Synopses & Reviews
As the baby boom generation ages, the number of older adults continues to increase at a dramatic rate. This trend has created a need for well-educated professionals in the rapidly expanding fields of psychology, social work, health care, education, public administration and policy, and human services. Because of this, the growth of courses in gerontology has created a demand for appropriate textbooks, particularly at the graduate level.
Gerontology: An Interdisciplinary Perspective provides a thorough and broad-based survey of the current knowledge base and is the first gerontology text aimed at the graduate level. The authors of each chapter are leading experts in their respective fields. Topics covered include: theory; methodology; physiological processes; health; culture and ethnicity; dying and bereavement; basic cognitive processes; intellectual abilities; personality; assessment; mental health and intervention; caregiving; work, retirement and leisure; competency and nursing homes; and public policy issues. Each chapter reflects current trends and emerging issues, as well as a firm grounding in previous research and theory, and includes review questions and a list of additional references. The interdisciplinary nature of the text clearly reflects the state of the field and emphasizes the need to take a broader view of age-related phenomena. Ideal for master's level students in gerontology, psychology, sociology, nursing, geriatrics, and related disciplines, Gerontology: An Interdisciplinary Perspective can also serve as a core text in appropriate advanced undergraduate courses.
Synopsis
This book provides a thorough and broadbased survey of gerontology. The authors are leading experts in their respective domains, and each chapter reflects the current trends and emerging issues in the field. Topics include mental health, ethnicity, bereavement, caregiving, work, retirement, nursing homes, public policy issues, and much more. This book emphasizes the need to take a broader view of age-related phenomena.
Table of Contents
1. Theories of Aging in the Biological, Behavioral, and Social Sciences,
John C. Cavanaugh2. Research Methods, John C. Cavanaugh and Susan Krauss Whitbourne
3. Culture and Aging, Mark R. Luborsky and Carmit Kurn McMullen
4. Physical Changes, Susan Krauss Whitbourne
5. Immunity, Disease Processes, and Optimal Aging, Carolyn M. Aldwin and Diane F. Gilmer
6. Dying and Bereavement, Robert Kastenbaum
7. Basic Cognitive Processes, Elizabeth A.L. Stine-Morrow and Lisa M. Soederberg Miller
8. Intelligence and Cognitive Potential in Later Life, Roger A. Dixon and David F. Hultsch
9. Self and Personality Development, Gisela Labouvie-Vief and Manfred Diehl
10. Clinical Assessment of Older Adults, Barry Edelstein and Kimberly Kalish
11. Mental Health and Mental Disorders in Older Adults, Sara Honn Qualls
12. Intergenerational Relationships in Later-Life Families: Adult Daughters and Sons as Caregivers to Aging Parents, Mary Ann Parris Stephens and Melissa M. Franks
13. Work, Leisure, and Retirement, Harvey L. Sterns and Jennifer Hurd Gray
14. Older Adults Decision-Making Capacity: Institutional Settings and Individual Choices, Michael A. Smyer and Rebecca Allen-Burge
15. Public Policy Issues, Robert H. Binstock Index