At a time when the mental health difficulties/disorders of the elderly are coming to the fore of many practitioners' patient rosters, naming and treating those problems is still too often handled as an art as much as a science. Inconsistent practices based on clinical experience and intuition rather than hard scientific evidence of efficacy have for too long been the basis of much treatment. Evidence-based practices help to alleviate some of the confusion, allowing the practitioner to develop quality practice guidelines that can be applied to the client, identify appropriate literature that can be shared with the client, communicate with other professionals from a knowledge-guided frame of reference, and continue a process of self-learning that results in the best possible treatment for clients.
The proposed volume will provide practitioners with a state-of-the-art compilation of evidence-based practices in the assessment and treatment of elderly clients. As such it will be more clinically useful than anything currently on the market and will better enable practitioners to meet the demands faced in private and institutional practice. Focusing on the most current research and best evidence regarding assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, the volume covers difficulties including, but not limited to: social isolation/loneliness, elder abuse/neglect, depression and suicidal inclinations, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, dementias, prolonged bereavement, patients with terminal illnesses.
Because concrete research evidence is so often not used as the basis for practice, this book provides a timely guide for clinicians, social workers, and advanced students to a research-oriented approach to serving the mental health needs of elderly adults.
Fully covers assessment, diagnosis & treatment of the elderly, focusing on evidence-based practices
Consolidates broadly distributed literature into single source and specifically relates evidence-based tools to practical treatment, saving clinicians time in obtaining and translating information and improving the level of care they can provide
Detailed how-to explanation of practical evidence-based treatment techniques
Gives reader firm grasp of how to more effectively treat patients
Chapters directly address the range of conditions and disorders most common for this patient population - i.e. social isolation, elder abuse/neglect, depression, anxiety disorders, terminal illnesses/disabilites, bereavement, substance abuse, and dementias
Prepares readers for the conditions they will encounter in real world treamtent of an elderly patient population
Cites numerous case studies and provides integrative questions at the end of each chapter
Exposes reader to real-world application of each treatment discussed
Offers reader easy base for further study of subject, saving clinicians time

In the past 20 years, the number of women over 65 has grown enormously. A woman alive at the end of the 20th century can expect to live 27 years longer than her 19th century ancestor. And among the "oldest old" -- those aged 85 and over -- women outnumber men 2-to-1. This dramatic decrease in mortality rates and increase in life expectancy has created a need for quality care and services for older women. As women live longer, they become significant consumers of health care and human services as they face chronic health problems, losses encountered in later years, and impoverishment. This book presents recent medical research on important topics dealing with women and ageing.

The population of older Americans, those 65 years and older, is rapidly increasing and is posing an epigrammatic predicament in the field of public health. At the same time, many older adults perceive spirituality as an important resource in their lives and spiritual practices as crucial to their health and well-being. There is limited knowledge regarding the definition of spirituality from a patient's participant and even less acknowledgment regarding the use of spirituality in managing chronic conditions. The focus of this book was to define, explore, and describe spirituality in the life of chronically ill elders and to examine its relationship to self-management of chronic illness in terms of gender and race. The analysis should help answer the questions: What is "spirituality"? Is it linked to religion? Can spirituality be considered a health behavior? Is spirituality a form of self-management? How do older adults living with chronic illness incorporate their spiritual practices in their lives? This book is addressed to professionals in gerontology, nursing, public health education, and public health researchers.

As the baby boom generation ages, the number of people requiring long-term care will grow dramatically in developed nations. A majority of them will become increasingly frail and suffer from dementia and associated neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Against this backdrop, Psychiatry in Long-Term Care, Second Edition (first published under the title Psychiatric Care in the Nursing Home) comprehensively reviews the present state of knowledge on how to identify the major psychiatric disorders affecting residents of long-term care facilities and how to intervene. Edited and written by some of the world's foremost authorities, the book provides in-depth coverage of topics such as these:
- General approaches to assessment and treatment of behavioral disturbances
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Dementia
- Sleep impairment
- Psychosis
- Substance use disorders
- Contemporary strategies for successful psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions
Complementing these chapters with clinical guidelines on specific disorders are chapters on medicolegal considerations, ethics, and education of care staff.
The new edition is an important resource for care providers from all disciplines devoted to improving the well being of people in long-term care facilities and for students and scholars of mental health and aging.

As the population of retirees between the ages of 65 and 75 continues to grow, professionals, researchers, and educators in all areas of the health care and the business sectors will require more expertise on the latest trends to make better decisions and improve systems.

Contributed by nationally recognized experts, "The Crown of Life: Dynamics of the Early Post-Retirement Period" presents some of the most important and current decision-making research describing life between the ages of 65 and 75. Topics cover many aspects and social issues of retirement including: Demographics Functioning and Well-being Aging Black Americans Late Middle Age The Impact of Work Change and Stability Health and Religiousness Social Relations Leisure Activities Male Satisfaction Everyday Life Gay Lives Retirement Community Life

For anyone interested in the key issues and current trends of this growing population, editors Jacquelyn Boone James and Paul Wink provide one of the most important and current expert collections dedicated to the Crown of Life period.

About the Series...
Now celebrating its 26th year, this series of annual reviews, established by Carl Eisdorfer, is designed to encompass the broad spectrum of concerns in aging, including psychology, biology, medicine, sociology, and public policy. The goal is to present reviews of the highest quality and to address those important questions that are salient to all gerontologists.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent form of dementia. Although it was discovered about a century ago, the first drugs applied in treatment were only introduced in therapy in the last 30 years. This book focuses on the clinical pharmacology of drugs that aim to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease, such as anticholinesterases and glutamate receptor antagonists, as well as treatment for the behavioral changes caused by the progression of the disease: antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and mood stabilizers. In addition, it describes important information about the pathophysiology and diagnostic methods of Alzheimer's disease, emergency situations conditioned by the dementia process, and presents new perspectives for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The ten chapters cover topics such as mechanism of action, dosage regimen, adverse reactions, drug interactions, toxicity profiles, among other information of clinical relevance. The work comprises evidence-based studies, providing a valuable resource for analyzing, prescribing and monitoring patients being treated for Alzheimer's disease. Written by experts with solid professional experience, this book will appeal to pharmacologists, geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, biomedical clinicians, and other healthcare professionals.

The transformation in the health care industry, begun over a decade ag o, will continue well into the 21st century. And the dominant theme in the new millennium is likely to be collaborative practice and outcome s-based health care delivery. A collection of the most current and inn ovative presentations in path-based, collaborative practices, this boo k focuses on the design, implementation and analysis of outcomes for t he heavy volume DRGs. For each DRG, the authors present two to three s tandard clinical pathways, and then show how those pathways can be man ipulated to alter outcomes. Health Care Outcomes covers topics in Resp iratory, Neonatal/Pediatric, General Surgery, Orthopaedic, and Geriatr ic Care. A comprehensive collection of critical pathways and outcomes maps being used by leading hospitals and health care agencies around t he country, this is an important reference for developing path-based c are models, or revising critical paths and outcomes maps.

The ageing process changes body composition and thus nutritional status changes as one gets older. At the same time the body becomes more susceptible to diseases and diet becomes an even more significant or at least visibly significant than in earlier years. Moreover, there is frequently socio-economic downward drifting in this age group making nutritious foods more difficult to afford. This new book presents leading-edge research from around the world.

This is also true in psychiatry, where the number of geriatric psychiatry specialists falls far short of the need. Because of this unbalance, general psychiatrists many of whom have little or no training or experience in dealing with older adults and their specific issues are now being called upon to offer care to this population. In this book, Sakauye covers issues fundamental to the field of geriatric psychiatry that are not addressed well in general adult training: Late-life development Biology of aging Common medical illnesses associated with aging Neurobiology of degenerative disorders Geriatric psychopharmacology Psychotherapeutic modifications for special populations, such as patients with cognitive impairment Multidisciplinary care and family involvement Specific studies of older adults as a special population (differences)

While specialists will find it a useful resource for brushing up on fundamentals, Geriatric Psychiatry Basics is the ideal handbook for non-specialists who need a quick reference or primer on the issues central to geriatric care. In it, Sakauye, a geriatric psychiatrist who worked closely with the elderly victims of Hurricane Katrina, explores the most commonly encountered issues and problems from memory impairment, Alzheimer s, delirium, dementia, and cognitive disorders, to depression, psychosis, anxiety, substance abuse, somatoform, and sleep disorders.

Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options, including pharmacotherapy, are addressed for each presenting problem, and clinical pearls nuggets of critical information, common pitfalls, differentiation protocols between normal and abnormal behavior, etc. are clearly addressed. The use of psychotherapeutic interventions for older adults as well as psychiatric care in nursing homes and other inpatient facilities is also explained, making this an immensely practical and user-friendly handbook for all mental health professionals on how to deliver proper geriatric mental health services."

This book is a study of the neurobiology of Alzheimer's disease. The authors critically review the established and accepted culprit in Alzheimer's disease, the amyloid, the main molecular factor of neurodegeneration in this disease. This book provides a synopsis of current information about ischemic cellular and molecular mediators involved in Alzheimer's neuropathology as well as interactions between these mediators that influence pathology. Current knowledge on the relation between ischemia-reperfusion factors and Alzhemier's-type demential are reviewed as well as the linking of B-amyloid deposition to neuronal damage and clinical disease.

It's no secret that our population is aging. In fact, it won't be long before one in four drivers will be over the age of 65. Research suggests we'll outlive our ability to drive by almost ten years--but knowing when to stop or limit driving isn't always clear.

"The Driving Dilemma" is a comprehensive resource for older drivers and their families facing questions about driving safety. Dr. Dugan provides clear, useful information about the effects of age, medical conditions, and medications on driving. She offers practical advice on how to discuss this issue with loved ones. Such talks can be difficult, and the book provides not only the facts, but also a research-based approach to communication, with useful sample dialogue scripts that will help you discuss driving with your loved ones. Also included are state-by-state listings of available resources, making this book a total information source for families.

Studies show that residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities are at a substantial risk of having psychiatric disorders. This practical volume provides much-needed clinical guidance for the prevention and appropriate treatment of mental illness in long-term care settings.

Abhilash K. Desai and George T. Grossberg offer a basic framework for a humanistic, team-based approach to meeting the needs of elder persons with mental disorders in long-term care facilities. Early chapters cover the demographics of residents, the epidemiology of their psychiatric symptoms, and the assessment process. Subsequent chapters focus on major disorders, including dementia, delirium, depression, psychosis, and anxiety. The authors discuss end-of-life issues and treatments and offer suggestions for improving care. Throughout, they highlight the importance of the relationship between staff and residents.

Emphasizing creative engagement and hands-on care and featuring clinical vignettes and practical tips, this optimistic volume reinforces the potential for nursing homes and assisted living facilities to be communities where residents thrive.

Vascular dementia is one of the most common forms of mental deterioration for the elderly, second only to Alzheimer's disease. It should not be defined as a single disease, but rather as a group of syndromes that relate to different vascular mechanisms. This is one of the first books to be solely dedicated to the specific class of vascular dementia known as subcortical vascular dementia. The strict focus of the chapters give an depth review that will clarify many different aspects and give an unprecedented amount of detail about this clinical problem. Considering that vascular dementia can be prevented with early diagnosis, the research presented in this book will be important for both students and specialists of this important field.

This book provides family doctors with a wealth of evidence-based indications and tips regarding geriatric medicine and approaches for the management of older patients, to be applied in daily practice. After discussing old and new features of healthy ageing and the approaches required in Family Medicine Consultation, the text introduces key elements of geriatric medicine such as frailty, sarcopenia, and the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), before describing a range of characteristics unique to older patients in different contexts, with a dedicated section on Palliative Care. The role of polypharmacy and the importance of quaternary prevention and deprescribing are also addressed. Finally, the book emphasizes both the importance of a humanistic approach in caring and the approach of research and meta-research in geriatrics. Though many texts explore the role of primary care professionals in geriatric medicine, the role of family doctors in older people care has not yet been clearly addressed, despite the growing burden of ageing, which has been dubbed the "silver tsunami." Family physicians care for individuals in the context of their family, community, and culture, respecting the autonomy of their patients. In negotiating management plans with their patients, family doctors integrate physical, psychological, social, cultural and existential factors, utilizing the knowledge and trust engendered by repeated visits. They do so by promoting health, preventing disease, providing cures, care, or palliation and promoting patient empowerment and self-management. This will likely become all the more important, since we are witnessing a global demographic shift and family doctors will be responsible for and involved in caring for a growing population of older patients. This book is intended for family medicine trainees and professionals, but can also be a useful tool for geriatricians, helping them to better understand some features of primary care and to more fruitfully interact with family doctors.

The population is ageing, and most diseases are far more common in older people. Older people are particularly difficult to assess and to treat effectively, but are more vulnerable to therapeutic delays or errors. The Oxford Handbook of Geriatric Medicine provides user-friendly advice in a field that has limited evidence, yet makes up a substantial proportion of hte work of most clinicians. It includes information required for effective, geriatric practice, in a contemporary, accessible format, indicating where practice differs from that of y ounger adults, is ill informed by evidence, and where dangers lurk for the inexperienced clinician. Guidance is given on the many ethical and clinical dilemmas common in geriatric practice, where several solutions may appear equally valid. Information ranges from when not to treat, through to providing evidence for where an aggressive approach is needed. Diseases that tend to arise mainly in older patients are covered in detail, as are problems that arise frequently, yet where advice is scarce. The text is problem based to assist the clinician in tackling scenarios wehre the diagnosis may not be clear. This is the 'must have' guide to geriatric medicine and will be invaluable to all those involved in the care of the older patient.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Older Adults is the first clinical book on how to conduct Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) with persons 65 years of age and older. This growing cohort in the United States is expected to rise substantially after 2010, when the baby boom cohort enters that age category. To help clinicians learn effective care, the authors draw upon a wealth of experience to provide a comprehensive review of theory and research as well as practical guidance on clinical interventions. The authors review late life depression's presentation, health consequences, prevalence, interpersonal dynamics, clinical assessment, and treatment. Particularly valuable is the inclusion of actual clinical cases to illustrate the use of IPT in each phase of treatment. A case is made for why IPT is especially well suited for older persons by drawing upon theory and research on aging, the author's clinical experience in using IPT with older adults, and clinical research studies of IPT with the aged. By showing how the science of gerontology can best inform the practice of clinical geropsychology, the authors have written a book that will be an invaluable resource to any mental health professionals working with older adults.

As the essays in this volume show, conceptualizing dementia has always been a complex process. With contributions from noted professionals in psychiatry, neurology, molecular biology, sociology, history, ethics, and health policy, "Concepts of Alzheimer Disease" looks at the ways in which Alzheimer disease has been defined in various historical and cultural contexts.

The book covers every major development in the field, from the first case described by Alois Alzheimer in 1907 through groundbreaking work on the genetics of the disease. Essays examine not only the prominent role that biomedical and clinical researchers have played in defining Alzheimer disease, but also the ways in which the perspectives of patients, their caregivers, and the broader public have shaped concepts.

Given the impact that good nutrition and keeping fit have on health and well-being in later life, WHO, in collaboration with the Tufts University USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, organized a consultation to review the scientific evidence linking diet and other factors - especially exercise - affecting nutritional status, disease prevention and health promotion for older persons. The consultation focused primarily on practical issues, including the establishment of explicit recommendations to improve the health and nutritional status of older persons in a wide variety of socioeconomic and cultural settings. During the production of a comprehensive report, representing the outcome both of the preparatory work and of the consultation itself, it was recognized that new information emerging in several key areas should also be included. The combined results presented here are intended as an authoritative source of information for nutritionists, general practitioners, gerontologists, medical faculties, nurses, care providers, schools of public health and social workers.The specific recommendations concerning nutrient intakes, food-based dietary guidelines, and exercise and physical activity should also interest a larger audience, including the general reader. The main body discusses the epidemiological and social aspects of ageing, health and functional changes experienced with ageing, the impact of physical activity, assessment of the nutritional status of older persons, and nutritional guidelines for healthy ageing. Additional material covers food-based dietary guidelines for older adults - with particular emphasis on healthy ageing and prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases - and guidelines for promoting physical activity among older persons. "...This report is significant, representing an authoritative consensus related to the epidemiological and social aspects of ageing, health and functional changes experienced with age, and the impact of physical activity. This valuable source of information is relevant to a wide range of health professionals; the clear and specific recommendations concerning food/nutrient consumption and physical activity for older adults should also interest a larger audience."- The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health "...The book is a timely publication, which provides an exhaustive review of studies...This publication will certainly serve as a reference manual for all those involved in nutrition, gerontology and geriatrics. " - Indian Journal of Medical Research

Why do we age? Is aging inevitable? Will advances in medical knowledge allow us to extend the human lifespan beyond its present limits? Because growing old has long been the one irreducible reality of human existence, these intriguing questions arise more often in the context of science fiction than science fact. But recent discoveries in the fields of cell biology and molecular genetics are seriously challenging the assumption that human lifespans are beyond our control. With such discoveries in mind, noted cell biologist William R. Clark clearly and skillfully describes how senescence begins at the level of individual cells and how cellular replication may be bound up with aging of the entire organism. He explores the evolutionary origin and function of aging, the cellular connections between aging and cancer, the parallels between cellular senescence and Alzheimer's disease, and the insights gained through studying human genetic disorders--such as Werner's syndrome--that mimic the symptoms of aging. Clark also explains how reduction in caloric intake may actually help increase lifespan, and how the destructive effects of oxidative elements in the body may be limited by the consumption of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. In a final chapter, Clark considers the social and economic aspects of living longer, the implications of gene therapy on senescence, and what we might learn about aging from experiments in cloning. This is a highly readable, provocative account of some of the most far-reaching and controversial questions we are likely to ask in the next century.

The risk of serious injury resulting from a fall increases with age as our eyesight, ability to react quickly, memory, and cognitive functions begin to decline. For the growing population of people over age 65, falls can lead to loss of dignity and independence, and they can cause serious injury or even death.

Preventing Falls is an essential guide for the elderly, caregivers, Parkinson's sufferers, and many others who face this health risk in their daily lives. As people age, knowing how to accommodate motor, sensory, and cognitive changes is important. While no single cause for a fall exists, the leading factors are environmental hazards, balance problems, muscle weakness, poor vision, and impaired judgment. Parkinson's patients as well as those with various neurological or muscular disorders are especially prone to falls because their motor skills are seriously compromised. This book addresses valuable skills and coping mechanisms as well as environmental changes and assistive devices that are needed to prevent falls.

Many elderly victims of a fall require the skilled care of a nursing home within a year of the incident, especially those elders who cannot care for themselves and whose family members are unable to provide adequate help. The editors place emphasis on "successful aging"-the ability to maintain mobility and remain independent. Preventing Falls is a handy guidebook for elders to decrease their risk of falls, develop personal confidence, and maintain their independence. This vital sourcebook is complemented with a valuable 60-minute videotape offering step-by-step instruction on the best methods for preventing falls.

Written with warmth and clarity, this book belongs in the hands of anyone who has agonized over an aging friend or relative or worries about his own capacity to remember. No physical problem is as destructive or frightening as the loss of memory. Stress, pain, depression, overmedication, stroke, or Alzheimer's disease -- these are just some of the causes. In this fully revised and updated book, an internationally known neurosurgeon and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital outlines the latest treatments that help reverse memory loss: New forms of memory recently discovered by researchers, new tests to evaluate memory capacity, new research on the effects of prescription medications, including widely used antidepressants, and brain "poisons", new research on the important role of nutrition and exercise in promoting memory, advances in early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's, and promising new research on the regeneration of damaged brain cells.

A comprehensive, multidisciplinary annotated bibliography of the chronic pain in later life literature. It consists of 302 entries covering, assessment of chronic pain, the human body and chronic pain, perceptions of chronic pain, treatment of chronic pain, and correlates and consequences of chronic pain.

This volume includes a select citation list of 150 articles that focus on older persons and cancer pain. It suggests the use of both aggressive and holistic treatments to treat pain in the elderly. It will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the disciplines including medicine, psychology, sociology, social work, pharmacology, and any social services which focus on the care of the elderly.