Productive Ageing is the involvement of older adults in society through employment, volunteering, caregiving, education and skill building. In 2020 there will be 248 million people in China aged 60 and over. At the same time, the birth rate continues to drop and family structures are being transformed. In the face of such pressing demographic challenges, the productive engagement of older adults is a clear-cut strategy to strengthen families and communities while simultaneously promoting the health of older adults. From a human capital perspective, an ageing population represents resources to address societal needs; and the active engagement of older adults can enhance and maintain the physical, mental and cognitive health of the older adults. The challenge is to develop policies that support productive engagement and implement evidence-based programs that create opportunities for older adults in active engagement in the community. Contributions of older adults will be necessary for social and economic development of families, communities, and society. Productive Engagement in Later Life covers the 2009 China conference on productive aging and discusses how to initiate and build productive aging agenda in China and around the globe. This book was originally published as a special issue of China Journal of Social Work.

Through Mental Health Services and Sectors of Care, physicians, researchers, and educators will find suggestions and guidelines for planning and implementing interagency projects that involve child welfare and juvenile justice agencies to improve the lives of children on the margins of our society. From this book, you will discover how the child welfare system functions as the gateway to the receipt of mental health services for many children. With Mental Health Services and Sectors of Care, you will gain insight into the possible reasons behind gender influenced behaviors and get ideas on how you can keep them from occurring in your classroom or clinical setting. From Mental Health Services and Sectors of Care, you will discover how you can benefit from the experiences of seasoned professionals to make you a more successful social worker. This intelligent book provides you with valuable insights into how you can help meet the challenges of mental health services delivery, including: examining the trend that many youths entering emergency shelter care facilities have had extensive involvement with other service systems exploring the fact that the majority of children and youths in foster care have been identified as needing mental health services understanding how treatment options for physicians treating depression in their patients are shaped by the gender of both the physician and the patient integrating responsiveness into the public children's service system to address each child's individual mental health needs Comprehensive and thorough, this important guide will help you understand the essential roles that medical and social services play in the care of those with mental disorders. Mental Health Services and Sectors of Care gives you the information you need to help you give patients adequate and effective care.

"Will 69 million baby boomers suddenly drop out of the workforce when they turn 65? It is difficult to imagine this generation, with its talent, education, and experience, idling away the last thirty years of life."--From the Foreword, by Robert N. Butler, M.D., The Mount Sinai Medical Center

Old age has been historically thought of as a period of frailty and dependence, yet studies show that with the help of advances in health and medicine, current populations will live longer and remain healthier than previous generations. As average life expectancies rise, traditional concepts of retirement need to be reconsidered on all levels--from government policy to business practice to individual life planning. In this volume, leaders in the field of gerontology explore these changing conditions through the concept of "productive aging," which has been developed by leaders in the field to promote older adults' contributions to society in social and economic capacities.

"Productive Aging: Concepts and Challenges" treats the implications of productive aging for the discipline of gerontology and for society in general. The first section defines the principles, historical perspectives, and conceptual frameworks for productive aging. The second section takes a disciplinary approach, treating the biomedical, psychological, sociological, and economic implications of a more capable older generation. The third section considers advances in theories of gerontology, and the fourth section suggests future directions in practice, theory, and research.

Contributors: W. Andrew Achenbaum, University of Houston - Scott A. Bass, University of Maryland-Baltimore - Vern L. Bengtson, University of Southern California - James E. Birren, UCLA - Francis G. Caro, University of Massachusetts Boston - Carroll L. Estes, University of California-San Francisco - Marc Freedman, Civic Ventures (co-founder of Experience Corps) - James Hinterlong, Washington University - James S. Jackson, University of Michigan - Jane L. Mahakian, Pacific Senior Services - Harry R. Moody, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Nancy Morrow-Howell, Washington University - Philip Rozario, Washington University - James H. Schulz, Brandeis University - Michael Sherraden, Washington University - Alvar Svanborg, University of Illinois-Chicago and Goteburg University, Sweden - Brent A. Taylor, San Diego State University

With today's availability of Social Security and Medicare, we typically think of the older years as a stage in life where people are supported financially. However, of the more than 40 million old adults currently living in the US, many are struggling financially living below or near the poverty line. They are lacking the assets necessary to see them through a period of life that is often longer than expected and that requires more health and long-term care. While financial vulnerability can be most pronounced in old age, it is often created across decades, revealing itself in later years when there is little opportunity to reverse a lifetime of disadvantage. The concept of Financial Capability refers to both an individual and structural idea that combines a person's ability to act with their opportunity to act in their best financial interests. In Financial Capability and Asset Holding in Later Life: A Life Course Perspective the concept of Financial Capability is used to underscore the importance of acquiring knowledge and skills while also addressing policies and services than can build financial security. The volume assembles the latest evidence on financial capability and assets among older adults using a life course perspective, arguing that older adults need financial knowledge and financial services in order to build secure lives, and that this process needs to begin before it is too late to make effective changes and choices. Broken into three parts, the chapters in this book written by leading experts in the field blend together empirical findings, economic and social theory, and case studies. Part 1 opens the book with a conceptual and empirical overview of financial capability and assets among older adults using a life course perspective. Part 2 presents chapters addressing financial vulnerability of diverse racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and immigrants. Part 3 includes chapters describing current policies, programs, and innovations, including a review of important issues of working and caregiving in later life, and a detailed assessment of age-friendlybanking principles, banking products, services, and policies.