Aging has long been of interest to scholars and practitioners in a vast array of academic fields and professions. Thomas R. Cole, Ruth E. Ray, and Robert Kastenbaum have brought together leaders from a variety of academic realms to explore how aging is depicted in the modern era and the effect of these portrayals on individuals and society. --

Across more than 30 chapters spanning migration, queerness, and climate change, this handbook captures how the interdisciplinary and intersectional endeavor of Age(ing) studies has shaped contemporary literary and film studies. In the early 21st century, the literary study of age and ageing in its cultural context has 'come of age': it has come to supplement and challenge a public discourse on ageing seen mainly as a political and demographic 'problem' in many countries of the world. Following a tripartite structure, it looks first at literary and film genres and how they have been shaped by knowledge about age and ageing, incorporating both narrative genres as well as poetry, drama and imagery. The second section includes chapters on key themes and concepts in Age(ing) Studies with examples from film and literature. The third section brings together case studies focussing on individual artists, national traditions and global ageing. Containing original contributions by pioneers in the field as well as new scholars from across the globe, it brings together current scholarship on ageing in literary and film studies, and offers new directions and perspectives.

In What Does It Mean to Grow Old? essayists come to grips as best they can with the phenomenon of an America that is about to become the Old Country. They have been drawn from every relevant discipline--gerontology, social medicine, politics, health, anthropology, ethics, law--and asked to speak their mind. Most of them write extremely well [and their] sharply individual voices are heard.

This book presents a kaleidoscopic view of the positive layers of ageing as well as key interventions that can help generate and maintain positivity and well-being among the elderly. It explores the connections of ageing with spirituality, nature and existentialism, and leisure to encourage creativity, individuation, happiness, and emotional detachment. It further examines various interventions such as end-of-life care, mindfulness and yoga, retrospection, life review, and so on, which may improve the overall quality of life by promoting the health of the elderly individual. The book focuses on authentic ageing, transpersonal gerontology, the concept of the elder child, geriatric interventions, and caregiving, and suggests practical improvements in health and facilities for the elderly. It also covers aspects of the inner life of the prolonged ailing or dying person from a mental health perspective and emphasizes the value of positive ageing. A guide to applied geriatrics and geriatric psychology, with its simple style and clear methods in end-to-end praxis, the book shows how mental well-being can be fostered in the elderly to help them find meaning and purpose in old age. This book will interest students, teachers, and researchers of psychology, positive psychology, geropsychology and gerontological studies, sociology and social work, public health, medical education, and geriatric nursing. It will also be useful to practitioners including psychologists, counsellors, gerontologists, mental health professionals and NGOs working with the elderly, and the interested reader.

The Short Guide to Aging and Gerontology provides a concise and authoritative overview of key issues related to age, including how old age has been viewed historically and across cultures, what we know about health and function in later life, and how older age is financed throughout the world, among other questions. Also including current research on policy and practice and detailed suggestions for further reading, it is an important resource both for anyone new to gerontology as well as established scholars and practitioners in the field.

This work examines what it means to grow old in America today. The book questions social myths and fears about aging, sickness, and the other social roles of the elderly, the over medicalization of many older people, and ageism. Here the author proposes alternatives to the ways aging is usually understood in both popular culture and mainstream gerontology. She does not propose the ideas of "successful aging" or "productive aging," but more the idea of "learning" how to age. Featuring new research and analysis, the third edition of this text demonstrates, more thoroughly than the previous editions, that aging is socially constructed. The book focuses on the differences in aging for women and men, as well as for people in different socioeconomic groups. The author is able to put aging in a broad context that not only focuses on how aging affects women but men, as well. Key updates in the third edition include changes in the health care system, changes in how long older Americans are working especially given the impact of the recession, and new material on the brain and mind-body interconnections. The author challenges conventional ideas about aging, and brings forth some new ideas surrounding aging in America today.

Deconstructs fiction and nonfiction to further understandings of how aging and old age are created. In lively, accessible prose, this book expands the reach and depth of age studies. A review of age studies methods in theory, literature, and practice leads readers to see how their own intersectional identities shape their beliefs about age, aging, and old age. This study asks readers to interrogate the “texts” of menopause, self-help books on aging, and foundational age studies works. In addition to the study of these nonfiction texts, the poetry and prose of Doris Lessing, Lucille Clifton, and Louise Erdrich serve as vehicles for exploring how age relations work, including how they invoke readers into kinships of reciprocal care as othermothers, otherdaughters, and otherelders. The literary chapters examine how gifted storytellers provide enactments, portrayals, and metaphorical uses of age to create transformative potential.