Hans-Werner Wahl, Hermann Brenner, Heidrun Mollenkopf, Dietrich Rothenbacher and Christoph Rott Ageing research has been identi?ed as a prototypical ?eld of inquiry deserving the full exploitation of single discipline approaches and interdisciplinary synergies amongst these single perspectives. Although this is a generally accepted insight, there still is a strong need to provide models of how this global and most fundamental challenge can be dealt with. It seems in any case necessary to narrow down the wide scope of ageing research issues to sets of key constructs most promising in terms of interdisciplinary cross-fertilisation. Againstthis,themajoraimofthebookistoprovideacomprehensive treatment of one well-selected set of key issues of recent ageing research, i. e. health, competence and well-being. In addition, the book's ambition is to identify priorities for future ageing research and to further new avenues for interdisciplinary approaches and social policy applications. The substance of the book is based on an international conference which took place on June 18 and 19, 2004 in Heidelberg, Germany. Framed within the array of health, competence and well-being perspectives in ageing research, the idea of the conf- ence was to provide an integrated presentation of ?ndings generated in the German Centre for Research on Ageing at the University of Heidelberg (Deutsches Zentrum f. ur Alternsforschung, DZFA). The centre's three departments, i. e.

This book was nurtured by the belief that the new dynamics of today's and tomorrow's aging has not yet been treated well in the gerontology literature. Several questions drove the choice of substance for the book: What kind of new dynamics of aging deserves consideration? What kinds of theories and fields are at the core of treating such a new dynamics? And what kind of empirical evidence should be considered? The master hypothesis on which the book is based maintains that the new dynamics of old age is best observed in a range of everyday aging contexts that have been undergoing major change since the second half of the 20th century. In particular, five areas of new and persistent dynamics are treated in depth: the social environment, with a focus on cohort effects in social relations and the consideration of family relations and elders as care redelivers; the home environment, with emphasis on housing and quality of life, relocation and urban aging issues; the outdoor environment, with consideration of out-of-home activity patterns, car-driving behaviour and the leisure world of aging; the technological environment, with treatments of the role of the Internet and the potential of technology for aging outcomes and; and the societal environment with a focus on global aging, the new politics of old age and older persons as market consumers. The book's main purpose is to provide the scholarly gerontology community with a comprehensive and critical discussion of these new trends related to old age. The book will be of interest for the scholarly community of gerontology in a variety of disciplines; sociology, psychology, demography, epidemiology, humanities, social policy and geriatrics; students in gerontology education and in the disciplines named above who have an interest in aging issues (graduate level); professionals in practical and applied fields related to aging such as community and urban planners, health and care providers and policymakers; people involved in senior citizens' organizations and those in industry who wish to serve older people with new products.

This book was nurtured by the belief that the new dynamics of today's and tomorrow's aging has not yet been treated well in the gerontology literature. Several questions drove the choice of substance for the book: What kind of new dynamics of aging deserves consideration? What kinds of theories and fields are at the core of treating such a new dynamics? And what kind of empirical evidence should be considered? The master hypothesis on which the book is based maintains that the new dynamics of old age is best observed in a range of everyday aging contexts that have been undergoing major change since the second half of the 20th century. In particular, five areas of new and persistent dynamics are treated in depth: the social environment, with a focus on cohort effects in social relations and the consideration of family relations and elders as care redelivers; the home environment, with emphasis on housing and quality of life, relocation and urban aging issues; the outdoor environment, with consideration of out-of-home activity patterns, car-driving behaviour and the leisure world of aging; the technological environment, with treatments of the role of the Internet and the potential of technology for aging outcomes and; and the societal environment with a focus on global aging, the new politics of old age and older persons as market consumers. The book's main purpose is to provide the scholarly gerontology community with a comprehensive and critical discussion of these new trends related to old age. The book will be of interest for the scholarly community of gerontology in a variety of disciplines; sociology, psychology, demography, epidemiology, humanities, social policy and geriatrics; students in gerontology education and in the disciplines named above who have an interest in aging issues (graduate level); professionals in practical and applied fields related to aging such as community and urban planners, health and care providers and policymakers; people involved in senior citizens' organizations and those in industry who wish to serve older people with new products.

The ambition of ageing science to discover the golden fleece of longevity and health is closely connected to the concept of 'successful ageing'. Still, for a large portion of the population, frailty and cognitive impairment is the reality of ageing, and it is by no means certain if health promotion, prevention and other interventions will reduce the probability of its occurrence. This book argues that a narrow understanding of 'successful ageing' as good health, full functioning, and active participation in society excludes a large portion of ageing individuals from the quest for a good life in old age. The challenge is that the term 'successful ageing' comes with ambitions but also with ambivalence. On the one hand, it counteracts the deficit view of ageing and facilitates visionary thinking on what might be possible in the future. On the other hand, its implicitly ageist and derogative features have negative consequences to older people and society at large. So, what is successful ageing? We provide answers at three levels: First, we synthesise the various models used to define successful ageing into a heuristic scheme able to unravel the normative complexity and differences inherent in existing models. Second, we anchor successful ageing models in a tripartite way at micro (individual), meso, and macro analytic levels of human development. Third, we argue that the usefulness of successful ageing in guiding policy will only profit from the concept, if it follows a pluralistic and holistic view without hastily deciding for one model only.

Dieser interdisziplinare UEberblick befasst sich ausfuhrlich mit den Fragen und Problemen, die Seh- und Hoerverluste fur altere Patienten und ihre Helfer aufwerfen. Neben den neuesten medizinischen Erkenntnissen werden vor allem die psychologischen und psychosozialen Aspekte behandelt wie z.B. Probleme der Bewaltigung und der Rehabilitation sowie Anwendungsfragen technischer Hilfsmittel.

Die Beitrage stellen das Thema "Veralterung der deutschen Gesellschaft" in den Kontext der Alltagsforschung. Alte Menschen leben in einer besonderen Umwelt. Sie haben besondere Wohnverhaltnisse und Einkaufsgewohnheiten etc."

Wie leben altere Menschen in und mit Umwelten, die sich immer rascher und komplexer entwickeln? Was haben dabei Lieblingsplatze, WGs, die Autonutzung, Pflegeroboter und das Internet gemeinsam? Das Buch gibt anschaulich und wissenschaftlich fundiert Antwort. Speziell die Themenfelder Wohnen, Mobilitat, Technik und Medien werden in ihrer sich erganzenden Bedeutung fur das Leben Alterer dargestellt. Die Auseinandersetzung mit den Potentialen und Risiken der Nutzung dieser eng miteinander verschrankten Umwelten zeigt auf, wie ein befriedigendes Zusammenwirken von alten Menschen und Umwelten gelingen kann.

Alt werden will jeder. Alt sein nicht nicht unbedingt. Aber was heiAen Alter und Altern? Wodurch ist unser Leben im Alter - jenseits von biologischen Faktoren - bestimmt? A. Kruse und H.-W. Wahl, zwei fA1/4hrende Alternsforscher, vermitteln in diesem klar geschriebenen Buch anhand der Befunde moderner Forschung die Botschaft: Alter kann, je nach individueller und gesellschaftlicher Weichenstellung, einen erfA1/4llten Lebensabend bedeuten und dabei eine wichtige soziale Funktion erfA1/4llen. Und selbst bei PflegebedA1/4rftigkeit oder Demenz finden sich noch sehr verschiedenartige GestaltungsmAglichkeiten der individuellen Lebensbedingungen. Wir mA1/4ssen die Weichen jetzt richtig stellen, wenn wir gesellschaftlich und individuell die Herausforderungen des Alterns bewAltigen wollen.