Social gerontology

This best-selling, multidisciplinary, social aging text presents positive images of aging while considering the many factors that contribute to how aging individuals experiences life.

Up-to-date and expanded, this text offers a comprehensive view that presents aging positively, portraying concepts of active aging and resiliency, and defining 'productive aging' by elaborating on the numerous ways elders contribute to society and their families. Based on the latest research findings, it offers greater depth to critical issues of aging, attending to differences by age and cohort, gender, ethnic minority status, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

Preface.

I. THE FIELD OF SOCIAL GERONTOLOGY.

1. The Growth of Social Gerontology.

The Field of Gerontology.

Social Gerontology.

What Is Aging?

A Person-Environment Perspective on Social Gerontology.

Organization of the Text.

Why Study Aging?

Growth of the Older Population.

The Oldest-Old.

Dependency Ratios.

Population Trends.

Worldwide Trends.

Impact of Demographic Trends in the United States.

Longevity in Health or Disease?

How Aging and Older Adults Are Studied.

Formal Development of the Field.

Research Methods.

2. Historical and Cross-Cultural Issues in Aging.

Old Age Historically.

The Effects of Modernization.

A Cross-Cultural View of Old Age in Contemporary Societies.

Effects of Culture and Modernization Are Still Changing.

II. THE BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SOCIAL AGING.

3. The Social Consequences of Physical Aging.

Biological Theories of Aging.

Can Aging Be Reversed or Delayed?

Research on Physiological Changes with Age.

Changes in Sensory Functions.

4. Managing Chronic Diseases and Promoting Well-Being in Old Age.

Defining Health.

Quality of Life in Health and Illness.

Chronic and Acute Diseases.

Causes of Death in Older Adults.

Common Chronic Conditions.

Falls and Their Prevention.

Use of Physician Services by Older People.

Health Promotion with Older People.

III. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SOCIAL AGING.

5. Cognitive Changes with Aging.

Intelligence and Aging.

Factors That May Influence Intelligence in Adulthood.

The Process of Learning and Memory.

The Information Processing Model.

Factors That Affect Learning in Old Age.

Age-Related Changes in Memory.

Improving Cognitive Abilities in Old Age:

Cognitive Retraining, Memory Mediators.

Wisdom and Creativity.

6. Personality and Mental Health in Old Age.

Defining Personality.

Stage Theories of Personality.

Trait Theories of Personality.

Self-Concept and Self-Esteem.

Stress, Coping, and Adaptation.

Successful Aging.

Mental Disorders among Older Persons.

Older Adults Who Are Chronically Mentally Ill.

7. Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality in Old Age.

Attitudes and Beliefs about Sexuality in Later Life.

Myths and Reality about Physiological Changes and Frequency of Sexual Activity.

Women and Age-Related Physiological Changes.

Men and Age-Related Physiological Changes.

Chronic Disease and Sexual Activity.

Gay and Lesbian Partners in Old Age.

Psychosocial Factors and Late-Life Affection, Love, and Intimacy.

Facilitating Older Adults' Sexual Functioning.

IV. THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF AGING.

8. Social Theories of Aging.

The Importance of Social Theories of Aging.

Social Gerontological Theory before 1961: Role and Activity.

The First Transformation of Theory.

Alternative Theoretical Perspectives.

Recent Developments in Social Gerontological Theory: The Second Transformation.

9. The Importance of Social Supports: Family, Friends, and Neighbors.

The Nature and Function of Informal Supports.

Growth of the Multigenerational Family.

Older Partners.

Sibling Relationships.

Never-Married Older People.

Childless Older Adults.<