This collection of essays provides an analysis of Canadian/U.S. social policy toward aging. The first chapter presents a continental view of demography. Subsequent chapters examine the Canadian and U.S. perspectives on social policy, long-term care, the chronic mentally ill, rural aging, aging veterans, native elders, and cross-national intergenerational families. Current Literature on Aging This volume represents a pioneering effort in Canadian-U.S. social policy analysis in the field of gerontology. Beginning with a continental viewpoint on demography, the book proceeds to deal with seven specific topics by means of a nation-to-nation analysis. Topics include social policy, long-term care, the chronic mentally ill, rural aging, aging veterans, native elders, and cross-national and intergenerational families. The last three topics are seldom addressed in books on aging; they are a vital new contribution to gerontological knowledge in both the U.S. and Canada.

While elder abuse is a topic that has been widely explored, elder self-neglect is a subject that has not really been defined, much less discussed at any length. This volume is the first comprehensive work on the prevalent geriatric problem of self-neglect. It contains original clinical research and analyzes the medical, psychological, and social aspects of geriatric self-neglect from various perspectives of professionals within the geriatric field.

This volume opens with an overview of elder self-neglect, including a general framework that describes exactly what is involved with this clinical problem. The authors then explore the broad societal implications of self-neglect before going on to examine special risks and subgroups that are associated with this dilemma. The final chapter investigates areas of research likely to enhance further understanding of this problem. Social workers, nurses and geriatric professionals who are concerned with this threat to our elderly will find this volume to be a valuable resource that provides an interdisciplinary perspective on health and social services.