This collection highlights the current efforts by scholars and researchers to understand the aging process as it relates to the health of older adults. With contributions from international scholars in communication, psychology, public health, medicine, nursing, and other areas, this volume emphasizes communication as a critical research, education, policy, and practice issue for the design, provision, and evaluation of health and social services for older adults. Organized into sections addressing communication developments in the healthcare arena, issues in provider-patient communication, and the relationships between family communication and health. The chapters cover critical topics related to successful aging, such as Alzheimer's disease, managed care and older adults, communication issues of severe dementia, and healthcare decision-making within families.
The editors have designed this volume to be accessible to a broad audience, including scholars and students of aging and communication, healthcare practitioners with older clients, and aging individuals and their families who are pursuing strategies for successful aging. The chapters represent the highest levels of current scholarship on communication, aging, and health, providing a strong foundation for future research. Each contribution also addresses the applied implications of this research, offering practical guidance to readers dealing with these issues in their own lives. As a whole, "Aging, Communication, and Health" represents a major advance toward understanding the importance and application of communication for successful aging.

This new collection of essays examines the lives of older women in Britain from 1500 to the present and gives a fascinating insight into the lives of elderly women from a range of different social strata and different times. This latest book in the " Women and Men in History" series will break down some widely held assumptions revealing attitudes towards the aging process and challenging common beliefs and stereotypes. The book sheds light on the history of family relationships, welfare provision, changing female self-images and the structure of the family in pre-industrial, industrial and post-industrial Britain and, in doing so, the book can also modify our understanding of wider society. The essays draw on women's diaries, autobiographies, social surveys, mass observation and a fascinating variety of other sources. This an important book for anyone interested in sociology, history, social policy, gerontology or women's studies. Also available in Hardcover - 0-582-32901-9 $79.95Y

Originally published in 1995, within the previous decade there had been significant developments in our understanding of the learning and motivation, together with the conceptual and cognitive development, of older adults. This understanding had been enhanced by findings from longitudinal studies which were now becoming available. These findings demonstrated the gains that had been made in research. In the past, inappropriately conceived studies have led to the perpetuation of myths and stereotypes about the intellectual development of older people. Special attention is paid in this book to changing perceptions of ageing and intelligence, learning aptitude, memory and intelligence testing. The important topic of ageing and wisdom is also discussed.

Resulting from a major ESRC funded project as part of their programme of research on population and household change Family and Community Life of Older People reflects the interest in how older people are affected by social change which is currently a key theme in social science. It focuses on three areas: Bethnal Green in London; Wolverhampton in the Midlands; and Woodford in Essex. These areas were the subject of studies in the late 1940s and 1950s. Using these examples, it explores changes to the family and community lives of older people. It should prove of interest to students in social policy, urban sociology, gerontology, social work and community studies and will also be relevant to policy makers.

Family life has changed rapidly over te past fifty years and the number of people living longer increases year on year Family and Community Life of Older People revisits three areas (Bethnal Green in London, Wolverhampton in the Midlands and Woodford in Essex) which were the subject of classic studies in the late 1940s and 1950s and explores changes to the family and community lives of older people. The book examines issues such as:
*changes in household composition
*changes in the geographical proximity of kin and relatives
*the extent and type of help provided by the family
*contact and relationships with neighbours
*relationships with friends
*involvement in social and leisure activities
*experiences of minority ethnic groups.
These questions are explored through a unique set of data including census material, and survey data from interviews with over 600 older people. A key finding is that over the past 50 years we have moved from an old age experienced within the context of the family group to one shaped by personal communities in which friends may feature as significantly as immediate kin and relatives.
Family and Community Life of Older People is a major contribution to the sociology of the family, of ageing, and of urban life and points up the social policy issues for an ageing society.

For undergraduate courses in sociology and psychology which examine aging adulthood.

Cultures of Aging examines age and aging in terms of the key preoccupations of contemporary sociology—citizenship, the body and the self.

The book provides a platform for a new social gerontology that sees aging as central to our understanding of social change. It examines social, cultural and political changes in Europe and North America and the need to move the study of aging from social policy towards some of the key issues in contemporary social science.

Sleeping patterns change with age, whether we are growing up, or growing old. While most people are prepared for the rapidly altering sleep patterns of growing children, the evidence suggests that many are unprepared for additional sleep changes in later life, either in themselves or in others. In this book, originally published in 1987, two research disciplines - social gerontology and sleep research - are brought together with the aim of providing a straightforward account of how sleep is changed and disrupted by the biological and social impact of ageing. Attention then focuses on the personal and clinical response to these changes. The use of sleeping drugs among elderly people is critically examined, and effective alternatives, including self-help practices and psychological therapies, are described. The influence of ageing on the recall and content of dreams is also considered. In the final chapter, the author comments on current styles of responding to sleep problems in old age and discusses the need and the scope for change. This book deals with topics of universal interest and provides valuable information for those professionally as well as personally concerned with sleep quality in later life, including health professionals (nurses, doctors, psychologists etc.) working with elderly people, gerontologists, and sleep researchers.

This multimethod study of crime and the elderly in a small-town setting approaches the related issues from varied perspectives and ultimately presents a different picture of fear of crime among the elderly than that which dominates the current literature. Three features contribute to this book's uniqueness. The first is a departure from the urban view; the second is an emphasis on phenomenology; and the third is multimethodology. With an emphasis on qualitative research, this study allows the elderly and other key informants to present their own portrait relative to crime..a portrait that is far more contextually varied and far less dominated by fear and vulnerability than is commonly assumed.

The world is growing older and this is a historically unprecedented phenomenon. Negotiating such change, personally, socially and for governments and international organisations requires an act of cultural adaptation. Two key questions arise: What is the purpose of a long life? and How do we adapt to societies where generations are of approximately the same size? A number of pre-existing narratives can be identified; however, it is argued that contemporary policies have produced a premature answer which may eclipse the potential arising from lifecourse change. In this book Simon Biggs discusses ways of interrogating these questions and the adaptations we make to them. Four major areas, all of which have been suggested as solutions to population ageing, are critically assessed, including work as an answer, the relationship between work, ageing and health, narratives of spirit, belief and wisdom, the body and the natural, anti-ageing medicine, critical approaches to dementia, plus family and intergenerational relations. This book is particiularly useful for those trying to make sense of population ageing and negotiate solutions. It describes a number of concepts that can be used to assess what we are told about a long life and how generations can adapt together. With the cultural landscape moving away from traditional interpretations of old age, the question of adult ageing is of growing interest to a number of groups. This book is essential reading for social and health-care workers, other helping professionals, policy makers, social scientists and all who encounter the prospect of a long life.

This is an historical exploration of the US pensioner movements of the late 1920s through to the early 1950s, and the insights they offer policy analysts and researchers on how the forthcoming retirement of the Baby-Boom generation could proceed.

This text employs a communication perspective to examine the aging process and the ability of individuals to adapt successfully to aging. It continues the groundbreaking work of the first edition, emphasizing a life-span approach toward understanding the social interaction that occurs during later life. The edition provides a comprehensive update on the existing and emerging research within communication and aging studies and considers such topics as notions of successful aging, positive and negative stereotypes toward older adults, and health communication issues. It raises awareness of the barriers facing elderly people in conversation and the importance such conversations have in elderly people's lives. The impact of nonrelational processes, such as hearing loss, are considered as they impact relationships with others and affect the ability to age successfully.
The book is organized into 14 chapters. Each chapter is written so that the reader is presented with an exhaustive review of the pertinent and recent literature from the social sciences. As in the first edition, when the literature is empirically based, the communicative ramifications are then discussed.
Readers of this volume will gain greater understanding of the importance of their communicative relationships and how significant they remain across the life span. Developed for students in communication, psychology, nursing, social gerontology, sociology, and related areas, "Communication and Aging" provides important insights on communication to all who are affected by the aging process.

People are living into old age. This is actually a revolutionary statement as we look back to the start and then to the end of the twentieth century. This demographic revolution raises important practical and ethical issues and, for the most part, has led the way for the field of gerontology, the study of aging, to emerge as an area of increasing importance. With that in mind, Thorson has revised and expanded his 1995 text to serve as an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of gerontology.
Gerontology is both an area of specialty and an area within the larger arena of social sciences. This text, with its friendly narrative style, assumes no prior knowledge of gerontology, sociology, or psychology and will therefore solidly serve its purpose as an overview of the field. Along with the readable style, the text is well referenced, handsomely illustrated, and thick with helpful features.

This text employs a communication perspective to examine the aging process and the ability of individuals to adapt successfully to aging. It continues the groundbreaking work of the first edition, emphasizing a life-span approach toward understanding the social interaction that occurs during later life. The edition provides a comprehensive update on the existing and emerging research within communication and aging studies and considers such topics as notions of successful aging, positive and negative stereotypes toward older adults, and health communication issues. It raises awareness of the barriers facing elderly people in conversation and the importance such conversations have in elderly people's lives. The impact of nonrelational processes, such as hearing loss, are considered as they impact relationships with others and affect the ability to age successfully.
The book is organized into 14 chapters. Each chapter is written so that the reader is presented with an exhaustive review of the pertinent and recent literature from the social sciences. As in the first edition, when the literature is empirically based, the communicative ramifications are then discussed.
Readers of this volume will gain greater understanding of the importance of their communicative relationships and how significant they remain across the life span. Developed for students in communication, psychology, nursing, social gerontology, sociology, and related areas, "Communication and Aging" provides important insights on communication to all who are affected by the aging process.

Series Information:
Issues in Aging

In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts present career-long collections of what they judge to be their most interesting publications - extracts from books, key articles, research findings, practical and theoretical contributions. Professor Patrick Rabbitt has been a prominent contributor to knowledge of cognitive performance and cognitive ageing for over half a century. He has made a range of significant contributions to geronotological research, from the development of information processing theories in the 1950s and 1960s to a new understanding of decision making and the ageing process in subsequent decades. This collection of his research articles represents a review of how work in cognitive performance and cognitive ageing has developed in the past 50 years. Whilst the nature of scientific research means that some of the questions posed have since been answered, Rabbitt adds introductory sections to articles which contextualise its place in the subject area and offer a personal view on the evolution of the field. This book is important because it provides a perspective on the development of cognitive research and the ageing process through the work of an active researcher in the field. It will interest all students and researchers interested in cognitive development and gerontology.

Elder Abuse and Neglect in Residential Settings: Different National Backgrounds and Similar Responses contains insights and examples from other countries where elder abuse and neglect have been recognized as an issue requiring social policy attention. Nursing home employees as well as professionals and policymakers will explore the physical as well as the psychological aspects of neglect in nursing homes. Elder Abuse and Neglect in Residential Settings discusses deliberate physical abuse and more common forms of neglect and abuse, such as bedsores, poor nutrition, improper medication, and vermin infestation. Let this informative guide help you recognize the causes of elder abuse and neglect in order to prevent the same problems in your nursing home.Examining nursing home settings in America, Canada, England, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and South Africa to bring you firsthand accounts of the problems of elder abuse on a multicultural level. It also examines reasons for abuse and neglect, such as poor wages, long hours, low job prestige of nurses aides, and high exhaustion levels that have led to abuse and neglect by even the most caring individual. Through Elder Abuse and Neglect in Residential Settings, you will discover what factors directly correlate to the abuse and neglect of patients by: examining the high turnover rates of the lower-paid nurses aides understanding that well-qualified staff do not choose to work in nursing homes and that often abuse and neglect are committed by nurses aides gaining insight into the risks of physical assault and verbal abuse by patients that nurses aides may endure everyday exploring the psychological aspects of neglect in nursing homes such as, uncleanliness, the lack of attractiveness in the physical environment, inadequate diet, infantilization, and passive neglect, and what can be done to prevent these behaviorsElder Abuse and Neglect in Residential Settings discusses the elements that are significant to the future and quality of residential care. From this book, you will understand the importance of considering the characteristics of the patients and staff as well as the importance of developing gender-integrated and multicultural services. Elder Abuse and Neglect in Residential Settings will prove to be essential in your understanding of the worldwide problem of elder abuse and neglect in residential care and help you alleviate it.

By providing descriptions of the experiences of 30 rural Minnesota women, often in their own words, this book examines the expectations, beliefs and values of the women as they grow old in rural America. A lifecourse perspective fosters a better understanding of the ageing process in terms of an individual's life experiences within the context of a cultural environment. To show how various elements shaped the women's lives in later years, and to give the fullest possible descriptions, the study combines both qualitative and quantitative research of the rural elderly in Minnesota. Through their stories, the women stress the cultural, familial and personal issues that continue to be important to them as they age. They explore the elements of continuity, as well as those of change, as a part of the lifecourse. Also detailed are their insights and experiences concerning interactions with different formal and informal support networks, as well as the more general topic of ageing in rural America. Specifically addressed are the implications of this study for the creation of the public policy and services for an older, rural population.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Based upon interdisciplinary themes such as status and welfare, Old Age contains a collection of pieces examining old age in the study of history and places the problem of a rapidly ageing population in its historical context.
Covering from Ancient Greece to modern Germany and America, Old Age features both methodological and empirical studies. It represents a substantial contribution to the historical understanding of old age in past societies as well as to the discussion about the contribution of post-modernism to historical scholarship.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203021029

There are more people over 50 than ever before, with numbers likely to continue to rise. They are wealthier, healthier and happier than our old stereotypical images lead us to believe, yet this segment of the market is under-researched. In Understanding the Older Consumer, Barrie Gunter provides a detailed examination of the demographic, behavioural and psychological profiles of this group. He shows that without the responsibilities of loans and child raising and with better financial provision than in previous years, the over-50s represent a powerful spending force. In order to reach this group, marketers need to know how best to target advertising and respond to the changes that have occurred. Understanding the Older Consumer provides a wealth of information on older people's lifestyles and leisure, their interest in the mass media, their perceptions of advertising and their shopping preferences that will be invaluable to students of marketing, media and social psychology.

Open up Dignity and Old Age, and you'll find a wealth of thoughtful suggestions for how you and others can gain more respect and admiration for your relatives, neighbors, and patients who are in the latter stages of life. You'll examine the word "dignity" as it relates to the world's elderly population to the fullest and most challenging extent, taking into account cross-cultural, religious, and even literary influences. Throughout this provoking and thorough examination, you'll tackle some tough questions, all of which will equip you with the theoretical and practical know-how needed to evoke change and preserve honorable relations with the elderly persons in your professional and personal relationships.The manner in which Dignity and Old Age will help you grow in your relationships with elderly people is twofold--ideally and practically. You'll begin with a revitalizing discussion of concepts that revolve around dignity and the elderly, and from there you'll move into the sphere of active practice, gleaning a wide variety of ways you can enhance your affairs with the elderly in health care, social services, government, and retirement entitlements and benefits. Specifically, you'll find positive approaches in these and other areas: the dignity in old age the true meaning of "Quality of Life" in old age achieving respect for ethnic elders as a health care provider bringing spirituality and community together in the last stage of life forming a philanthropic, caring partnership between government and the elderlyIn this insightful volume, you'll take an important step forward in creating a more dignified quality of life for the world's elderly--today's and tomorrow's. Overall, you'll gain the variety of perspectives necessary to ensure that everyone you come in contact with in casual, legal, leisure, and professional spheres will see you care enough to be concerned with the ideas and practices contained in Dignity and Old Age.

One of the "Best Books of 2011" from the Center for Optimal Adult Development
The fields of adult development and the study of learning have traditionally been considered separate, with development falling under psychology and learning under education. However, recent ideas, research, and practices that have emerged in these fields of study effectively emphasize the inherent reciprocal relationship that exists between them: advances in development frequently lead to learning, and conversely, learning almost necessarily fuels development.
In this second edition of The Oxford Handbook of Reciprocal Adult Learning and Development, the synchronicity between development and learning is explored further, as expert authors advance the latest theories to provide a rich foundation for this new area of study and practice for this interrelated field of study. At the border of two disciplines, this handbook focuses on the capacities of intelligence, meta-cognition, insight, self-efficacy, spirituality, interpersonal competence, wisdom, and other key adult attributes as they relate to positive changes and personal growth in adults. Contexts for development and learning (e.g., the work role and environment) are also addressed, and mixed in throughout the volume are emanating implications for research, practice, and policy. What emerges is a thoughtful handbook for all who promote optimal aging, and is a must-read for academics, psychologists, and practitioners in adult development.

At least half of all neuropsychological assessments are performed on elderly persons, but the information clinicians need to make appropriate judgment calls is widely scattered. Several books offering general descriptions of the cognitive functioning of the aged or of neuropsychological conditions affecting them are helpful to practitioners but do not provide reliable and valid normative information. Two books that "do" provide this information do not focus on geriatric populations. A concise, yet comprehensive summary of what we now know about those over 65--with an extensive bibliography--"An Assessment Guide to Geriatric Neuropsychology" fills the gap.
The neuropsychological assessment of elderly persons involves not only the performance-based measurement of various capacities but heavy reliance on reports from caregivers (both formal and informal) about the day to day functioning of the affected person. It also raises important, yet often neglected, ethical concerns. The authors discuss all the measures that detect and discriminate among cognitive disorders of elderly persons, including special measures relevant to caregiver reports, and provide useful tables to assist in differential diagnosis. They also reflect on the ethical issues that often confront the assessor of an elderly individual: informed consent, confidentiality, the right of bodily autonomy and self-determination, and appropriate feedback.
This book will be an invaluable resource for all those called on to evaluate older clients.

The study presented in this volume examines how older women's identities are socially constructed and, in particular, how they can be influenced by institutional intervention. The interest in identity production is not only theoretical, but also practical. Different perceptions of oneself as an older woman involve considerable differences in the definition of that person's possible sphere of action, and therefore, in her life perspectives. The data -- collected during a four-year project studying older women -- consist of video recordings of the committee meetings of the Older Women's Group of Perugia, Italy. Other video recordings of theater workshops and of the management committee meetings of the Senior Citizen Centers in Perugia are used as a source of comparison. Transcripts of the video material are analyzed through a detailed discourse analysis within an ethnomethodological framework. The data are used to explore how gender and age identities are interactionally constructed in specific institutional contexts.
The first part of the book focuses on the interactional construction of aging. It shows how "being old" is constructed conversationally, in particular, through the use of membership categories. Distancing from the category "old" and denial of aging are frequently encountered conversational moves. However, the category is perceived as acceptable, even desired and invoked, when it becomes an institutionally relevant category, giving access to interesting activities or special benefits. The second part of the book explores gender identification. Conflict among different institutional subjects is shown to fade into gender conflict. The study analyzes how institutional interventions exert a powerful influence on older women's identities, giving them new opportunities for action. It also looks at how the conversational styles, attitudes, and activities of specific women influence the features of those very institutions.
In short, this book describes the discourse and social practices that constitute older women's identities -- helping to identify and deconstruct stereotypes that tend to produce marginalization of older people. The book's existence is itself a contribution to the construction of older women as busy, lively, appealing human beings; it is the first research publication to emerge from The European Older Women's Project.
Of interest to those in any discipline studying the topics of ethnomethodology, gender, aging, and identity.

The study presented in this volume examines how older women's identities are socially constructed and, in particular, how they can be influenced by institutional intervention. The interest in identity production is not only theoretical, but also practical. Different perceptions of oneself as an older woman involve considerable differences in the definition of that person's possible sphere of action, and therefore, in her life perspectives. The data -- collected during a four-year project studying older women -- consist of video recordings of the committee meetings of the Older Women's Group of Perugia, Italy. Other video recordings of theater workshops and of the management committee meetings of the Senior Citizen Centers in Perugia are used as a source of comparison. Transcripts of the video material are analyzed through a detailed discourse analysis within an ethnomethodological framework. The data are used to explore how gender and age identities are interactionally constructed in specific institutional contexts.
The first part of the book focuses on the interactional construction of aging. It shows how "being old" is constructed conversationally, in particular, through the use of membership categories. Distancing from the category "old" and denial of aging are frequently encountered conversational moves. However, the category is perceived as acceptable, even desired and invoked, when it becomes an institutionally relevant category, giving access to interesting activities or special benefits. The second part of the book explores gender identification. Conflict among different institutional subjects is shown to fade into gender conflict. The study analyzes how institutional interventions exert a powerful influence on older women's identities, giving them new opportunities for action. It also looks at how the conversational styles, attitudes, and activities of specific women influence the features of those very institutions.
In short, this book describes the discourse and social practices that constitute older women's identities -- helping to identify and deconstruct stereotypes that tend to produce marginalization of older people. The book's existence is itself a contribution to the construction of older women as busy, lively, appealing human beings; it is the first research publication to emerge from The European Older Women's Project.
Of interest to those in any discipline studying the topics of ethnomethodology, gender, aging, and identity.