from the fields of cultural, legal and social history. It revisits the origins of many modern debates about aging in the nineteenth century - a period that saw the emergence of cultural and scientific frameworks for the understanding of old age that continue to be influential today. The contributors provide fresh readings of canonical texts by Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, Henry James and others. The volume builds momentum in the burgeoning field of aging studies. It argues that the study of old age in the nineteenth century has entered a new and distinctly interdisciplinary phase that is characterized by a set of research interests that are currently shared across a range of disciplines and that explore conceptions of old age in the nineteenth century by privileging, respectively, questions of agency, of place, of gender and sexuality, and of narrative and aesthetic form.

This groundbreaking resource presents a wealth of findings and perspectives previously unseen in the LGBT literature. Its focus on psychological, sociopolitical and care delivery issues affecting LGBT elders reveals both the nuanced interplay between diverse sources of identity and multiple sources of stigma and discrimination. Specific chapters highlight challenges and resiliencies impacting subpopulations (e.g., racial groups, veterans, immigrants), examine employment and advocacy issues, discuss later-life concerns in context and offer guidelines for relevant, ethical practice. Contributors represent a wide range of fields from psychiatry and gerontology to public health and public policy, reflecting the scope and needs of this diverse and complex population. Among the topics in the Handbook: Family relationships of older LGBT adults. The intersection of identities: race, age, sexuality and care network. Bisexuality: an invisible community among LGBT elders. Implications of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. No money, no work and you're old. Disabilities among LGBT elders: responses of medicine, public health, rehabilitation and social work. Handbook of LGBT Elders is an essential reference for mental health professionals, psychologists and social workers who work with the LGBT community and the elderly, as well as researchers interested in the LGBT community and aging.

This book provides multinational evidence on active and healthy ageing. It generates authoritative new knowledge for mutual learning and policymaking in addressing challenges linked with population ageing. The authors discuss how to achieve better active ageing outcomes through appropriate policies including addressing life course determinants of active and healthy ageing. The chapters are distinctive in their focus on quantitative analysis of active and healthy ageing based on a first-of-its-kind composite measure, the Active Ageing Index developed during the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. Contributors include researchers, civil service representatives, policymakers and other stakeholders from national, regional and European organisations. This edited volume provides a multidisciplinary resource for academics and policy makers in various areas of the social sciences, especially those studying population ageing and its consequences, economists, sociologists, social policy analysts and public health experts.

Focusing on mental health rather than mental illness, this book adopts a lifecourse approach to understanding mental health and wellbeing in later life. Well-respected author and scholar Alisoun Milne explores the influences of lifecourse experiences, structural inequalities, socio-political context, history, gender and age related factors and engages with new ways of thinking about preventing mental ill health and promoting mental health in later life. Drawing together material from a number of different fields, the book analyses the meaning and determinants of mental health among older populations and offers a critical review of the lifecourse, ageing and mental health discourse for students, professionals, policy makers and researchers.

The Empty Couch is an introduction to the challenges and obstacles inherent in ageing as a psychoanalyst. It addresses the previously neglected issue of ill health, as well as the significance of ageing for psychoanalysts, exploring the analyst's attitude towards getting older, impermanence and sense of time and space. Covering a wide range of topics Gabriele Junkers brings together expert contributors who discuss the problems of getting physically ill and how to conduct psychoanalysis as an ill therapist. Chapters also address the effects that ageing has on professional stamina, the grief inevitably caused by the losses endured in later life and inquires into the role that institutions (the relevant psychoanalytic institutes or societies) can play in this context. Setting out to encourage discussion on this vital topic, The Empty Couch brings this neglected area into sharp focus. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, counsellors, gerontologists and trainees in the psychoanalytic and psychotherapy worlds.

The Empty Couch is an introduction to the challenges and obstacles inherent in ageing as a psychoanalyst. It addresses the previously neglected issue of ill health, as well as the significance of ageing for psychoanalysts, exploring the analyst's attitude towards getting older, impermanence and sense of time and space. Covering a wide range of topics Gabriele Junkers brings together expert contributors who discuss the problems of getting physically ill and how to conduct psychoanalysis as an ill therapist. Chapters also address the effects that ageing has on professional stamina, the grief inevitably caused by the losses endured in later life and inquires into the role that institutions (the relevant psychoanalytic institutes or societies) can play in this context. Setting out to encourage discussion on this vital topic, The Empty Couch brings this neglected area into sharp focus. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, counsellors, gerontologists and trainees in the psychoanalytic and psychotherapy worlds.

Wisdom Mind is a scientifically tested mindfulness program for older adults - those who are cognitively healthy, as well as those who may be experiencing what is referred to as subjective cognitive decline. While mindfulness is already known to benefit a wide variety of individuals, the unique strengths of this program are the ways in which it is tailored specifically to older adults. Session content is keyed to common concerns of older adults (such as cognitive slip-ups, loss, and grief), and incorporates strategies for building upon mindfulness practices in a sequence of increasing difficulty as well as strategies to promote learning and integration. Designed to be used alongside the companion Facilitator Guide, this session-by-session Participant Workbook provides detailed information on how to take part in the program, as well as the reasoning behind why certain practices and strategies are provided at different times and in different ways. As such, it will be of interest to those familiar with mindfulness as well as those new to the practice. A companion website provides downloadable meditation audio recordings that participants can access throughout the program.

This volume derived from original presentations given at a conference in Atlanta, Georgia, under the auspices of the Center for Child Well-Being. Scholars, practitioners, public health professionals, and principals in the child development community convened to address a science-based framework for elements of well-being and how the elements might be developed across the life course. Integrating physical, cognitive, and social-emotional domains, Well-Being is the first scientific book to consider well-being holistically. Focusing on a set of core strengths grouped within these three domains, the book also includes a fourth section on developmental strengths through adulthood that broadly examines a continuum of health and development, as well as transitions in well-being. This volume takes a developmental perspective across the life course, describing foundational strengths for well-being--the capacities that can be actively developed, supported, or learned. These foundational strengths--problem solving, emotional regulation, and physical safety--are the positive underpinnings of early child health and development, as well as ongoing well-being across the life course. Working together and blending their respective disciplinary perspectives and expertise, 53 experts in psychology, sociology, child development, and medicine have contributed to the book.

Looking at the collective identities of Japanese American elderly in a former sugar plantation community in Puna, Hawai'i, this book investigates the stories in which they remember, evaluate, and represent their past lives on the plantation.

The study of grandparents raising grandchildren, now almost two decades old, has tended to have a negative bias, emphasizing the difficulties such people face and the negative impact that grandparent caregiving has on them physically, socially, and emotionally. This edited book seeks to reverse this trend by taking a positive approach to understanding grandparent caregivers, focusing on their resilience and resourcefulness. This method reflects a strengths-based approach and the importance of benefit-finding and positive coping. Chapters feature information from both qualitative and quantitative studies and are written by a diverse range of professionals, such as counselors, psychologists, geriatric social workers, and nurse practitioners, to provide multidisciplinary persepctives for practitioners working with grandparent caregivers. Part one discusses the positive qualities that custodial grandparents possess resilience, resourcefulness, and benefit finding. The second part considers the sociocultural aspects of resilience and resourcefulness in grandparent caregivers. Finally, part three presents strengths-based interventions for working with custodial grandparents. Practitioners will find this to be a valuable resource in their work and the field as a whole, stimulating positive changes in attitudes toward and practices with grandparent caregivers.

The study of grandparents raising grandchildren, now almost two decades old, has tended to have a negative bias, emphasizing the difficulties such people face and the negative impact that grandparent caregiving has on them physically, socially, and emotionally. This edited book seeks to reverse this trend by taking a positive approach to understanding grandparent caregivers, focusing on their resilience and resourcefulness. This method reflects a strengths-based approach and the importance of benefit-finding and positive coping. Chapters feature information from both qualitative and quantitative studies and are written by a diverse range of professionals, such as counselors, psychologists, geriatric social workers, and nurse practitioners, to provide multidisciplinary persepctives for practitioners working with grandparent caregivers. Part one discusses the positive qualities that custodial grandparents possess resilience, resourcefulness, and benefit finding. The second part considers the sociocultural aspects of resilience and resourcefulness in grandparent caregivers. Finally, part three presents strengths-based interventions for working with custodial grandparents. Practitioners will find this to be a valuable resource in their work and the field as a whole, stimulating positive changes in attitudes toward and practices with grandparent caregivers.

"This is the first book that targets the "true older" New Yorker who may need to access a social service program one day and plan a trip the next day. A truly invaluable and timely guide."
"--Adeena Besdin

Expert on Eldercare"

"Take Charge! is a major contribution to older adults, their families, and professionals in the New York City area."
"--Helen Miller

Director of HealthOutreach"

For people over the age of sixty, New York City is a cluttered attic-a mess of valuables that cannot be ignored, but that for the most part remains buried in jargon, agencies, regulations, and eligibility forms. New York City is, after all, a place that offers seniors everything from discount tickets for Broadway shows to social service agencies for those who speak foreign languages including Spanish, Cantonese or Tagalog. It is a place of endless benefits for those who can dig through the junk in the attic, organize what is there and still have the desire to leave the house.

Take Charge! The Complete Guide to Senior Living in New York City is the first book to gather, in a single volume, information and advice for people over sixty who want to make the most of the city. Here at last is an all-inclusive guide that addresses every concern for senior New Yorkers, from entertainment and healthcare to housing and taxes. Take Charge! reaches beyond merely listing phone numbers and programs to giving advice on a number of areas, from choosing an HMO, a reverse mortgage, or an elder law attorney, to receiving travel discounts and negotiating home care.

Containing everything a person over sixty needs to know to make the most of life in New York City, Take Charge! is the onlycomprehensive guide available for New York seniors and their families.

Current and emerging trends in the domains of health management and the work sector, the abundance of new consumer products pervading the marketplace, and the desires of many older adults to undertake new learning experiences means that older adults, like their younger counterparts, will need to continually engage in new learning and training. Thus, understanding the challenges that older people face when confronted with new learning and training programs and developing potential strategies to overcome them is imperative. A comprehensive state-of-the-science review, Designing Training and Instructional Programs for Older Adults explores a broad range of issues, from the implications of theories of learning for designing instruction for older adults to adapting current perspectives on methods of instructional design to accommodate the capabilities and limitations of older learners. The authors provide an understanding of today's older adults-their demographics, their needs, the challenges facing them, and a realistic appraisal of their abilities and limitations-as a basis for how current knowledge about training and instructional design should be shaped and applied to best accommodate this population of learners. They discuss topics such as retention and transfer of training, sequencing the order of instruction, e-learning, multimedia training formats, and the assessment and evaluation of training programs from the perspective of issues relevant to older learners. They also highlight the challenges presented by this very heterogeneous group that varies tremendously in backgrounds, skills, knowledge, and abilities. Focusing on how learning occurs, the authors' balanced coverage makes the book readable and enlightening across a wide spectrum of professionals and academics, including human factors/ergonomics specialists, gerontologists, managers, educators, undergraduate and graduate students, and the design community. The book supplies concise recommendations that will have direct impact on the design of instructional programs and for those individuals who are responsible for the training and performance of older people.

This book will help readers to better understand and address a strange social phenomenon: the apparent choice by some seniors to live in squalor. Seniors and Squalor examines the widespread and growing phenomenon of mentally competent senior citizens living in self-imposed squalor and refusing help, whether from health care professionals, government, or family. At this juncture of medicine and law, many families have experienced frustration, embarrassment, and heartbreak. The book also explores associated ethical questions, arguing that society can address the problem while respecting individual legal autonomy. For the theorist, this work provides the first in-depth treatment of legal and political theory questions undergirding the issue of self-neglect by seniors. It also underscores the importance of limited government, the necessity of granting American citizens their individual rights, and the critical need to stop classifying self-neglect as abuse. This is an ideal read for graduate and undergraduate students, scholars, practitioners of health care and geriatrics, social workers, and lawyers. Most importantly, this book will appeal to those directly affected by the problem-family, friends, and social work professionals-by giving them a broader understanding of this complex social issue and how to best respond to it. Incorporates the latest research concerning laws and medical classifications Offers the first in-depth treatment of legal and political theory questions underlying the issue of self-neglect by senior citizens Includes policy approaches crafted to address the issue at a societal level Raises ethical questions based in the role of government in solving social problems

Lifelong Learning and Retirement: Meaning and Late Life Learning (H.R. Moody). The Third Age and the Disappearance of Old Age (P. Laslett). Life after Work: Lines, Boundaries, and Spaces (T. Schuller). Health and Quality of Life: The New Public Health Approach to Improving Physical Activity and Autonomy in Older Populations (J.B. McKinlay). Healthy Aging-Utopia or a Realistic Target? (E. Heikkinen). Adding Life to Years! Promoting Quality of Life in an Aging Europe (C. Todd). Gender, Generation, and Aging: Interrelations between Generations in Historical Perspective (B. Oden). Gender and Aging (C.C. Meunier). Gender, Aging, and Quality of Life (G.E. McClearn et al.). Pension Systems and Attitudes to Retirement: Psychological Issues of Aging and Work (P. Huuhtanen). A New Concept for Productive Aging at Work (J. Ilmarinen). What If the Disability Pension Application Is Denied? (R. Gould). Programs for Successful Retirement: Educating Health Professionals in Gerontology: A Canadian Perspective (A.C. Beckingham). Aging Well: European Health Program for Older People (S. Greengross). Retirement Preparation in Subjects of Working Age (F. Marcellini, N. Barbini). 19 additional articles. Index.

In this book, Steven F. Walker considers the midlife transition from a Jungian and Eriksonian perspective, by providing vivid and powerful literary and cinematic examples that illustrate the psychological theories in a clear and entertaining way.

For C.G. Jung, midlife is a time for personal transformation, when the values of youth are replaced by a different set of values, and when the need to succeed in the world gives place to the desire to participate more in the culture of one s age and to further its development in all kinds of different ways. Erik Erikson saw "generativity," an expanded concern for others beyond one's immediate circle of family and friends, as the hallmark of this stage of life. Both psychologists saw it as a time for growth and renewal. Literary texts such Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, or Sophocles' Oedipus the King, and films such as Fellini's 8 1/2 and Campion's The Piano, have the capacity to represent, sometimes more vividly and with greater dramatic concentration than actual life histories or case studies, the archetypal nature of the drama and in-depth transformation associated with the midlife transition.

Midlife Transformation in Literature and Film focuses on the specific male and female archetypal paradigms and presents them within the general context of midlife transformation. For men, the theme of death of the young hero presides over the crisis and the transformative ordeal, whereas for women the theme of tragic abandonment acts as the prelude to further growth and independence.

This book is essential reading for anyone studying Jung, Erikson, or the midlife transition. It will interest those who have already been through a midlife transition, those who are in the midst of one, as well as those who are yet to experience this challenging period.

During the 1990s, Europe became the first continent with a 'mature society', where people aged 60 years and older outnumber children and as this trend continues, the resulting 'ageing societies' will differ from previous societies in their make-up, in their needs, and in their resource allocation. Population ageing poses an even greater challenge to the post-communist societies of Central and Eastern Europe. While still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the economic and social transition process following the breakdown of communism, they are now facing even more rapid demographic change than Western Europe. This book brings together leading scholars to present an understanding of the processes underlying the very rapid population ageing in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to discussing the main demographic drivers behind this development in each of the countries examined, this volume also discusses its implications for policy, healthcare provision, workforces, intergenerational family relations, the social cohesion of future Central and Eastern European societies, and the quality of life experienced by their citizens. Organised around broad geographical regions with final sections analysing the book's findings and their future implications, Population Ageing in Central and Eastern Europe will be of interest to gerontologists, policy makers, students and scholars of population change

The question of communication and understanding between different generations is emerging as a key issue for the twenty-first century. The advent of ageing populations may lead to increased conflict or solidarity in society, and provokes a profound ambivalence both in public and in the private sphere. In a new approach, Biggs and Lowenstein offer a critical examination of Generational Intelligence as one way of addressing these issues. How easy is it to put yourself in the shoes of someone of a different age group? What are the personal, interpersonal and social factors that affect our perceptions of the 'age other'? What are the key issues facing families, workplaces and communities in an ageing society? This book sets out a way of thinking about interpersonal relations based on age, and the question of communication between people of different ages and generations. The book challenges existing orthodoxies for relations between adults of different ages and draws out steps that can be taken to increase understanding between generational groups. The authors outline a series of steps that can be taken to enhance Generational Intelligence, examine existing theories and social issues, and suggest new directions for sustainable relations between generational groups.

The question of communication and understanding between different generations is emerging as a key issue for the twenty-first century. The advent of ageing populations may lead to increased conflict or solidarity in society, and provokes a profound ambivalence both in public and in the private sphere. In a new approach, Biggs and Lowenstein offer a critical examination of Generational Intelligence as one way of addressing these issues. How easy is it to put yourself in the shoes of someone of a different age group? What are the personal, interpersonal and social factors that affect our perceptions of the 'age other'? What are the key issues facing families, workplaces and communities in an ageing society? This book sets out a way of thinking about interpersonal relations based on age, and the question of communication between people of different ages and generations. The book challenges existing orthodoxies for relations between adults of different ages and draws out steps that can be taken to increase understanding between generational groups. The authors outline a series of steps that can be taken to enhance Generational Intelligence, examine existing theories and social issues, and suggest new directions for sustainable relations between generational groups.

This book examines the issues and implications that mental health professionals face when dealing with ageing and older adults. The book focuses on the biological, psychological and cultural influences that impact on the work of mental health practitioners who work with this client group. Based on current empirical research and evidence-based practical issues this book explores topics including: * ageing and dementia * elder abuse * caring for older adults * depression and ageing * the paradox of ageing * how older adults are key to the success of future generations. Throughout the book the contributors emphasise the notion of healthy ageing', and the importance and significance of this concept as part of the life-cycle process. As such Ageing and Older Adult Mental Health will be key reading not only for mental health professionals, but also for those involved in policy making for older adults.

This book examines the issues and implications that mental health professionals face when dealing with ageing and older adults. The book focuses on the biological, psychological and cultural influences that impact on the work of mental health practitioners who work with this client group.

Based on current empirical research and evidence-based practical issues this book explores topics including:

• ageing and dementia
• elder abuse
• caring for older adults
• depression and ageing
• the paradox of ageing
• how older adults are key to the success of future generations.

Throughout the book the contributors emphasise the notion of healthy ageing, and the importance and significance of this concept as part of the life-cycle process. As such Ageing and Older Adult Mental Health will be key reading not only for mental health professionals, but also for those involved in policy making for older adults.

This essential volume explores the vital role of communication in the aging process and how this varies for different social groups and cultural communities. It reveals how communication can empower people in the process of aging, and that how we communicate about age is critically important to - and is at the heart of - aging successfully. Giles et al. confront the uncertainty and negativity surrounding "aging" - a process with which we all have to cope - by expertly placing communication at the core of the process. They address the need to avoid negative language, discuss the lifespan as an evolving adventure, and introduce a new theory of successful aging - the communication ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA). They explore the research on key topics including: age stereotypes, age identities, and messages of ageism; the role of culture, gender, ethnicity, and being a member of marginalized groups; the ingredients of intergenerational communication; depiction of aging and youth in the media; and how and why talk about death and dying can be instrumental in promoting control over life's demands. Communication for Successful Aging is essential reading for graduate students of psychology, human development, gerontology, and communication, scholars in the social sciences, and all of us concerned with this complex academic and highly personal topic.

There are more than 50 million people age 65 or older in the United States, and over the decade 2010-2019 this was the fastest growing age sector in the United States - growing by 34% during that period. (US Census Bureau) As people age, they face a number of new challenges and opportunities, ranging from the shift from salary to Social Security and retirement funds, increasing issues with health, and opportunities for extended relaxation and second careers. While seniors bring a lifetime of experience and honed skills, they face a number of new situations that involved learning new information and new ways of doing things. Information Issues for Older Americans brings together faculty from the leading Information Schools to examine information needs, behavior, and policy related to older Americans. These scholars use a variety of lenses to understand the information issues that older Americans face in their everyday lives. These lenses include information literacy from both the consumer and provider sides; information behavior to understand search strategies, evaluation of information quality and relevance, sources used, questions raised, and how these change over time; the information ecologies in which an individual lives in his or her private and professional worlds; privacy issues that arise in everyday life; information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the skills of users with these technologies, the expected and unexpected uses of these technologies, and the technology's positive and negative impacts; how ICTs can be used to augment human intelligence and physical skills (human-computer interaction and design); how ICTs, together with traditional information institutions such as libraries and museums and social clubs, have been used to build stronger communities (community informatics). This book is a contribution to the academic literatures on information studies and aging, but it is also intended to be generally readable and be accessible to the educated public and professionals who serve older Americans such as librarians, health care workers, and workers at community centers. While there is a growing literature on health informatics for the elderly, and occasional journal articles on various other topics about information and the elderly, this is the first comprehensive book on the various information aspects of the everyday activities and concerns of older Americans.

As the population ages, this book reveals how divides that are apparent through childhood and working life change and are added to in later life. Two internationally renowned experts in ageing look beyond longstanding factors like class, gender and ethnicity to explore new social divisions, including contrasting states of physical fitness and mental health. They show how differences in health and frailty are creating fresh inequalities in later life, with significant implications for the future of our ageing societies. This accessible overview of social divisions is essential reading for those interested in the sociology of ageing and its differences, diversities and inequalities.

The later-adult years are commonly viewed as a period in which one struggles to maintain a vestige of the physical, mental, and emotional vitality of one's earlier years. In 'Still Growing', however, Donald Capps shows that older adulthood is actually a period of growth and development, and that a central feature of this growth and development is the remarkable creativity of older adults. This creativity is the consequence of the wisdom gained through years of experience but is also due to a newly developed capacity to adapt to unprecedented challenges integral to the aging process. In Part 1, Capps illustrates the challenges of transitioning to older adulthood from the author's own experiences, while in Part 2 he draws on material from Erik H. Erikson, Sigmund Freud, and Paul W. Pruyser to account for longevity, adaptability, and creativity in older adults. Finally, in part 3 he focusses on the work of both William James and Walt Disney to fashion a model of creative aging.