Life changes dramatically for the entire family when the decision is made to move a person who has dementia from home to community care. Rachael Wonderlin, a gerontologist, dementia care expert, and popular dementia care blogger, helps caregivers cope with the difficult behaviors, emotions, and anxieties that both they and their loved one may experience. Writing from her own practice and drawing on the latest research in gerontology and dementia, Wonderlin explains the different kinds of dementia, details the wide range of care communities available for people who have dementia, and speaks empathetically to the worry and guilt many families feel. "Do not let anyone make you feel like you have taken the 'easy way out' by choosing a dementia care community," she writes. "You are still going to deal with a lot of challenging behaviors, concerns, and questions regarding your loved one's care." When Someone You Know Is Living in a Dementia Care Community is an accessible guide offering answers to such questions as: * How do I choose a place for my loved one to live?* What can I find out by visiting a candidate memory-care community twice?* What do I do if my loved one asks about going home?* How can I improve the quality of my visits?* What is the best way to handle conflict between residents, or between the resident and staff?* How can I cope with my loved one's sundowning?* What do I do if my loved one starts a romantic relationship with another resident? An indispensable book for family members and friends of people with dementia, When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community touches the heart while explaining how to make a difficult situation better.

This book provides a comprehensive view of rational suicide in the elderly, a group that has nearly twice the rate of suicide when chronically ill than any other demographic. Its frame of reference does not endorse a single point-of-view about the legitimacy of rational suicide, which is evolving across societies with little guidance for geriatric mental health professionals. Instead, it serves as a resource for both those clinicians who agree that older people may rationally commit suicide and those who believe that this wish may require further assessment and treatment. The first chapters of the book provides an overview of rational suicide in the elderly, examining it through history and across cultures also addressing the special case of baby boomers. This book takes an ethical and philosophical look at whether suicide can truly be rational and whether the nearness of death in late-life adults means that suicide should be considered differently than in younger adults. Clinical criteria for rational suicide in the elderly are proposed in this book for the first time, as well as a guidelines for the psychosocial profile of an older adult who wants to commit rational suicide. Unlike any other book, this text examines the existential, psychological, and psychodynamic perspectives. A chapter on terminal mental illness and a consideration of suicide in that context and proposed interventions even without a diagnosable mental illness also plays a vital role in this book as these are key issues in within the question of suicide among the elderly. This book is the first to consider all preventative measures, including the spiritual as well as the psychotherapeutic, and pharmacologic. A commentary on modern society, aging, and rational suicide that ties all of these elements together, making this the ultimate guide for addressing suicide among the elderly. Rational Suicide in the Elderly is an excellent resource for all medical professionals with potentially suicidal patients, including geriatricians, geriatric and general psychiatrists, geriatric nurses, social workers, and public health officials.

Gerotechnology is the use of technology to sustain individual autonomy to an advanced age; a field of increasing importance for those who serve elders who experience a natural decline in biopsychosocial abilities. Such technology advancements improve activities of daily living, general health, and well-being. Current and future applications in crucial areas such as mobility and transportation, assistive devices, senior citizen housing, in-home technologies, safety and privacy, research and development (especially design), are described. New methods like virtual environments, advances in applications of research findings in sensation, perception, and cognition, novel accessibility challenges to information and communication technology, and the changed-and- evolving characteristics of the elderly are among the exciting chapters in this state-of-the art volume. Contributors from around the globe, including the UK, Germany, Japan, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, the US, and more, bring unprecedented cross-cultural insight to the intersections of these two phenomena: aging and technology. Third place winner in the 2017 American Journal of Nursing awards.

With this book, Siegel, an internationally known demographer and gerontologist, has made a unique contribution to the fledgling fields of health demography, and the demography and epidemiology of aging. The book represents a felicitous union of epidemiology, gerontology, and demography, and appears to be the first and only comprehensive text on this subject now available. Drawing on a wide range of sciences in addition to demography, gerontology, and epidemiology, including medical sociology, biostatistics, public policy, bioethics, and molecular biology, the author treats theoretical and applied issues, links methods and findings, covers the material internationally, nationally, and locally, and while focusing on the elderly, treats the entire life course. The methods, materials, and pespectives of demography and epidemiology are brought to bear on such topics as the prospects for future increases in human longevity, the relative contribution of life style, environment, genetics, and chance in human longevity, the measurement of the share of healthy years in total life expectancy, the role of population growth in the rising costs of health care, and the applications of health demography in serving the health needs of local communities. The separate chapters systematically develop the topics of the sources and quality of health data; mortality, life tables, and the measurement of health status; the interrelationships of health, on the one hand, and mortality, fertility, migration, and age structure, on the other; health conditions in the less developed countries; the concepts and theories of aging and projections of the aged population; and local health applications, public health policy, and bioethical issues in health demography. Given its comprehensiveness, clarity, interdisciplinary scope, and authencity, this book appeals to a wide range of users, from students and teachers of medical sociology, the demography of aging, and public health studies to practitioners in these areas, both as a text in health demography and the demography/epidemiology of aging, and as a reference work in these fields.

Living independently and participating in one's community are priorities for many people. In many regions across the United States, there are programs that support and enable people with disabilities and older adults to live where they choose and with whom they choose and to participate fully in their communities. Tremendous progress has been made. However, in many cases, the programs themselves ? and access to them ? vary not only between states but also within states. Many programs are small, and even when they prove to be successful they are still not scaled up to meet the needs of the many people who would benefit from them. The challenges can include insufficient workforce, insufficient funding, and lack of evidence demonstrating effectiveness or value. To get a better understanding of the policies needed to maximize independence and support community living and of the research needed to support implementation of those policies, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a public workshop in October 2015. Participants explored policies in place that promote independence and community living for older adults and people with physical disabilities, and identified policies and gaps in policies that can be barriers to independence and the research needed to support changing those policies. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 The Importance of Community Living and Maximizing Independence to Individuals and Society 3 Home and Community Settings: Services and Supports for Community Living and Participation 4 Workforce Needs to Support Community Living 5 Financing to Support Community Living 6 Technology to Support Independence 7 Closing Remarks References Appendix A: Workshop Agenda Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Moderators

This book looks at the relationships between the physical-social environment and the elderly in Europe and Latin America, from the Environmental Gerontology perspective and through geographical and psychosocial approaches. It addresses the main environmental issues of population ageing, based on an understanding of the complex relationships, adjustments and adaptations between different environments (home, residence, public spaces, landscapes, neighbourhoods, urban and rural environment) and the quality of life of the ageing population, associated with residential strategies and other aspects related to health and dependency. The different levels of socio-spatial analysis are also explored: macro (urban and rural environments, regions and landscapes), meso (neighbourhood, public space) and micro (personal, home and institution). New theoretical and methodological approaches are proposed to analyse the attributes and functions of the physical-social environment of the elderly, as well as new ways of living the ageing process. All will have to respond to the challenges of urbanisation, globalisation and climate change in the 21st century. Also, the different experiences and challenges of public planning and management professionals involved with the growing ageing population are presented, and will require greater association and collaboration with the academic and scientific fields of Environmental Gerontology.

This book provides the first comprehensive overview of a new scientific discipline termed Geroscience. Geroscience examines the molecular and cellular mechanisms that might explain why aging is the main risk factor for most chronic diseases affecting the elderly population. Over the past few decades, researchers have made impressive progress in understanding the genetics, biology and physiology of aging. This book presents vital research that can help readers to better understand how aging is a critical malleable risk factor in most chronic diseases, which, in turn, could lead to interventions that can help increase a healthy lifespan, or 'healthspan.' The book begins with an analysis of the Geroscience hypothesis, as well as the epidemiological underpinnings that define aging as a candidate main risk factor for most chronic diseases. Next, each chapter focuses on one particular disease, or group of diseases, with an emphasis on how basic molecular and cellular biology might explain why aging is a major risk factor for it. Coverage in the book includes: cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementias, stroke, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes asthma, emphysema, kidney disease, vision impairment, and AIDS/HIV. It finishes with a chapter on pain in the elderly and an overview of future steps needed to bring the newly acquired knowledge into the clinic and the public at large.

Caring for people with disabilities often becomes an all-encompassing responsibility for one or more family members. To manage the multifaceted demands, caregivers must possess strong multitasking skills, including the ability to assist with daily life tasks; provide emotional support; help with financial affairs; mediate and advocate with health care providers. Maintaining balance within their own lives can become incredibly challenging for caregivers. More often than not, providing care for family members or loved ones occurs at the expense of the caregivers' well-being. And for caregivers who themselves have disabilities, it further complicates matters. Multiple Dimensions of Caregiving and Disability addresses concerns that have been long familiar to the caregiver population and examines the current state of family care for individuals with disabilities. With a lifespan perspective, this concise reference reviews the literature on specific problems of caregivers and explores which care strategies are effective, promising, or lacking in available resources and support interventions. Contributors also explore the more fluid and subjective aspects of caregiving, such as feelings, spirituality, and family roles. Suggestions for future policy improvements, particularly within the public health sector, are discussed as well. Topics covered include: * Family dynamics and caregiving for people with disabilities. * Parent caregiving of children with disabilities. * Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and caregiving. * Educational, training, and support programs for caregivers. * Emerging technologies to aid caregivers. * Developing partnerships between caregivers and health care providers. Multiple Dimensions of Caregiving and Disability is a must-have resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, policy makers, and graduate students across such disciplines as clinical psychology, nursing, social work, public health, medicine, and social and education policy.

This book provides an overview of the demographic, clinical, and psychosocial context of dementia care. With its focus on patient and family perspectives, this book describes evidence-based approaches towards prevention, detection, and treatment of dementia that is like any other book. The text presents memory clinics, care management, home-based interventions, palliative care, family caregiver programs, specific to dementia care. Additionally, the text examines strategies to support transitions to acute care and long-term care. The text also places a special emphasis on measures of quality, cultural sensitivity, and implications for health care policy. Written by experts in the field, Dementia Care: An Evidence-Based Approach is an excellent resource for clinicians, students, healthcare administrators, and policymakers who aim to improve the quality of life of both the person with dementia and their informal caregiver.

Through their scientific research and clinical practice, husband and wife team Gene D. Cohen and Wendy L. Miller uncovered new clues about how the aging mind can build resilience and continue growth, even during times of grave illness, thus setting aside the traditional paradigm of aging as a time of decline. Cohen, considered one of the founding fathers of geriatric psychiatry, describes what happens to the brain as it ages and the potential that is often overlooked. Miller, an expressive arts therapist and educator, highlights stories of creative growth in the midst of illness and loss encountered through her clinical practice. Together, Cohen and Miller show that with the right tools, the uncharted territory of aging and illness can, in fact, be navigated. In this book, the reader finds the real story of not only Cohen's belief in potential, but also how he and his family creatively used it in facing his own serous health challenges. With Miller's insights and expressive psychological writing, Sky Above Clouds tells the inside story of how attitude, community, creativity, and love shape a life, with or without health, even to our dying. Cohen and Miller draw deeply on their own lessons learned as they struggle through aging, illness, and loss within their own family and eventually Cohen's own untimely death. What happens when the expert on aging begins to age? And what happens when the therapist who helps others cope with illness and loss is forced to confront her own responses to these experiences? The result is a richly informative and emotional journey of growth.

With the book Borderline Personality Disorder in Older Adults: Emphasis on Care in Institutional Settings, Drs. Hategan, Bourgeois, and Xiong address an often underappreciated clinical problem that is likely increasing with the aging of the population. Geriatric patients with borderline personality disorder, like their younger counterparts, experience social and relationship challenges, comorbid psychiatric illness (including but not limited to substance use disorders), comorbid systemic illness, and are high utilizers of medical and social services. With the aging of the population worldwide, more older patients with chronic/progressive illnesses are to be found in various institutional settings such as skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation units, and residential care, as well as in the general hospital. However, these patients' habitual patterns of behavior (including affective dyscontrol, externalizing of blame, "splitting" the external world into groups who are "all good" and "all bad") make the compromises and need for collectivity in institutional settings more challenging than for any other easily defined and demarcated patient group. The Editors have assembled a large team of authors and co-authors to produce a clinical handbook that addresses the clinical, social, and administrative needs of this particular group of patients. They include an overview of the development of the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder over several issues of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system; the epidemiology and comorbidity, personality and aging, clinical diagnosis and productive use of psychometrics; clinical interventions including psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and advanced somatic treatments; and chapters devoted to medical-legal matters, systems of care, therapeutic alliance, and palliative care approaches. In all chapters, the authors have endeavored to focus specifically on the challenges posed for the patient, the clinician, and the larger system for geriatric patients with borderline personality disorder. The authors and the editors hope that this volume summarizes the current clinical literature pertinent to the care of this population, with a focus on clinical encounters, clinical decision making, and techniques for interventions with patients and clinical systems of care to enhance the opportunities for favorable clinical outcomes for these patients, who typically have difficulty coping with the major existential challenges of old age, infirmity, and mortality. Greater awareness of borderline personality disorder in this population and greater clinician attunement to its understanding and management may serve the patient and the care system in this regard.

This book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. The coverage is wide ranging, with sections on assistive devices, elderly people monitoring, home rehabilitation, ICT solutions for AAL, living with chronic conditions, robotic assistance for the elderly, sensing technologies for AAL, and smart housing. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the Fifth Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living, which was held in Catania, Italy, in September 2014 and brought together end users, technology teams, and policy makers to develop a consensus on how to improve provision for elderly and impaired people. Readers will find that the expert contributions offer clear insights into the ways in which the most recent exciting advances may be expected to assist in addressing the needs of the elderly and those with chronic conditions.

This book discusses both the beneficial and harmful aspects of NO in biology and medicine, and also introduces the emerging discovery of artemisinin in antitumor, antibacterial infection, anti-inflammation, and antiaging contexts. In 1992 nitric oxide (NO) was voted "Molecule of the Year" by Science magazine, and the discovery of its physiological roles has led to Nobel Prize-winning work in neuroscience, physiology and immunology. The book explains why we should maintain a steady-state NO level that is derived from neuronal or epithelial NO synthase, and avoid the extremely high NO level resulting from inducible NO synthase. The book offers a valuable resource for medical chemists, clinicians, biologists and all those interested in health and disease.

This book aims to provide an up-to-date review of the literature in each of the major areas relating to the management of older gynecological cancer patients, and makes recommendations for best practice and future research. The authors come from a broad geographic spread including the UK, mainland Europe and North America to ensure a worldwide relevance.

The aim of this book is to present current views about physical activity and the benefits of physical activity in preventing and ameliorating various health conditions that are of worldwide concern. This book was developed as a compilation of the accomplishments of the five-year Global COE (Center of Excellence) "Sport Sciences for the Promotion of Active Life" Program at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of Waseda University, Saitama, Japan. The first part establishes the research methodology and discusses the current status of physical activity. Topics covered include the prevalence of physical inactivity and highly sedentary behavior in different populations as well as strategies that can be adopted to promote physical activity. The second part focuses on the physiological effects of physical activity. Topics covered include physiological responses to exercise by the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, vascular functioning, postprandial blood glucose control, and inflammatory processes. The relationship between exercise and appetite is discussed, as is the influence of exercise on food intake and weight regulation. Additionally, the influence of exercise on protein regulation and posttranslational modifications is introduced. The final part discusses the role of physical activity in preventing lifestyle-related health issues and improving the quality of life, especially for the elderly. The contents should be of interest to anyone who is concerned with the human physiologic response to exercise and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, including sports and exercise science researchers as well as those involved with medicine, public health, physiology, nutrition, and elder care.

Poliomyelitis, better known as polio, thoroughly stumped the medical science community. Polio's impact remained highly visible and sometimes lingered, exacting a priceless physical toll on its young victims and their families as well as transforming their social worlds. This social history of infantile paralysis is plugged into the rich and dynamic developments of the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Children became epidemic refugees because of anachronistic public health policies and practices. They entered the emerging, clinical world of the hospital, rupturing physical and emotional connections with their parents and siblings. As they underwent rehabilitation, they created ward cultures. They returned home to occasionally find hostile environments and always discover changed relationships due to their disabilities. The changing concept of the child, from an economic asset to an emotional commitment, medical advances, and improved sanitation policies led to significant improvements in child health and welfare. This study, relying on published autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories, captures the impact of this disease on children's personal lives, encompassing public-health policies, hospitalization, philanthropic and organizational responses, physical therapy, family life, and schooling. It captures the anger, frustration, and terror not only among children but parents, neighbors, and medical professionals alike.

This book highlights (1) the significance of reciprocity for the maintenance of self-esteem in old age and (2) the negative implications for the well-being of dependent older people when that significance goes unrecognized and, as a consequence, opportunities to give back to society, as well as take from it, are not facilitated by those in a position to do so. The discussion draws on research undertaken in the UK and Southern India into the extent to which having the self-perception of being valued in the world is important to older people in receipt of care support and whether, in their experience, this is recognized by others. The author presents an analysis of theoretical insights from leading thinkers across a broad range of literature and from several disciplines, including social theory, social work, philosophy, and gerontology. The author also gives voice to the perspectives of those dependent older people not often heard because of marginalizing and disempowering processes that contribute to their having little opportunity to be heard in the first place. The emphasis of this book is on aspiration to a meaningful life and continuing personal growth as offering a challenge to dominant discourses the equate old age with decline.

This book aims to provide an up-to-date review of the literature in each of the major areas relating to the management of older colorectal cancers patients, and makes recommendations for best practice and future research. The authors come from a broad geographic spread including the UK, mainland Europe and North America to ensure a worldwide relevance.

This book examines the social aspects of healthy ageing for older individuals. It features more than 15 papers that explore the relevance of the social environment for health on the micro, meso, and macro level. Overall, the book applies a comprehensive contextual approach that includes discussion of how family and friends, neighborhoods, nations, and welfare regimes influence health. The book first explores the issue on the individual level. It looks at the importance of social capital for health among older people, examines types of social networks and health among older Americans, as well as discusses dynamic social capital and mental health in late life. Next, the book looks at the issue through a neighborhood and societal context, which takes into account day-to-day interaction in the immediate environment as well as the social, health, and economic policies in place in different regions in the world, including America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. From there, the book goes on to offer implications and recommendations for research and practice, including the management of related concepts of research on well-being and health. It also offers a psychosocial approach to promoting social capital and mental health among older adults. This book provides health professionals as well as researchers and students in gerontology, sociology, social policy, psychology, and social work with vital insights into the social factors that increase healthy life years and promote well-being.