This volume conceptualizes caregiving as an emerging sociological issue involving complex and fluctuating roles. The authors contend that caregiving must be considered in the context of the life span with needs that vary according to age, developmental levels, mental health needs and physical health demands of both caregivers and care recipients. As the nature and functions of caregiving evolve it has become a critical and salient issue in the lives of individuals in all demographic, socioeconomic and ethnic categories. This volume frames caregiving as a sociological issue and addresses a number of central concerns, such as: - Caregiving is a life span experience associated with aging and the roles of spouses and adult children. - Caregiving involves a complex of social system variables that influence the social support and services to caregivers and care recipients. - The nature of the relationship among family caregivers, professional caregivers and the care recipient are embedded in their interaction and dynamics influenced by the internal and external variables that inhibit or facilitate the care situation. - How can caregiving be integrated with a public health agenda? - What disparities or inequalities exist in caregiving and what are the barriers that sustain them? - What community-based interventions need to be developed to improve caregiving?

This volume conceptualizes caregiving as an emerging sociological issue involving complex and fluctuating roles. The authors contend that caregiving must be considered in the context of the life span with needs that vary according to age, developmental levels, mental health needs and physical health demands of both caregivers and care recipients. As the nature and functions of caregiving evolve it has become a critical and salient issue in the lives of individuals in all demographic, socioeconomic and ethnic categories. This volume frames caregiving as a sociological issue and addresses a number of central concerns, such as:

- Caregiving is a life span experience associated with aging and the roles of spouses and adult children.
- Caregiving involves a complex of social system variables that influence the social support and services to caregivers and care recipients.
- The nature of the relationship among family caregivers, professional caregivers and the care recipient are embedded in their interaction and dynamics influenced by the internal and external variables that inhibit or facilitate the care situation.
- How can caregiving be integrated with a public health agenda?

- What disparities or inequalities exist in caregiving and what are the barriers that sustain them?
- What community-based interventions need to be developed to improve caregiving?

Clinical sociology is an action-oriented field that seeks to prevent, reduce, or resolve the seemingly overwhelming number of social problems confronting modern society. In an extensive revision of the first edition of this classic text and reference, published by Plenum in 1990, the editors have assembled a distinguished roster of contributors to address such topics as theory and practice; intervention at various levels of social organization; specific kinds of sociological practice; social problems; and the process of becoming a clinical sociologist.

Clinical sociology is an action-oriented field that seeks to prevent, reduce, or resolve the seemingly overwhelming number of social problems confronting modern society. In an extensive revision of the first edition of this classic text and reference, published by Plenum in 1990, the editors have assembled a distinguished roster of contributors to address such topics as theory and practice; intervention at various levels of social organization; specific kinds of sociological practice; social problems; and the process of becoming a clinical sociologist.

This book is a most welcome addition to the growing literature on sociological practice. There isa wealthofwisdomandexperience reflected in thesechaptersas well as a wide variety ofexamples of sociology in action. Clinical sociology, in its broadest sense, is the application of a sociological perspectivetofacilitatechange. Itspractitionersareprimarilychangeagentsrather than scholars or researchers, and work with a client, be that an individual, family, group, organization, or community. The reappearance and growthofclinical sociology during the past decade is therealizationofavisionofmine, borninthe 1960sand 1970soutofmyangerand frustration-first as a graduate studentand then as a professor-thatsociologists, unlike their psychological brethren, did not practice what they preached. Persons trainedinotherdisciplineswere practicingclinicalsociology, and those fewsociolo gists who did kept it a secret. The ClinicalSociologyAssociation, which I cofounded in 1978, had itsbegin nings at a roundtable I led at the American Sociological Association meetings in New York in 1976. I hadjust concluded four years as the only sociologist on the facultyoftheCaliforniaSchoolofProfessionalPsychologyinLosAngelesteaching graduateclinicalpsychologystudentshowtodosociology. Isawsociologygivingup by default a role in change efforts that necessitate the consideration of social systems.Socialworkers, psychologists, politicalscientists, gerontologists, criminolo gists, marriage and family counselors, to name a few, have eagerly gone where we had failed to tread. Practitioners in these fields, as social systems change agents, have carved a niche, often protecting themselves with licensing laws and other restrictions that make entry by sociologists difficult. Thus we are latecomers in a crowded field."

Clinical sociology, in its broadest sense, is the application of a sociological perspective to facilitate change. Its practitioners are primarily change agents rather than scholars or researchers, and work with a client, be that an individual, family, group, organization, or community. The contribut