Directed towards researchers and practitioners in family studies and gerontology, this completely revised Second Edition of Family Relationships in Later Life provides an innovative new collection of research-based descriptions on family relations of older people. Each chapter summarizes existing literature on the topic and provides up-to-date original research. Topics addressed include: sibling relationships in later life; widowhood; ethnic differences; elder abuse and mistreatment; family care; and health problems.

This book looks at the familial lives of older Americans, including those who have never married or become parents.

Brubaker focuses on family relationships during the later stages of the family life cycle, and reviews research studies on family patterns in later life. The author concludes that the `later life family' is alive and well, but that it necessarily reflects the changes and problems associated with ageing. He identifies the aspects of family relationships that require support and assistance and suggests future solutions for providing such support.

The introductory essays and readings, drawn from both literature and social science research, vividly illustrate the diversity of aging experiences both within and across American families diversity conditioned by social space, historical time, and individual biography.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

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

No other reference provides such a comprehensive and timely overview of theory and research on family relationships, the contexts of family life, and major turning points in late-life families. It includes many suggestions for theoretical and practical applications for future research on a score of important topics. This multidisciplinary survey is an invaluable library reference and teaching resource intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and practitioners — for gerontologists, family scholars, psychologists, sociologists, historians, social workers, health-care providers, and policy makers.