Very little is known about why and when African American elders seek formal long-term care, or about the characteristics of assisted living environments they consider most desirable. Drawing on qualitative studies conducted between 1998 and 2001, the authors of Communities of Care provide important information on historic and current trends in assisted living systems serving African Americans.

Focusing on six facilities that have become models of long-term care for African Americans, the authors shed light on the daily lives of the people who live, work, and visit these "communities of care."With detailed profiles of the facilities, interviews, and case histories of care recipients, the authors explore both the institutional and personal characteristics of the facilities and the issues central to their residents.

This definitive work brings to the forefront critical questions about how race, gender, and culture affect the quality of, access to, and cost of care. These questions have broad implications for the policy, administration, and operation of assisted living.

An essential reference source for teachers and other professionals in the fields of low vision, social work, geriatric medicine, and other areas of public health. It provides insightful analyses of both practical and public policy issues related to aging and visual impairment, giving readers a broad range of perspectives.

Written by leading scholars, this esteemed text on global aging is distinguished by its unique perspective on universal similarities and sociocultural differences across nations. Fully revised, updated, and reorganized, the second edition presents-comprehensive coverage of major topics in social gerontology, expands its treatment of health behavior, health care, families, caregiving, older workers, and retirement. It delivers new information on living environments, religious beliefs and practices; environmental threats; cross-cultural views of dementia; ageism in advertising; age-friendly communities; global immigration and cultural assimilation, and end-of-life caregiving, to name a few.The second edition also offers additional case studies, first-person narratives and focused essays to enhance core material and a greater number of non-Western contributors. The topical essays reflect changing mores and current issues affecting societies and the aging experience. Discussion questions conclude each chapter, and an Instructor's Manual and Power Point slides are available to instructors. Print version of the book includes free, searchable, digital access to entire contents! New to the Second Edition: Expanded content on health beliefs and health behavior, religious belief and practice, environmental threats, housing and living environments, physical security, consumer control of health care, family life, and more Additional topics on global immigration and cultural assimilation, age portrayals in advertising, voluntarism, and the use of social media in caregiving. Abundant new and expanded essays New case studies and first-person narratives Many more non-western contributors Key Features: Delivers comprehensive coverage of major topics in gerontology Uses a unique comparative, cross-national perspective Authored by world-renowned aging scholars Includes case studies/essays/personal narratives to enliven core information Provides the most comprehensive demographic data on aging around the world