Aging is God's gift to you. Even as your body grows old, learn how as a Senior member of God's Forever Family to live the balance of your earthly life with hope, joy and purpose. This is a great book. Everyone over 50 years of age must read it. It contains many practical ways to live life after fifty with significance and great joy It certainly shows that we will still count in life and can make a difference as we grow old. Rev. Dr. Arthur W. Davenport, Senior Pastor, First Church of God, Far Rockaway, New York Dr. Helen Mendes Loves Reflections on the Upsides of Aging is so Spiritfilled and powerful. After reading it, I am renewed in the wonder of Gods blessings to me in my many years I have also learned through Dr. Helens sharing that I will never be too old to grow and to enjoy new ways of telling this loving God thank you! Paulette Meeks, former Daughter of Charity and author of The Best For Last: One Womans Unusual Tale of Life and Love I enjoyed this book. Dr. Mendes Loves handling of a variety of delicate subjects shows her deftness, aplomb, and confidence in her research. The chapter on sin is an exemplary treatise on a subject with sharp, jagged edges. I thank Dr. Mendes Love for speaking so freely of aging with great purpose and direction. Her scholarly, grandmotherly, sweet slap is a welcome wakeup call. Brett Jones, Senior Pastor, Grace Church of Humble, Texas This book will inspire the reader. The content will enrich your life Marvin Powell, Retired Judge, Liberty County, Texas Helen Mendes Love, author, speaker, and life coach, earned a Masters of Social Work degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from UCLA. She has served as a professor at the University of Southern California and director of Social Work at Pepperdine University of Malibu, California. She is the mother of two and grandmother of six. She and her husband, Gregory R. Love, live in Humble, Texas.

Author, activist, and TED speaker Ashton Applewhite has written a rousing manifesto calling for an end to discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age. In our youth obsessed culture, we’re bombarded by media images and messages about the despairs and declines of our later years. Beauty and pharmaceutical companies work overtime to convince people to purchase products that will retain their youthful appearance and vitality. Wrinkles are embarrassing. Gray hair should be colored and bald heads covered with implants. Older minds and bodies are too frail to keep up with the pace of the modern working world and olders should just step aside for the new generation. Ashton Applewhite once held these beliefs too until she realized where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. Lively, funny, and deeply researched, This Chair Rocks traces her journey from apprehensive boomer to pro-aging radical, and in the process debunks myth after myth about late life. Explaining the roots of ageism in history and how it divides and debases, Applewhite examines how ageist stereotypes cripple the way our brains and bodies function, looks at ageism in the workplace and the bedroom, exposes the cost of the all-American myth of independence, critiques the portrayal of elders as burdens to society, describes what an all-age-friendly world would look like, and offers a rousing call to action. It’s time to create a world of age equality by making discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind of bias. Whether you’re older or hoping to get there, this book will shake you by the shoulders, cheer you up, make you mad, and change the way you see the rest of your life. Age pride! “Wow. This book totally rocks. It arrived on a day when I was in deep confusion and sadness about my age. Everything about it, from my invisibility to my neck. Within four or five wise, passionate pages, I had found insight, illumination, and inspiration. I never use the word empower, but this book has empowered me.” —Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author

The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy and Purpose explores a titanic shift that will alter every aspect of human existence, from the jobs we hold to the products we buy to the medical care we receive - an aging revolution underway across America and the world. Moving beyond the stereotypes of dependency and decline that have defined older age, The Upside of Aging reveals the vast opportunity and potential of this aging phenomenon, despite significant policy and societal challenges that must be addressed. The book’s chapter authors, all prominent thought-leaders, point to a reinvention and reimagination of our older years that have critical implications for people of all ages. With a positive call to action, the book illuminates the upside for health and wellness, work and volunteerism, economic growth, innovation and education. The authors, like the baby boom generation itself, posit new ways of thinking about aging, as longevity and declining birthrates put the world on track for a mature population of unprecedented size and significance. Among topics they examine are: The emotional intelligence and qualities of the aging brain that science is uncovering, “senior moments” notwithstanding. The new worlds of genomics, medicine and technology that are revolutionizing health care and wellness. The aging population’s massive impact on global markets, with enormous profit potential from an explosion in products and services geared toward mature consumers. New education paradigms to meet the needs and aspirations of older people, and to capitalize on their talents. The benefits that aging workers and entrepreneurs bring to companies, and the crucial role of older people in philanthropy and society. Tools and policies to facilitate financial security for longer and more purposeful lives. Infrastructure and housing changes to create livable cities for all ages, enabling “aging in place” and continuing civic contribution from millions of older adults. The opportunities and potential for intergenerational engagement and collaboration. The Upside of Aging defines a future that differs profoundly from the retirement dreams of our parents and grandparents, one that holds promise and power and bears the stamp of a generation that has changed every stage of life through which it has moved.

Aging Wisely: A Guide for Helping Professionals equips future practitioners with fundamental ideas and tools for working effectively with older adults. The book provides unique insight into the special issues and challenges of aging populations, connects the dots between theory and practice with older adults, and encourages critical thinking and self-reflection to help students develop a meaningful personal practice. The book begins with an introduction to working with older populations, which emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of aging individuals. The following chapter focuses on how theories of aging and theories of counseling can inform a practitioners' work. Additional chapters provide information about the process of working with older people. Students learn about the special needs of older adults, including physical health issues, dealing with loss, changes in personal connections, and more. Dedicated chapters explore cultural and ethical considerations, supporting an older adult's caregivers, and the importance of self-care. Featuring a highly personal style and a caring exploration of an underserved population, Aging Wisely is an ideal text for courses in counseling, human services, and social work. Those serving in helping professions with limited experience working with aging populations will also find this resource valuable. David Hutchinson is a faculty member in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Northern Vermont University at Johnson. He earned his Ph.D. in counselor education from SUNY Buffalo and his M.A./C.A.S. in rehabilitation counseling from Assumption College. Prior to teaching, Dr. Hutchinson worked as a counselor and administrator in a variety of counseling programs and also served as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Offers a Buddhist perspective on aging well, with anecdotes of the author's experiences with illness, aging, and transformation, and guided meditations.

By 2030 there will be about 70 million people in the United States who are older than 64. Approximately 26 percent of these will be racial and ethnic minorities. Overall, the older population will be more diverse and better educated than their earlier cohorts. The range of late-life outcomes is very dramatic with old age being a significantly different experience for financially secure and well-educated people than for poor and uneducated people. The early mission of behavioral science research focused on identifying problems of older adults, such as isolation, caregiving, and dementia. Today, the field of gerontology is more interdisciplinary. When I'm 64 examines how individual and social behavior play a role in understanding diverse outcomes in old age. It also explores the implications of an aging workforce on the economy. The book recommends that the National Institute on Aging focus its research support in social, personality, and life-span psychology in four areas: motivation and behavioral change; socioemotional influences on decision-making; the influence of social engagement on cognition; and the effects of stereotypes on self and others. When I'm 64 is a useful resource for policymakers, researchers and medical professionals.

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.