First published in 1993. This present volume, co-edited by two sociologists, Jon Hendricks of the United States and Carolyn Rosenthal of Canada, focuses on a comparative, cross-national discussion of social policies of the United States and Canada, especially those related to health care. The uniqueness o f this work lies in the fact that it views family experiences from both a Canadian and an American perspective. In addition, this book not only fills a gap in our know ledge of social pol...

Robert Butler's call for life reviews has exerted a key influence on the way gerontologists have looked at reminiscence and remembering. Widely thought to be a helpful mechanism for integrating past and future, the process of life review needs better specification and evaluation based on sound research. ""The Meaning of Reminiscence and Life Review"" brings together both research and application pieces covering the range of possibilities. It examines important controversies and asks: ""Doe...

No one wants to put an aging relative in a "home." But very few people have an understanding of the issues involved and options available for an older person who needs outside care. This important book offers a variety of new insights into ways of maximizing choice, independence, and well-being, and minimizing the emotional stunting often associated with institutionalization. Both imaginative institutional programs and such alternatives as community maintenance are examined.

In western countries, the rising tide of population aging took 100 years to alter the face of societies, but Asia is experiencing comparable changes in not much more than a quarter of a century. Contributors to "The Handbook of Aging" describe the magnitude of these changes and their effects on the aged and on societies attempting to adapt to the dramatic improvements in life expectancy brought on by rapid economic and social transformations. Asia encompasses a vast reach from Pakistan and...

The "Need for Theory" speaks to the burgeoning need for critical thinking in social gerontology. The editors have brought together some of the foremost contributors to theoretical advances in the field. This volume incorporates state-of-the-art theorizing with a focus on selected topical areas facing gerontologists around the world. Using their keen insights into substantive issues, the contributors examine personal and structural changes affecting individuals over the life course. Extolli...

Enduring Questions in Gerontology provides a comprehensive perspective on the abiding issues in gerontology. Both current and future gerontologists will find this book useful in examining emerging dilemmas and creating a context for further progress in the field of aging.The most creative thinkers contributing to the gerontological literature reflect on their disciplines, consider how key questions have emerged, review how they have changed in the decades since gerontology...

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...

A unique approach to human behaviorthat integrates and interprets the latest research from cell to societyIncorporating principles and findings from molecular biology, neuroscience, and psychological and sociocultural sciences, Human Behavior employs a decidedly integrative biosocial, multiple-levels-of-influence approach. This approach allows students to appreciate the transactional forces shaping life course opportunities and challenges a...

Addressing an issue of central concern in social life, this authoritative book examines how having or lacking power influences the way individuals and groups think, feel, and act. Leading international experts comprehensively review classic and contemporary research with an eye toward bridging gaps across theories and levels of analysis. Compelling topics include the evolutionary bases of power; its effects on physiological processes, cognitive abilities, and health; what sorts of people a...

A book such as this both demonstrates the progress that has been made over recent years, and will also serve to enhance respect for the human rights of persons with intellectual disabilities in the years to come.'- From the Foreword by Orville EndicottThis wide-ranging volume provides a multidisciplinary examination of human rights and the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.The book combines historical, psychological, philosophical, social, educational, ...

Building on the success of the 2003 Handbook of the Life Course, this second volume identifies future directions for life course research and policy. The introductory essay and the chapters that make up the five sections of this book, show consensus on strategic “next steps” in life course studies. These next steps are explored in detail in each section: Section I, on life course theory, provides fresh perspectives on well-established topics, including cohorts, life stages, and legal and r...

Social Perspective explores the impact of social factors on individual health, a topic often overlooked in the practice of psychiatry, psychology, and medicine. Richard U'Ren synthesizes viewpoints and information usually dispersed among many disciplines to show how social roles, political-economic conditions, and the social stratification system all contribute to individual well-being or disorder.U'Ren investigates how access to income, education, and social affiliations ...