In Intergenerational Approaches in Aging: Implications for Education, Policy, and Practice, leading practitioners and academics from a variety of disciplines come together to discuss theoretical issues, current practice, and future directions for this rapidly developing field. The authors address key topics such as defining the intergenerational field, the effects of the segregation of groups by age on social function and organization in our communities, and designing, implementing, and assessing programs that create cross-generational connections. Exploring ways to provide services to different age groups while tapping the strengths and skills of each age group, Intergenerational Approaches in Aging examines the application of intergenerational approaches to important social issues as well as specific challenges faced by practitioners. It makes suggestions for integrating intergenerational studies into the higher education system and for challenging segregated services and funding programs. As the book shows, promoting cooperation between diverse segments of society also depends on: making intergenerational programming a permanent feature of public schools understanding and meeting the social, mental health, and medical needs of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren using observational research to study and evaluate intergenerational program effectiveness and the relationships among the people involved viewing differences among people as assets developing intergenerational program models providing children with a 'life-cycle’view of the world Intergenerational Approaches in Aging offers the personnel of state and local agencies on aging, nursing homes, senior centers, and geriatric homes practical advice, innovative ideas, and supportive materials for developing and implementing intergenerational activities and programs that can benefit all parties involved. Academics and school administrators will also benefit from this book as they learn concrete methods for integrating aging education into already existing curricula and building new conceptual frames of reference for a wide variety of social issues and historical topics.

Aging Education provides educators in aging studies with a unique text that responds to the paucity of instructional strategies and teaching materials. Editors Nieli Langer and Terry Tirrito meet the challenge of educating and training students and providers of service to an aging population in all the various instructional programs (gerontology/geriatrics degrees) and non-credit workshops currently offered in different settings (hospitals, nursing homes, professional associations, in-service training, etc). By developing and explaining a multidisciplinary approach to working with older adults in areas related to health, education, ethics, law, cultural competency for a multicultural population, translating social policy into practice, spirituality, and human services, the editors provide an imaginative and thought-provoking unmet need for gerontology educators by providing them with teaching and practice strategies in aging education.

First Published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book highlights both recent innovations in professional health curricula and continuing education and interventions aimed at improving student attitudes towards geriatrics and aging. The contributors cover areas including simulation, online training, and standardized patients for evaluation, but also emphasize the important end-result of clinical training: to take care of real older adults outside the classroom. Importantly, this underscores the development of powerful learning experiences of students by sensitizing them to the frameworks of palliative care, cancer care, sexuality, and aging research, all of which serves as a powerful catalyst for creating a ‘pipeline’ of students who embrace aging as a central theme of their future work. As increased training in geriatrics is required to attune the health care workforce to the needs of older adults, this book will be of interest to those seeking to create a more age-friendly healthcare curriculum. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Gerontology & Geriatrics Education journal.

This book places significant issues related to the health, mental health, and well-being of older adults and their caregivers within the context of social work service delivery. By presenting the research of social work scholars, all experts in specific research areas, the editors clarify the value that social work brings to the larger realm of health care for older adults and their families. Special consideration is given to such issues as case management, urban, African-American elders, grandmothers raising grandchildren, aging persons with developmental disabilities, home health care, and more. For Further Information on Dr. Berkman, Please Click Here!

A demographic futurist explains the coming Super Age—when there will be more people older than sixty-five than those under the age of eighteen—and explores what it could mean for our collective future. Societies all over the world are getting older, the result of the fact that we are living longer and having fewer children. At some point in the near future, much of the developed world will have at least twenty percent of their national populations over the age of sixty-five. Bradley Schurman calls this the Super Age. Today, Italy, Japan, and Germany have already reached the Super Age, and another ten countries will have gone over the tipping point in 2021. Thirty-five countries will be part of this club by the end of the decade. This seismic shift in the world population can portend a period of tremendous growth—or leave swaths of us behind. Schurman explains how changing demographics will affect government and business and touch all of our lives. Fewer people working and paying income taxes, due to outdated employment and retirement practices, could mean less money feeding popular programs such as Social Security and Medicare—with greater numbers relying on them. The forced retirement or redundancy of older workers could impact business by creating a shortage of workers, which would likely drive wages up and result in inflation. Corporations, too, must rethink marketing strategies—older consumers are already purchasing the majority of new cars, and they are a growing and vitally important market for health technologies and housing. Architects and designers must re-create homes and communities that are more inclusive of people of all ages and abilities. If we aren’t prepared for the changes to come, Schurman warns, we face economic stagnation, increased isolation of at-risk populations, and accelerated decline of rural communities. Instead, we can plan now to harness the benefits of the Super Age: extended and healthier lives, more generational cooperation at work and home, and new markets and products to explore. The choice is ours to make.