The global phenomenon of the aging of societies during a period of outstanding scientific, economic, and technological advancements is a blessing for humanity. These fundamental changes, however, create new needs and problems in all areas of life, often difficult to address. In some countries, the trend is towards compression of the period of age-related morbidity - fewer years of living with disabilities - but the absolute numbers of elderly people living with disabilities are increasing worldwide. This book highlights a series of global threats, problems and challenges in the areas of care and caregiving, through the prism of three multicultural nations: the United States, Israel and Australia. The contributors to this book, experts in their fields, focus on the art of caregiving at the national level, including the interface between family and state responsibilities, policies and practices in the provision of services, and the demands for education and training, as well as the problems and difficulties faced by family caregivers. This is the second of two edited volumes on aging and caregiving. The first, ""Lessons on Aging from Three Nations - Volume I: The Art of Aging Well"", examines positive aspects of and successful adaptations to aging. This book will be of interest to students of gerontology and geriatrics; those working in nongovernmental organizations - private, for-profit and non-profit agencies, including voluntary charitable and religious groups, those working in national regional and local governments, and all general readers intrigued with the aging of societies and longevity.

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.

This book provides readers with a compelling case for the inclusion of contextual therapy in comprehensive healthcare settings by presenting its applications to individual and family health across the lifespan. Part I gives an overview of contextual therapy, including case conceptualization, assessment, intervention, and supervision. Part II provides specific recommendations for incorporating contextual therapy in diverse and multidisciplinary settings. Case studies illustrate how concepts such as justice, loyalty, and balanced giving and receiving influence families' adjustment to chronic illnesses and mental health disorders. Accounting for the trend toward increased collaboration between providers in traditional mental health and medical settings, this book will empower clinicians to expand their current range of assessment methods, intervention techniques, and supervision experiences

In western countries, the rising tide of population aging took 100 years to alter the face of societies, but Asia is experiencing comparable changes in not much more than a quarter of a century. Contributors to "The Handbook of Aging" describe the magnitude of these changes and their effects on the aged and on societies attempting to adapt to the dramatic improvements in life expectancy brought on by rapid economic and social transformations. Asia encompasses a vast reach from Pakistan and India to Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and in this book including Australia. "The Handbook of Aging" provides a framework for making sense of the meeting between reverential views of the elderly and contemporary priorities as Asia arrives at the crossroads. The need for innovative approaches to social policy and personal practices is nowhere more evident than in Asian countries, where modern marketing economies have forced hard political choices. The economic tigers of the Asian-Pacific region experienced the aging of their populations ahead of other Asian countries, but solutions reached during times of financial boom are being re-examined as economies come back to earth, with soft or hard landings. "The Handbook of Asian Aging" provides an atlas of the far-reaching changes that are afoot and that will become even more pronounced in the near future.

Care-giving in dementia is a new speciality with its own rapidly growing body of knowledge. This second volume of contributions from leading practitioners and researchers around the world is a handbook for all those involved in hands on caring, or in planning care, for persons with dementia. Volume 2 of Care-Giving in Dementia provides a rich source of information on most recent thinking about individualised long-term care of both dementia sufferers and their families. Key themes in Volume 2 are: the subjective experience of dementia the provision of care for family carers differing cultural perspectives of dementia the crucial importance of life-history information for understanding a person's reaction to their illness. Chapters on the search for an ethical framework and the best environment within which to provide care are particularly timely.

Recently, the communication discipline has devoted increasing energy toward the study of aging, yet most of the research has insufficiently addressed a crucial factor in communicative relationships--culture. Meanwhile, cross-cultural/intercultural communication has not adequately addressed the aging process. Combining three powerful elements--communication, aging, and culture--all of which have an increasingly profound impact on today's multicultural society, this book focuses on older Americans in various communicative contexts within the framework of their cultures. Composed of original research by experts in their respective fields, the book combines communication, aging, and culture for a unique examination of those elements in American society. Section 1 deals with perspectives in cross-cultural communication and aging. These perspectives both illustrate the issues that greatly affect the lives of our elders and suggest ways to improve their status. Section 2 showcases three American co-cultures: Hawaiian, Arab, and Mormon illustrate how language, attitudes, and mentoring can serve as the links for maintaining cross-generational continuity in multicultural society. Section 3 demonstrates that many American organizations frequently contribute to the hardships that both internal elder customers (employees) and external elder customers (residents and patients) must endure. Section 4 incorporates popular culture and aging. It presents the role of selective popular media in portraying our elders. Because Americans rely heavily on the media, their mediated perceptions can have a profound impact on their attitudes toward the older population. Designed as a reader or supplementary text for college students in communication, gerontology, anthropology, sociology, and other related fields, this text can also be used by professionals in gerontological service areas, by libraries, and as a personal reference. It offers extensive appendices, figures, and tables for additional reference.

Recently, the communication discipline has devoted increasing energy toward the study of aging, yet most of the research has insufficiently addressed a crucial factor in communicative relationships--culture. Meanwhile, cross-cultural/intercultural communication has not adequately addressed the aging process. Combining three powerful elements--communication, aging, and culture--all of which have an increasingly profound impact on today's multicultural society, this book focuses on older Americans in various communicative contexts within the framework of their cultures. Composed of original research by experts in their respective fields, the book combines communication, aging, and culture for a unique examination of those elements in American society. Section 1 deals with perspectives in cross-cultural communication and aging. These perspectives both illustrate the issues that greatly affect the lives of our elders and suggest ways to improve their status. Section 2 showcases three American co-cultures: Hawaiian, Arab, and Mormon illustrate how language, attitudes, and mentoring can serve as the links for maintaining cross-generational continuity in multicultural society. Section 3 demonstrates that many American organizations frequently contribute to the hardships that both internal elder customers (employees) and external elder customers (residents and patients) must endure. Section 4 incorporates popular culture and aging. It presents the role of selective popular media in portraying our elders. Because Americans rely heavily on the media, their mediated perceptions can have a profound impact on their attitudes toward the older population. Designed as a reader or supplementary text for college students in communication, gerontology, anthropology, sociology, and other related fields, this text can also be used by professionals in gerontological service areas, by libraries, and as a personal reference. It offers extensive appendices, figures, and tables for additional reference.

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:0415915236

The growing number of older adults in the United States poses a significant challenge to families, healthcare systems, mental health services, and many other caregiving groups. Using the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative as a framework, this text evaluates critical policies and issues pertaining to older adults, identifying both the overall systemic inequalities currently working against older adults as well as specific areas that require updated policies and interventions. It calls for active attention to the implementation of science-based research, policy, and practices to promote health and well-being. Among the topics addressed: Family violence against older adults Disaster planning and preparedness Building financial capability for aging families Health needs of incarcerated older adults Closing the gap in healthcare services for older adults Social isolation and its effects on mental health and well-being A useful gerontology resource for students, social work scholars, and practitioners, Gerontological Social Work and the Grand Challenges advocates for justice and equal opportunity for older adults, and highlights important social issues that must be urgently addressed in the near future.

It was the amazing statistic which got Chris Steele-Perkins attention. There are 10,000 people aged over 100 in the UK and that number is growing rapidly. The Office of National Statistics predicts that 5% of the people alive today in the UK will live to be over 100. That is 3 million people. However, this book is not about statistics and the implications, it is about the people. In Fading Light Chris creates a portrait of this new generation. They are a mixed bunch of people who have seen many changes throughout their lives and have many stories to tell. Fading Light is a moving book showing the increasing number of centenarians and their miraculous ability to survive until the great age of 100.

The digitalization of society is constructed as a necessary leap that governments and citizens need to take. However, with many older people lacking adequate digital competences to support their full participation in today's digitalized society, how is the marginalisation of older people in digital society socially constructed? How can we promote older people's digital inclusion and agency? Presenting case studies from Finland, one of the top performers in the supply and demand of digital public services, Older People in a Digitalized Society outlines internationally relevant implications for promoting the social construction of older people's agency. Delving into their digital competences, and use and non-use of Internet and eHealth technologies, Rasi-Heikkinen showcases the potential exclusionary effects of digitalization, and highlights the implications for digital inclusion practice and policy. Contesting the dominant discourses which suggest digital technologies and media play central roles in the learning, well-being, everyday life, and participation in society for individuals throughout their lifespan, Older People in a Digitalized Society addresses the digital gap faced by older generations that do not welcome digitalization, or even see it as a positive marginality: a choice that they have consciously made. Paying attention to how digitalization is a contested issue constructed with various, ambivalent, and paradoxical representations, Rasi-Heikkinen shines an important light on how older people are constructed as being on the margins of digitalization by researchers and the media.

One of the most pressing questions facing society today is how to care for its burgeoning elderly population. By the year 2050, experts predict that one-third of the world's population will be over 60 years old. Health promotion for the elderly is therefore becoming an increasingly important topic in public policy and planning. This book examines the challenges presented by an ageing global population, our varying expectations of healthy ageing, and the importance of exercise and physical activity for the elderly. Drawing on empirical research from around the world, it considers the factors that influence health and well-being in later life and compares practices and policies designed to promote healthy ageing. It presents case studies from 15 countries spanning Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia, and sheds light on how attitudes to physical activity differ across nations, regions and cultures. Ageing, Physical Activity and Health: International Perspectives is important reading for all students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in physical activity, public health, exercise science or gerontology.

Ageing population and rapid urbanisation are the two major demographic shifts in today's world. Architectural designs and urban policies have to deal with issues of an ever larger elderly population living in the cities, especially in old urban neighbourhoods, while also taking into consideration the evolving lifestyles and wellbeing of the diverse elderly demographic. Being able to continue living in these existing urban neighbourhoods would thus require necessary interventions, both to adapt the changing needs of the ageing population and to improve the deteriorating environment for better liveability. Creative Ageing Cities discusses the participation and contribution of the ageing population as a positive and creative force towards urban design and place-making, particularly in high-density urban contexts, as observed in a collection of empirical cases found in rapidly ageing Asian cities. This book is the first to bring together multidisciplinary scholastic research on ageing and urban issues from across top six ageing cities in Asia: Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Through these case studies, this book gives a good overview of diverse challenges and opportunities in the various Asian urban contexts and offers a new perspective of an ageing and urban design framework that emphasises multi-stakeholder collaboration, inter-generational relations and the collective wisdom of older people as a source of creativity.

Current estimates indicate that approximately 2.2 million people are incarcerated in federal, state, and local correctional facilities across the United States. There are another 5 million under community correctional supervision. Many of these individuals fall into the classification of special needs or special populations (e.g., women, juveniles, substance abusers, mentally ill, aging, chronically or terminally ill offenders). Medical care and treatment costs represent the largest portion of correctional budgets, and estimates suggest that these costs will continue to rise. In the community, probation and parole officers are responsible for helping special needs offenders find appropriate treatment resources. Therefore, it is important to understand the needs of these special populations and how to effectively care for and address their individual concerns. The Routledge Handbook of Offenders with Special Needs is an in-depth examination of offenders with special needs, such as those who are learning-challenged, developmentally disabled, and mentally ill, as well as substance abusers, sex offenders, women, juveniles, and chronically and terminally ill offenders. Areas that previously have been unexamined (or examined in a limited way) are explored. For example, this text carefully examines the treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender offenders, and racial and gender disparities in health care delivery, as well as pregnancy and parenthood behind bars, homelessness, and the incarceration of veterans and immigrants. In addition, the book presents legal and management issues related to the treatment and rehabilitation of special populations in prisons/jails and the community, including police-citizen interactions, diversion through specialty courts, obstacles and challenges related to reentry and reintegration, and the need for the development and implementation of evidence-based criminal justice policies and practices. This is a key collection for students taking courses in prisons, penology, criminal justice, criminology, and related areas of study, and an essential resource for academics and practitioners working with offenders with special needs.

As the average life expectancy continues to rise, the long-held assumption that age is a protective factor against criminal offending and victimisation is being challenged. Recognising that people who commit offences later in life are an overlooked group in criminology, Not Your Usual Suspect is the first collection to assemble research on different forms of violence and abuse perpetrated by individuals predominantly over 60. Examining intersections of gender, crime and age, this collection highlights how the increase in older people entering the criminal justice system has emphasised the unpreparedness of policies and practices for dealing with this cohort. Moving beyond existing research and policy which has focused primarily on those who are sentenced in later life for crimes they committed as younger adults - so called historic crimes - the chapters pay crucial attention to those who commit offences as long-term, repeat or first-time offenders in later life. Offering an important contribution for researchers across the criminological, gerontological, feminist and elder abuse fields, Not Your Usual Suspect expands existing research to consider the behaviour and drivers of older offenders, addressing the increasingly important issue of how the needs of this group can be addressed by policy and practice.

We all have a finite life span. We are born, we get old and we die. Given the universality of the aging process, it is remarkable that there is almost a complete absence of study of culture and self-image of the middle aged and old. "Images of Aging: Cultural" "Representations of Later Life" changes this. The contributors discuss images of aging which have come to circulate in the advanced industrial societies of today. They address themes such as: body and self image in everyday interaction; experience and identity in old age; advertising and consumer culture images of the elderly; images of aging used by Government agencies in health education campaigns; the diversity of historical representations of the elderly; gender images of aging; images of senility and second childhood; images of health, illness and death.

We all have a finite life-span. We are born, we get old and we die. Given the universiality of the ageing process, it is remarkable that there is almost a complete absence of study of culture and self-image of the middle aged and old. Images of Ageing: Cultural Representations of Later Life changes this. The contributors discuss images of ageing which have come to circulate in the advanced industrial societies today. They address themes such as: body and self image in everyday interaction; experience and identity on old age; advertising and consumer culture images of the elderly; images of ageing used by Government agencies in health education campaigns; the diversity of historical representations of the elderly; gender images of ageing; images of senility and second childhood; images of health, illness and death.

Here is an informative overview of the causes and consequences of elder abuse in countries around the world. This book delves into the global problem of elder abuse and identifies similarities and differences that occur from country to country. Elder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives increases understanding of the problem of elder abuse, helping you recognize more easily the causes of elder abuse in your own country and find tactics to counter these causes. Strategies from around the world can help in the development of local community resources and social policies to minimize the occurrence of elder abuse and its impact on the elderly, their families, and all members of society.Elder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives discusses elder abuse in countries ranging from Australia to Finland, from South Africa to Hong Kong, from Ireland to Israel. It addresses the consequences of aging, dynamics of elder abuse, family care of the elderly, formal and informal mechanisms for preventing elder abuse, and methods by which to publicize possibilities of abuse. In each chapter, authors explore: the definition of elder abuse in their country the extent of the problem causes of the problem (as related to values and practices) societal attitudes regarding the existence of the problem private and public efforts to detect and prevent the problem and to intervene where it has occurredElder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives provides the impetus for community resources, social planning, and public resources. It is of interest to individuals who work in social work, nursing, and psychology settings and to those in social science fields of sociology, anthropology, and gerontology. The book can also serve as an enlightening reader for undergraduate and graduate/professional education.

This title was first published in 2003. The rapid demographic aging of populations worldwide, and most dramatically in developing countries, will result in unprecedented increases in the absolute and relative numbers of the aged in these countries. Whilst developed economies already have the basic infrastructure in place through which to support their ageing populations, developing nations frequently do not, and it should not be assumed that their best course of action is to attempt to duplicate the supportive infrastructures of developed countries. In developing nations these may be culturally inappropriate, geographically inaccessible, economically or politically unsustainable, or all of these. Effective and sustainable support services must be designed with reference to the circumstances of the client group, and it is increasingly evident that knowledge of the lives of the aged in developing countries is currently very limited. This book aims to inform the reader on the livelihoods of elders in developing countries and to stimulate a discussion of appropriate methods of supporting them in maintaining their quality of life during and beyond the coming decades of demographic change. It does so through reporting the lives and livelihoods of the aged population of Kikole (a pseudonym), a highly impoverished village in Uganda. Individual livelihoods are explored from a lifecourse perspective, with present day quality of life being shown often to be the result of earlier enforced changes in circumstances arising in economic, social or cultural marginalization, political or physical insecurity, or macro-economic change, rather than in the physical or mental changes that may accompany advancing age.

This important book shares insights derived from surveys, interviews, and focus groups conducted with a diverse group of first-wave Baby Boomer female professionals (born 1946-1956). These individuals changed the workplace in the 1970s and are now changing views of retirement. In Thriving in Retirement: Lessons from Baby Boomer Women, profiles of highly diverse professional women are interwoven with information gleaned from surveys, interviews, and focus groups, thereby allowing readers to identify with individuals similar to themselves, whether through profession, education, personal concerns, or demographics. In spite of dissimilarities in backgrounds, career paths, and personal experiences, these women have much in common. As they leave their full-time careers, they are committed to exploring new post-career identities while finding ways to stay engaged, share their professional expertise, and develop deeply held personal interests and passions they may have set aside in the past. The Baby Boomer women profiled here reveal details such as the early influences on their education and career choices, the aspects of their careers they enjoyed the most, the opportunities and roadblocks they encountered, as well as how they balanced marriage and family responsibilities with their careers. Readers will benefit from the examples set by these women, whose diversity and varying experiences provide inspiration for nearly anyone of retirement age who finds herself wondering "What's next?" Provides a model for reflection to help Baby Boomer professional women understand who they are, their strengths and interests, and what they want to do as next steps when they leave their full-time careers Offers compelling stories from women of a range of ethnic and geographic backgrounds, professions, and employment statuses as well as races, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to represent a bright, engaged cohort of women to whom readers can relate as colleagues Asserts a new, future-oriented concept of retirement, where individuals draw on the strengths and expertise of their careers while actively engaging with others and exploring interests and passions they may have set aside in the past

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.

Social differences in health and mortality constitute a persistent finding in epidemiological, demographic, and sociological research. It is a topic that is much discussed in the current political debate and it is among the most urgent public health issues. However, we still do not know whether socioeconomic mortality differences increase or decrease with age.

This book provides a comprehensive, critical discussion of all aspects involved in the relationship between socioeconomic status, health and mortality. It synthesizes the sociological theory of social inequality and an empirical study of mortality differences that has been conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Rostock, Germany). This study is the most comprehensive analysis of socioeconomic mortality differences in the literature, both in terms of quantity and quality of data, and in terms of the statistical method used: that of event-history modeling.