Preface Introduction: Why Study Aging? p. 1 Toward Understanding Aging p. 1 The Field of Gerontology p. 2 Social Gerontology p. 3 What Is Old Age? p.

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1 Preface Introduction: Why Study Aging? p. 1 Toward Understanding Aging p. 1 The Field of Gerontology p. 2 Social Gerontology p. 3 What Is Old Age? p. 4 A Diverse Population p. 4 A Model of Dynamic Interaction p. 5 Organization of the Text p. 8 Why Study Aging? p. 8 The Field of Social Gerontology p. 13 Growth of the Older Population p. 12 Changes in Life Expectancy p. 12 Maximum Life Span p. 14 The Oldest-Old p. 14 Population Pyramids p. 16 Dependency Ratios p. 19 Population Trends among Ethnic Minorities p. 20 Geographic Distribution p. 24 Educational and Economic Status p. 24 Worldwide Trends p. 25 Impact of Demographic Trends in the United States p. 27 Longevity in Health or Disease? p. 28 Attitudes toward the Elderly p. 29 The Older Population and How It Is Studied p. 38 Development of the Field p. 38 How Is Aging Studied? p. 41 Historical and Cross-Cultural Issues in Aging p. 51 Old Age Historically p. 52 A Cross-Cultural View of Old Age in Contemporary Societies p. 58 Social Theories of Aging p. 64 Why Study Social Theories of Aging? p. 64 Role Theory p. 65 Activity Theory p. 67 Disengagement Theory p. 68 Continuity Theory p. 71 The Elderly as a Subculture p. 72 Age Stratification Theory p. 73 Interactionist Perspectives p. 76 Social Exchange Theory p. 78 Political Economy of Aging p. 80

2 The Biological and Physiological Context of Social Aging p. 85 The Social Consequences of Biological Aging p. 88 Biological Theories of Aging p. 89 Research on Physiological Changes with Age p. 91 Sensory Changes and Their Social Consequences p. 105 Normal Changes with Age p. 105 Changes in Vision p. 106 Changes in Hearing p. 113 Changes in Taste and Smell p. 117 Changes in the Sense of Touch p. 118 Changes in Mobility and the Kinesthetic Sense p. 119 Health, Chronic Diseases, and Use of Health Services p. 124 Defining Health p. 124 Effects of Stress on Health p. 127 Chronic and Acute Diseases p. 128 Use of Physician Services by Older People p. 142 Models of Health Behavior p. 144 Health Promotion with the Elderly p. 148 The Psychological Context of Social Aging p. 163 Cognitive Changes with Aging p. 166 Intelligence and Aging p. 166 The Process of Learning and Memory p. 174 The Information Processing Model p. 175 Age-Related Changes in Memory p. 179 Improving Memory in the Later Years p. 181 Wisdom and Creativity p. 183 Personality and Social Adaptation in Old Age p. 189 Innate and Environmental Factors p. 190 Personality Development in Adulthood p. 190 Self-Concept and Self-Esteem p. 197 Stress, Coping, and Adaptation p. 199 Successful Aging p. 212 Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality in Old Age p. 218 Attitudes and Beliefs about Sexuality in Later Life p. 219 Women and Age-Related Physiological Changes p. 222 Men and Age-Related Physiological Changes p. 224 Disease and Sexual Activity p. 225 Gay and Lesbian Partners in Old Age p. 228 Late-Life Affection, Love, and Intimacy p. 230 Facilitating Older Adults' Sexual Functioning p. 233 Mental Disorders and the Use of Mental Health Services p. 238

3 Epidemiology of Mental Disorders p. 238 Depression p. 239 Dementia p. 244 Alcoholism p. 249 Drug Abuse p. 250 Paranoid Disorders and Schizophrenia p. 251 Anxiety p. 252 The Chronically Mentally Ill p. 252 Psychotherapy with Older Persons p. 253 Use of Mental Health Services p. 254 The Social Context of Aging p. 263 The Importance of Social Supports: Family, Friends, and Neighbors p. 266 The Nature and Function of Informal Supports p. 266 The Changing Concept of the Aging Family p. 267 Sibling Relationships p. 274 Other Kin p. 275 Relationships with Adult Children p. 275 Demographic Trends and Adult Child-Parent Relationships p. 278 The Stresses of Caregiving p. 280 Childless Elderly p. 283 Grandparenthood and Great-Grandparenthood p. 284 Friends and Neighbors as Social Supports p. 287 Relationships with Pets p. 290 Living Arrangements and Social Interactions p. 301 Person-Environment Theories of Aging p. 301 Relocation p. 305 Urban-Rural Differences p. 306 The Impact of the Neighborhood p. 308 Age Homogeneity-Heterogeneity p. 309 Victimization and Fear of Crime p. 309 Housing Patterns of Older People p. 312 Housing Policy and Government Programs p. 324 Environmental Quality p. 325 SRO Housing p. 327 The Problems of Homelessness p. 327 Economic Status, Work, and Retirement p. 335 Employment Status p. 335 Barriers to Employment p. 339 Creating New Opportunities for Work p. 340 Retirement p. 341 Leisure Activities and the Importance of Planning p. 346

4 Sources of Income in Retirement p. 347 Poverty among Old and Young p. 352 Changing Roles: Community, Organizational, and Political p. 361 Variations in Activities in Old Age p. 362 Leisure Pursuits p. 362 The Meaning and Functions of Leisure for Older People p. 364 Membership in Voluntary Associations p. 366 Volunteer Work p. 366 Religious Participation, Religiousness, and Spirituality p. 369 Political Participation p. 372 Death, Dying, Bereavement, and Widowhood p. 383 The Changing Context of Dying p. 383 The Dying Process p. 387 The Dying Trajectory Framework p. 388 The Right to Die p. 391 Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning Rituals p. 398 Widowhood p. 401 Populations at Risk: Older Ethnic Minorities p. 409 Defining Ethnicity p. 410 African American Elderly p. 413 Hispanic American Elderly p. 416 Native American Elderly p. 418 Pacific Asian Elderly p. 421 Implications for Service Delivery p. 424 Populations at Risk: Older Women p. 431 Concern for Older Women's Needs p. 431 Older Women's Economic Status p. 433 Older Women's Health Status p. 436 Older Women's Social Status p. 439 Future Directions p. 442 The Societal Context of Aging p. 447 Social Policies to Address Social Problems p. 450 Variations among Policies and Programs p. 451 Factors Affecting the Development of Policies p. 453 The Residual and Incremental Nature of Policies for the Elderly p. 455 The Development of Aging Policy p. 456 Income Security Programs: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income p. 459 Private Pensions and Income Tax Provisions p. 462 Social Services p. 463 Policy Dilemmas p. 466 Who Is Responsible? p. 471

5 Reductions in Government Support p. 472 Health Care Policy and Programs p. 476 Health Care Expenditures p. 476 Medicare p. 479 Medicaid p. 485 Alternatives to Institutionalization p. 488 Other Government Health Care Programs p. 492 Future Directions p. 493 Epilogue p. 499 Trends That Will Affect Aging in the Future p. 499 Implications for the Future p. 501 Index p. 523 Table of Contents provided by Blackwell's Book Services and R.R. Bowker. Used with permission.