Gerontology: Textbooks

For mid-to-upper level courses in Gender Roles, Introduction to Women's Studies, and Sociology of Sex Roles.   This text provides a balanced, non-polarized view of controversial issues that dispel gender myths and demonstrates how material can be meaningfully applied to a student's personal life.      Focusing on the most recent research and theory--both in the U.S. and globally--Gender Roles provides an in-depth, survey and analysis of modern gender roles and issues from a sociological perspective while also integrating insights and research from other disciplines like biology, psychology, anthropology and history.

Aging and the Life Course is a comprehensive interdisciplinary text in social gerontology. It provides students with a firm grounding in methodological and theoretical issues associated with aging and examines changes in social roles, relationships and the biological and psychological process that occur as people grow older. It also considers all major life transitions including retirement, widowhood, grandparenting, and changes in living arrangements. In addition, this text considers the economic and political issues that influence the context in which people grow old. Although the primary focus is on the U.S., considerable material on aging worldwide is included. Unique features include four featured boxes, a life course perspective and an emphasis on inequality by race, ethnicity and gender.

This groundbreaking text is the first to take a life course perspective, examining the relationship between the quality of one's life in old age and one's experiences, earlier choices, opportunities, and constraints. The text gives students a broad background for understanding current policy debates through a distinctive chapter entitled "Old Age and the Welfare State" (Chapter 11) and through boxed essays in every chapter called "An Issue for Public Policy." Each chapter also includes a box called "In Their Own Words" that allows older people to describe their own experiences. In addition, coverage of race, class, gender, and culture is integrated throughout and featured in the "Diversity in the Aging Experience" sections.

Health in the Later Years is geared to help people make better-informed health choices to increase the quality of their later life. Further, knowledge of health and aging assists individuals to better manage the aging process of their family members. Finally, the study of aging and health enhances professional opportunities in the field of gerontology. The text provides a comprehensive overview of the most important topics in health and aging. The latest edition of the textbook is completely revised to assure all information is up-to-date and accurate and well-referenced. This edition provides extensive and reputable web-associated resources to supplement the written material in the text, reflecting the needs of adult learners and allowing for more in-depth study of many topics. Interactive exercises, such as What is your Opinion and end-of-chapter activities have been expanded to provide teachers and students an opportunity to expand their classroom reading into real-life experiences.

This book brings together information from both researchers and practitioners on a wide range of community-based services that are available to and needed by the rural elderly in the United States. Specific topics examined include: senior centres; referral systems; housing and transportation; employment and retirement; and health promotion and health care. Krout provides section overviews as well as an informative, thorough introduction and epilogue that highlight common themes and issues.

By the year 2030, older Americans will make up nearly one quarter of the population. The rapid growth of this population segment puts increased importance on the analysis of existing social policy regarding the responsibilities of caring for older adults. This book provides a comprehensive overview of current community resources available to elderly Americans, including both public and private programs.   While knowledge of the community resources that are available is vital, the authors also stress the importance of the theoretical knowledge that will assist in understanding the social and psychological dynamics of help seeking behavior. Deeper understanding of the social and psychological needs of the elderly and their families, as well as the services that are available them, will better prepare students and practitioners to take advantage of resources available to their clients. New to this Edition The Second Edition includes updated information about various programs and services, including the newly authorized Older Americans Act and changes in Social Security and Medicare. In addition, new information about health care for retired veterans, updated best practices, and Web resources are provided. Features and Benefits Provides an overview of legislation that provides the foundation for the aging network A discussion of theories that help predict service use, thus offering readers a framework for understanding why older adults do or do not use services Provides case studies that encourage critical thinking about the delivery and use of community resources Chapters that contain descriptions of both public and private programs and services available to older adults, in-depth reviews of the current body of empirical literature in each program area, and discussions of the challenges programs and services will face in the future Includes Best practice examples of community programs from around the country that illustrate unique ways to meet the needs of older adults Lists national organizations and Internet resources for each topic area Includes learning activities that challenge students to explore the community resources that exist in the reader′s locale