Social Science : Gerontology

Maintaining a connection to nature is increasingly recognised as an important component of caring for a person with dementia. The benefits of connecting the subjective experience of dementia sufferers with their physical environment include sensory stimulation and enhanced cognitive, psychological and physical well-being, as well as improved behaviour management. Design for Nature in Dementia Care adopts a holistic and person-centred approach to caring for dementia sufferers by considering their emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. The book provides comprehensive examples of the wide range of ways a person can connect to nature through indoor and outdoor activities, elements and environments, such as caring for house plants and pets, gardening and cooking, practising handicrafts and domestic chores, and offers solutions and insights to a professional understanding of the design of buildings and landscapes. The book draws on interdisciplinary research evidence from environmental psychology, neurology, architecture, nursing and dementia care practice, and spells out practical ways in which care providers and design professionals can design for nature in dementia care. more...

Price: $34.95

Due to falling fertility rates, the aging of the baby-boom cohort, and increases in life expectancy, the percentage of the population that is elderly is expected to increase rapidly in the United States and Japan over the next two decades. These fourteen essays show that, despite differences in culture and social and government structure, population aging will have many similar macro and micro effects on the economic status and behavior of the elderly in both countries. The most obvious effects will be on social programs such as public pension systems and the provision for medical needs of the elderly. But, the contributors demonstrate, aging will also affect markets for labor, capital, housing, and health care services. It will affect firms through their participation in the demand side of the labor market and through their provisions for pensions. And aging will influence saving rates, the rate of return on assets, the balance of payments, and, most likely, economic growth. This volume will interest scholars and policy makers concerned with the economics of aging. more...

Price: $90.00

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of interactions between older people and the criminal justice system. The editors present current research on elders in a multitude of roles, from victim and offender to attorney, defendant, witness, juror, and prisoner. Of particular interest are chapters on the psychological and medical conditions of elder prisoners, and issue around selective decarceration. Each contributor documents empirical data and identifies social, policy, and ethical implications, where applicable. Recommended for gerontologists, sociologists, social workers, and professionals in the legal and criminal justice fields. more...

Price: $65.00

There are always difficult day to day decisions to be faced when caring for a person with dementia – from knowing how to deal with wandering to end of life decisions. Many of these decisions are underpinned by value judgments about right and wrong and reflect a particular view of dementia. This book considers these ethical decisions in the context of relationships, treatment, safety and quality of life, offering practical guidance and advice. It draws on the experiences of family carers as well as on existing research and emphasizes the importance of empathy and the need to acknowledge different perspectives in order to reach the best decision for the person with dementia. In particular the authors discuss the way that decision makers are themselves changed by the decisions they make, and the impact of this on the decision-making process. This book should be read by all those who work caring for people with dementia. more...

Price: $29.95

As America's population ages, economic research related to the elderly becomes increasingly important to public policy. Frontiers in the Economics in Aging directs attention to four topics: the role of retirement accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s in personal saving; the economics of health care; new advances in research methodology; and aging in relation to inequality. Some of the issues analyzed within these topics are the implications of rising personal retirement saving in recent years, how health and health insurance affect labor supply, and the effects of pensions on the distribution of wealth. David Wise's lucid introduction provides an overview of each paper. In addition to this book's appeal for specialists and microeconomists, it offers immediately practical ideas and methods for shaping public policy. In fact, one of the papers in this volume, "The Taxation of Pensions: A Shelter Can Become a Trap," helped to spur new legislation that reformed laws on pension distribution. more...

Price: $75.00