Bestselling author and counselor Michael Gurian offers a comprehensive look at the emotional, spiritual, and cognitive dimensions of aging--and how to celebrate life after fifty.

Called "the people's philosopher" for his ability to apply scientific ideas to our ordinary lives, Michael Gurian, bestselling author of "The Wonder of Boys," sees life after fifty as an enormously fruitful, exciting, and fulfilling time. Drawing on scientific research as well as anecdotes that respond to the needs of his many clients, he goes beyond the physical-centered view of aging and presents a new, holistic paradigm embracing opportunities that come with life after fifty.

"The Wonder of Aging" focuses on the physical, mental, relational, and spiritual aspects of aging, discussing topics such as sex, how men and women age differently, the effects of aging on the brain, and what to expect in the last chapter of life. The book divides life after fifty into three stages: the Age of Transformation, from our late forties to sixty; the Age of Distinction, from sixty to seventy-five; and the Age of Completion, which involves completing one's life journey. In addition, this essential guide provides meditations and exercises to help you map out the aging process and is rich with case histories from Gurian's research and experience as a therapist.

Written with Gurian's contagiously optimistic outlook on life, "The Wonder of Aging" provides a full, constructive, and comforting roadmap to what to expect--and how to celebrate--the second half of your life.

Americans age 65 and over are an important and growing segment of our population. Many federal agencies provide data on aspects of older Americans' lives, but it can be difficult to fit the pieces together. Thus, it has become increasingly important for policymakers and the general public to have an accessible, easy-to-understand portrait that shows how older Americans are faring. This book provides a comprehensive picture of our older population's health and well-being.

How we age is much more of a choice than you may think. Many people reach a stage when they are looking for something different. Others feel that time is running out, or they are "losing their looks." The answers to these anxieties rarely lie in a jar or a pill. As a healthy lifestyle is important in looking and feeling good, so our attitude is important in giving meaning and direction to our lives, and even improving our looks. Combining the latest research on health, ageing and well-being with 30 years experience of working with people, we present a constructive antidote to the myths and stereotypes around ageing, and a guide to an exciting, fulfilling future.

This book presents research in the field of communications ranging from infancy to the elderly. Topics discussed include the role of symbolic play in early literacy development; ageing and the use of electronic speech generating devices in hospitals; sound spectrographic cry analysis and mother's perceptions of their infant's crying; caregiver awareness of dementia patients and the educational needs of elderly deaf persons.

One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is global ageing. A primary objective of this book is to review research that is at the forefront in providing information regarding the decline, maintenance, and improvements in health and cognition that are associated with age. Another objective is to provide information regarding pioneering methods to ameliorate age-related declines. It brings together scholars with a wide variety of expertise who present innovative ideas about lifestyle and brain health, quality of life issues, memory interventions, methodology for pain assessment, health communication, decision-making, future time perspective, and retirement goals. The reader will finish this book with a greater understanding of the problems and potential solutions for addressing the important problems of an ageing population. This timely book will make an important contribution to the current aging literature by offering new ideas to stimulate further research and application in understanding health, cognition, and ageing. This book is appropriate for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals who study or work in the fields of psychology, gerontology, social work, human development and health fields such as nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

It can be argued that ATP is the most important molecule in cells. Not only is ATP the key energy source for cells, but it is also the source of phosphate groups that are transferred to a variety of substrate proteins via the action of elaborate families of protein kinases. An equally elaborate array of protein phosphatases can remove phosphate groups from proteins. It is now well established that protein phosphorylation is a widely used mechanism for cells to selectively modulate the function of a variety of proteins including enzymes, ion channels and pumps and structural proteins. In this volume of ACAG leading experts describe the evidence that protein phosphorylation is altered in aging and age-related disease. Protein phosphorylation controls fundamental processes such as transcription and translation, regulation of the cell cycle, signalling within and between cells, cell motility, synaptic function and so on. Recent findings are revealing how phosphorylation dependent signalling cascades may control lifespan with a prime example being the insulin-signalling pathway first described in c-elegans and now emerging as an important regulator of lifespan of mammals also. Many of the functional changes that occur during aging such as impaired learning and memory and altered energy metabolism are controlled by protein phosphorylation and it is, therefore, important to understand how mechanisms of protein phosphorylation may either mediate aging or provide adaptive responses that allow successful disease-free aging. The authors in addition to considering the roles of protein phosphorylation in aging describe the evidence that abnormalities in protein phosphorylation contribute to the pathogenesis of major age-related diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

This book is the third in a series with the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (Series Editor: Matthew P. Janicki). These publications are designed to address the issues of health, adult development and aging among persons with intellectual disabilities.

For many years it has been recognized that some adults with intellectual disabilities are at elevated risk for mental and behavioral health problems. Often the aging process can complicate the identification, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this type of dual diagnosis and present complex challenges to clinicians and carers. This book is designed as a practical resource for those involved with the support, care and treatment of persons with intellectual disabilities, and should prove particularly useful as this community achieves increased longevity. The book is divided into three parts: Prevalence and Characteristics; Diagnosis and Treatment; and Service System Issues.

"This is by far the best book I've read on the science of aging."—Andrew Weil, M.D.

"Life-span Truth Will Set You Free from Age-old Worries," announced the Chicago Tribune upon the first publication of this book. The New England Journal of Medicine confirmed, "For readers interested in aging and longevity, this small book clearly explains the major concepts...extremely enjoyable to read." From NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw to Scientific American to the New York Times, S. Jay Olshansky and Bruce A. Carnes have stirred up controversy and brought clarity to an issue often muddled by exaggeration and pseudoscience.

Medical science has uncovered a host of answers to the problems of aging, but many of the most exciting discoveries are buried in scientific journals or overshadowed by popular quick-fix treatments. The Quest for Immortality explains the real science of aging and shows which treatments offered by today's multi-billion-dollar anti-aging industries offer real hope, and which are a waste of money and time.

Take control of your hormones and feel happier and healthier, with this practical guide to re-balancing your body and getting your life back on track ____________ Hormones play a crucial role in our health and well-being, yet few of us understand the toll they take on our bodies when we don't achieve a balance. Whether you're riding the roller coasters of puberty, pregnancy or the menopause, we're all a slave to our hormones at some point in our lives, and they can leave you feeling tired, low and irritable. In It Must Be My Hormones, leading specialists in women's health Dr Marion Gluck and nutritionist Vicki Edgson, show you the role that each of our major hormones plays, how a deficiency can affect our well-being, and what we can do to restore the balance. In this book you'll discover: * How to keep the weight off with thyroid boosting mega-foods * Vitamins which work wonders for your skin * How herbs and spices can give you a caffeine-free energy kick * Which aromatherapy herbs are actually beneficial * Ways to improve cognitive function through mineral supplements From boosting fertility to easing symptoms of PMS, this practical, easy-to-implement guidance will restore mental and physical well-being. Filled with inspiring personal stories, nutritional suggestions and advice on bio-identical hormone therapy, this book will help you regain control of your hormones and your life.

Examining cultures as diverse as long-house dwellers in North Borneo, African farmers, Welsh housewives, and postindustrial American workers, this volume dramatically redefines the anthropological study of menstrual customs. It challenges the widespread image of a universal 'menstrual taboo' as well as the common assumption of universal female subordination which underlies it. Contributing important new material and perspectives to our understanding of comparative gender politics and symbolism, it is of particular importance to those interested in anthropology, women's studies, religion, and comparative health systems.

Studies of mammary gland biology are essential in the fight against breast cancer. Moreover, the mammary gland represents an excellent model system for investigation of physiological and pathological processes that occur throughout the body. The branching morphogenesis that occurs during puberty and the alveogenesis processes during pregnancy, for example, recapitulate steps that occur in many tissues during embryogenesis and are also relevant to tumor invasion and metastasis. Similarly, analyses of breast cancer progression and the cell types that contribute to it yield findings applicable not only to breast cancer but widely to other cancers as well.
Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology reviews our understanding of mammary gland development, physiology, and tumor formation, emphasizing the value of the organ as a model system. The contributors examine the roles of hormones, growth factors, oncogenes, and the extracellular matrix in normal development and cancer. In addition, they discuss the nature of the mammary gland stem cell population and review the gene expression programs activated and chromatin modifications that occur as the different cell lineages present differentiate. The book also contains chapters covering the many experimental approaches that have been used in this field, including transplantation, genetic engineering, RNA interference and genomics, three dimensional culture models, and live cell imaging. It will thus be of interest to all researchers working in cell, developmental, and cancer biology, as well as those focused specifically on mammary gland biology and breast cancer.

This personal scientific memoir describes how a chance observation concerning artery disease in children with rare inherited abnormalities of metabolism, often called experiments of Nature, led to the discovery of a new theory of heart disease, cancer and diseases of ageing. As explained in subsequent chapters, this new theory places the amino acid homocysteine at the heart of altered metabolism of diseases of ageing. Not only does this theory illuminate and explain the origin of these diseases, development of this theory logically leads to a novel and revolutionary metabolic and nutritional program for disease prevention and treatment, potentially benefiting individuals and populations.

The U.S. population aged 65 and older, grew steadily through most of the last century. U.S. Census Bureau population projections to 2030 indicate that further and more dramatic growth is still to come. This increase is, in part, due to longer life expectancies and the ageing of the baby boom generation. This book explores the older population as it increases in size and proportion, and as individuals continue to live longer post-retirement. Topics discussed include the changes in where older Americans live, or the "geographic distribution" of the older population; older workers employment and retirement trends; income of Americans 65 or older; poverty among older Americans; and obesity among older Americans.

In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of the mental aspects, social welfare and health of the ageing population. Topics discussed include assessing the quality of life of the elderly population; age-related ophthalmic disease; assessment of the at-risk older driver; social services for the elderly in Hong Kong; increased lifespan for people with intellectual disabilities and locomotor disability in the aged.

This book reviews research on presently known theories and mechanisms responsible for the rate of ageing and maximum longevity of different animals including birds, mammals and humans (to explain "how" do we age and the velocity of the ageing process). In addition, this book deals with the historical evolutionary explanations of ageing and longevity ("why" do we age). The mechanisms discussed include mitochondria and oxygen free radicals, the presence of macromolecules constitutively highly resistant to deleterious modification in the tissues of long-lived animals, insulin/IGF-1 like signalling, telomere shortening, dietary restrictions, and other proposed molecular mechanisms.

Personalisation in British social care is linked to both the principle and process that every adult who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or funded by them, will have choice and control over the shape of that support in all care settings. This adult social care policy agenda is firmly focused on the development of personalisation of support. The overall aim is for social care service users to have control over how money allocated to their care is spent. This book examines the social welfare system in Britain, with a particular focus on personal budgets and the quality of care received.

Ageing has become a global concern. Covering a wide variety of topics this reference book will help to fill a gap in Indian resources available to practitioners and to the general public. As life expectancy increases so too does the need for information on improving the health of the increasing elderly population. This book covers a range of issues often experienced by ageing people. This book promotes healthy lifestyle choices through person-centred education and decision-making.

Although books exist on the evolution of aging, this is the first book written from the perspective of again as an adaptive program. It offers an insight into the implications of research on aging genetics, The author proposes the Demographic Theory of Senescence, whereby aging has been affirmatively selected because it levels the death rate over time helping stabilize population dynamics and prevent extinctions.

In Slavic studies, aging and old age have thus far been only marginal concerns. This volume brings together the scattered research that has been done up to now on aging as represented and narrated in Slavic literatures. The essays investigate Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Slovene and Ukrainian representations of age/aging in various literary genres and epochs and analyze age as a powerful marker of difference and as constitutive of social relations and personal identity.

The book offers a comprehensive review of current research regarding the influences of environmental factors involved in human health and ageing. Many environmental compounds promote excessive oxidative stress, which is the primary cause of accelerated ageing and which also contributes to the development of human diseases. The basic concepts of ageing theories are discussed, as is the promotion of oxidative stress which has been identified as one of the most important mechanisms responsible for the toxic effects of the majority of environmental pollutants. Antioxidants play an important role in the defence against pollutant-induced toxicity.

This book reviews research on presently known theories and mechanisms responsible for the rate of ageing and maximum longevity of different animals including birds, mammals and humans (to explain how" do we age and the velocity of the ageing process). In addition, this book deals with the historical evolutionary explanations of ageing and longevity ("why" do we age). The mechanisms discussed include mitochondria and oxygen free radicals, the presence of macromolecules constitutively highly resistant to deleterious modification in the tissues of long-lived animals, insulin/IGF-1 like signalling, telomere shortening, dietary restrictions, and other proposed molecular mechanisms.

The idea of assessment in the fields of physical exercise and health refers to a process of attributing values or concepts. This attribution is certainly key for the prescription of physical exercise but it is not its most important role. This book presents and discusses research which shows physical exercise and health professionals the importance of a program of measurement and assessment which enables to safely prescribe physical exercise to elderly people, since this prescription must be supported by a scientific basis in order to be considered a credible and responsible piece of work.

Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline. Reaction time, for example, may slow with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand. Research shows that even late in life potential exists for physical, mental, and social growth and development. Ageing is an important part of all human societies reflecting the biological changes that occur, but also reflecting cultural and societal conventions. This book examines several important issues in the field.