Download or read book Learning to Be Old written by Margaret Cruikshank and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2009-01-16 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean to grow old in America today? Is 'successful aging' our responsibility? What will happen if we fail to 'grow old gracefully'? Especially for women, the onus on the aging population in the United States is growing rather than diminishing. Gender, race, and sexual orientation have been reinterpreted as socially constructed phenomena, yet aging is still seen through physically constructed lenses. The second edition of Margaret Cruikshank's Learning to Be Old helps put aging in a new light, neither romanticizing nor demonizing it. Featuring new research and analysis, expanded sections on gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender aging and critical gerontology, and an updated chapter on feminist gerontology, the second edition even more thoroughly than the first looks at the variety of different forces affecting the progress of aging. Cruikshank pays special attention to the fears and taboos, multicultural traditions, and the medicalization and politicization of natural processes that inform our understanding of age. Through it all, we learn a better way to inhabit our age whatever it is.

Download or read book Aging and Diversity written by Chandra M. Mehrotra and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new edition has been completely rewritten and includes chapters that address key topics in diversity and aging: research methods, psychological aging; health beliefs, behaviors, and services; health disparities; informal and formal care for older persons; work and retirement; religious affiliation and spirituality; and death, dying, and bereavement. Taking a broad view of diversity, Mehrotra and Wagner discuss elements of diversity such as gender, race or ethnicity, religious affiliation, social class, rural-urban community location and sexual orientation. Including these elements allows them to convey some of the rich complexities of our diverse culture - complexities that provide both challenges to meet the needs of diverse population and opportunities to learn how to live in a pluralistic society. Throughout the book, Mehrotra and Wagner present up-to-date knowledge and scholarship in a way that engages readers in active learning. Rather than simply transmitting information, the authors place ongoing emphasis on developing readers’ knowledge and skills; fostering higher order thinking and encouraging exploration of personal values and attitudes. Distinctive features of the book include: Opening vignettes for each chapter that present a sampling of how the issues to be discussed apply to diverse elders. Active learning experiences that invite readers to interview diverse elders, conduct internet searches, and give an analysis of a case study. Quizzes at the end of the chapters help readers ascertain the extent to which they have learned the material; the key for each quiz includes details about correct and incorrect responses so that additional learning can occur. Aging and Diversity Online boxes interspersed throughout the book provide internet resources that readers may use to find new research and publications. Suggested readings and audiovisual resources given at the end of each chapter serve as a guide to additional information on topics covered in the chapter. This approach of presenting the material will help the readers understand and apply key concepts and principles in ways that will not only improve the lives of older people they serve, but will also enhance their own aging experience.

Download or read book Positive Ageing and Learning from Centenarians written by Michel Poulain and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Positive Ageing and Learning from Centenarians evaluates the mechanisms of positive ageing in a uniquely interdisciplinary way to explore the question of how we age and how some people age successfully. Drawing together the findings of recognised longevity researchers from around the world, the book applies an integrated vision to educational and social aspects of human ageing. It examines research into centenarians, and considers most of the disciplines related to longevity and healthy aging and aspects such as education, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, demography, sociology, economics as well as those related to nutrition and biological factors of longevity. The book examines how the results of these scientific investigations could improve the well-being of the oldest olds in the future, especially in the context of ageing societies. It provides an answer to the question of what we can learn from centenarians and what lessons we can from their lifestyle, which can contribute to live longer, better and happier. Based on cutting-edge research, the book will be highly relevant reading for researchers, academics and students in the field of ageing and longevity, mental health research, health science, gerontology and psychology.

Download or read book Cognitive Aging written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most Americans, staying "mentally sharp" as they age is a very high priority. Declines in memory and decision-making abilities may trigger fears of Alzheimer's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases. However, cognitive aging is a natural process that can have both positive and negative effects on cognitive function in older adults - effects that vary widely among individuals. At this point in time, when the older population is rapidly growing in the United States and across the globe, it is important to examine what is known about cognitive aging and to identify and promote actions that individuals, organizations, communities, and society can take to help older adults maintain and improve their cognitive health. Cognitive Aging assesses the public health dimensions of cognitive aging with an emphasis on definitions and terminology, epidemiology and surveillance, prevention and intervention, education of health professionals, and public awareness and education. This report makes specific recommendations for individuals to reduce the risks of cognitive decline with aging. Aging is inevitable, but there are actions that can be taken by individuals, families, communities, and society that may help to prevent or ameliorate the impact of aging on the brain, understand more about its impact, and help older adults live more fully and independent lives. Cognitive aging is not just an individual or a family or a health care system challenge. It is an issue that affects the fabric of society and requires actions by many and varied stakeholders. Cognitive Aging offers clear steps that individuals, families, communities, health care providers and systems, financial organizations, community groups, public health agencies, and others can take to promote cognitive health and to help older adults live fuller and more independent lives. Ultimately, this report calls for a societal commitment to cognitive aging as a public health issue that requires prompt action across many sectors.

Download or read book The Aging Mind written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-04-18 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Possible new breakthroughs in understanding the aging mind that can be used to benefit older people are now emerging from research. This volume identifies the key scientific advances and the opportunities they bring. For example, science has learned that among older adults who do not suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, cognitive decline may depend less on loss of brain cells than on changes in the health of neurons and neural networks. Research on the processes that maintain neural health shows promise of revealing new ways to promote cognitive functioning in older people. Research is also showing how cognitive functioning depends on the conjunction of biology and culture. The ways older people adapt to changes in their nervous systems, and perhaps the changes themselves, are shaped by past life experiences, present living situations, changing motives, cultural expectations, and emerging technology, as well as by their physical health status and sensory-motor capabilities. Improved understanding of how physical and contextual factors interact can help explain why some cognitive functions are impaired in aging while others are spared and why cognitive capability is impaired in some older adults and spared in others. On the basis of these exciting findings, the report makes specific recommends that the U.S. government support three major new initiatives as the next steps for research.

Download or read book Aging with Grace written by David Snowdon and published by Bantam. This book was released on 2008-11-19 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1986 Dr. David Snowdon, one of the world’s leading experts on Alzheimer’s disease, embarked on a revolutionary scientific study that would forever change the way we view aging—and ultimately living. Dubbed the “Nun Study” because it involves a unique population of 678 Catholic sisters, this remarkable long-term research project has made headlines worldwide with its provocative discoveries. Yet Aging with Grace is more than a groundbreaking health and science book. It is the inspiring human story of these remarkable women—ranging in age from 74 to 106—whose dedication to serving others may help all of us live longer and healthier lives. Totally accessible, with fascinating portraits of the nuns and the scientists who study them, Aging with Grace also offers a wealth of practical findings: • Why building linguistic ability in childhood may protect against Alzheimer’s • Which ordinary foods promote longevity and healthy brain function • Why preventing strokes and depression is key to avoiding Alzheimer’s • What role heredity plays, and why it’s never too late to start an exercise program • How attitude, faith, and community can add years to our lives A prescription for hope, Aging with Grace shows that old age doesn’t have to mean an inevitable slide into illness and disability; rather it can be a time of promise and productivity, intellectual and spiritual vigor—a time of true grace.

Download or read book The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging written by Ayanna K. Thomas and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-05-28 with total page 1019 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decades of research have demonstrated that normal aging is accompanied by cognitive change. Much of this change has been conceptualized as a decline in function. However, age-related changes are not universal, and decrements in older adult performance may be moderated by experience, genetics, and environmental factors. Cognitive aging research to date has also largely emphasized biological changes in the brain, with less evaluation of the range of external contributors to behavioral manifestations of age-related decrements in performance. This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge cognitive aging research through the lens of a life course perspective that takes into account both behavioral and neural changes. Focusing on the fundamental principles that characterize a life course approach - genetics, early life experiences, motivation, emotion, social contexts, and lifestyle interventions - this handbook is an essential resource for researchers in cognition, aging, and gerontology.

Download or read book Technology for Adaptive Aging written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-04-25 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emerging and currently available technologies offer great promise for helping older adults, even those without serious disabilities, to live healthy, comfortable, and productive lives. What technologies offer the most potential benefit? What challenges must be overcome, what problems must be solved, for this promise to be fulfilled? How can federal agencies like the National Institute on Aging best use their resources to support the translation from laboratory findings to useful, marketable products and services? Technology for Adaptive Aging is the product of a workshop that brought together distinguished experts in aging research and in technology to discuss applications of technology to communication, education and learning, employment, health, living environments, and transportation for older adults. It includes all of the workshop papers and the report of the committee that organized the workshop. The committee report synthesizes and evaluates the points made in the workshop papers and recommends priorities for federal support of translational research in technology for older adults.

Download or read book Understanding Communication and Aging written by Jake Harwood and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2007-05-08 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book examines key topics such as interpersonal and family relationships in old age, media portrayals of aging, cultural variations in intergenerational communication, and health communication in old age.

Download or read book Aging Well written by George E. Vaillant and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2003-01-08 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a unique series of studies, Harvard University has followed 824 subjects from their teens to old age. Professor George Vaillant now uses these to illustrate the surprising factors involved in reaching happy, healthy old age.

Download or read book Aging Society and the Life Course Fourth Edition written by Leslie A. Morgan and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-03-15 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Print+CourseSmart

Download or read book Families Caring for an Aging America written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Download or read book Changing Minds written by Roger Kreuz and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why language ability remains resilient and how it shapes our lives. We acquire our native language, seemingly without effort, in infancy and early childhood. Language is our constant companion throughout our lifetime, even as we age. Indeed, compared with other aspects of cognition, language seems to be fairly resilient through the process of aging. In Changing Minds, Roger Kreuz and Richard Roberts examine how aging affects language—and how language affects aging. Kreuz and Roberts report that what appear to be changes in an older person's language ability are actually produced by declines in such other cognitive processes as memory and perception. Some language abilities, including vocabulary size and writing ability, may even improve with age. And certain language activities—including reading fiction and engaging in conversation—may even help us live fuller and healthier lives. Kreuz and Roberts explain the cognitive processes underlying our language ability, exploring in particular how changes in these processes lead to changes in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They consider, among other things, the inability to produce a word that's on the tip of your tongue—and suggest that the increasing incidence of this with age may be the result of a surfeit of world knowledge. For example, older people can be better storytellers, and (something to remember at a family reunion) their perceived tendency toward off-topic verbosity may actually reflect communicative goals.

Download or read book Aging and the Digital Life Course written by David Prendergast and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2017-06 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Across the life course, new forms of community, ways of keeping in contact, and practices for engaging in work, healthcare, retail, learning and leisure are evolving rapidly. This book examines how developments in smart phones, the Internet, cloud computing, and online social networking are redefining experiences and expectations around growing older in the twenty-first century. Drawing on contributions from leading commentators and researchers across the world, this book explores key themes such as caregiving, the use of social media, robotics, chronic disease and dementia management, gaming, migration, and data inheritance, to name a few.

Download or read book Better with Age written by Dr. Alan D. Castel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Age is an important number, but it can also be deceiving. After 40, most people say they feel younger than their years, some lie about their age, and many attempt to hide the signs of growing old. Better with Age addresses the many myths and paradoxes about the aging process. Although most people think of their later years in terms of decline, they can be one of the best times in life. This book presents the latest scientific research about the psychology of aging, coupled with insights from those who have succeeded in doing it well, such as Maya Angelou, Bob Newhart, Jared Diamond, John Glenn, and John Wooden. We are all aging, and many people are concerned about what to expect with advancing years. Retirement, happiness, and brain health are some of the many topics covered in this book. Better with Age shows what we can do now, at any stage in life, to make sure we enjoy old age.

Download or read book Elderlearning written by Lois S. Lamdin and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 1997 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faced with the possibility of a significantly extended lifespan, many Americans can expect to enjoy continued growth and development well past the traditional age of retirement. Elderlearning examines the important role of learning in maintaining the health, quality of life, and longevity of older adults, and in providing opportunities for them to take on new roles in society. This book includes the results of the first comprehensive survey on the topic of adult learning in men and women over the age of 55. The authors provide key data on the sources, topics, and extent of the current learning activities of older adults, as well as on their preferred learning modes. Adult learning is viewed from the perspective of providers of learning services, as well as from the viewpoint of individual learners. This information is based on extensive interviews with elderlearners and with learning services providers across the country. The authors also discuss the policy implications of the elderlearning phenomenon at the federal, state, and institutional levels. They conclude the book with a recommended eight-point agenda for improving service to this rapidly growing segment of the population. Elderlearning will be a valuable aid to anyone involved in developing - or teaching - programs designed to meet the needs of older adults, as well as to elderlearners themselves.

Download or read book Disrupt Aging written by Jo Ann Jenkins and published by Public Affairs. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book "sets out to change the current conversation about what it means to get older. In it, Jenkins chronicles her own journey, as well as those of others who are making their mark as disrupters, to show readers how we can all be active, financially unburdened, and happy as we get older. It's [a] ... narrative that touches on all the important issues facing people 50+ today, from caregiving and mindful living to building age-friendly communities and attaining financial freedom"--