Age groups: the elderly

This book focuses on older people as makers of meaning and insight, highlighting the ways older people form part of social and symbolic landscapes and the types of wisdom they can offer.

A wide range of contributors focus on major issues in ageing such as autonomy, agency, frailty, lifestyle, social isolation, dementia and professional challenges in social work and participatory research.

While there has been an increase in scholarship on men, ageing and masculinities, little attention has been paid to the social relations of men in later life. This collection fills this gap by foregrounding older men’s experiences, providing new perspectives across the intersections of old age, ethnicities, class and sexual and gender identity.

Bringing together academic research, practitioner reflections and personal narratives from older adults across Canada, this text provides a rare spotlight on the local implications of aging in Canadian cities and communities. They provide a wide-ranging and comprehensive discussion of how to build supportive communities for Canadians of all ages.

Using the idea of the social division of welfare as a template, this book assesses different approaches to retirement pensions policy, highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses. An invaluable resource for social science students and for those who teach them. Economists and pension practitioners will also find food for thought here.

This ground-breaking study of the baby boomer generation reflects the intersection of time, ageing, body and identity to give a nuanced and enlightened understanding of the ageing process.

This book illustrates the variety of religious, spiritual and other beliefs held by older people, including British Christians, Muslims, Humanists and witnesses of the Soviet persecution of religion.

This controversial book argues that concepts such as ‘successful’ and ‘active’ ageing are potentially dangerous paradigms that reflect and exacerbate inequalities in older populations. Essential reading for anyone seeking to make sense of social constructions of ageing in contemporary societies.

The turn to biographical methods in social science is invigorating the relationship between policy and practice. This book shows how biographical methods can improve theoretical understanding of professional practice, as well as enrich the development of professionals, and promote more meaningful practitioner - service user relationships.

This book examines dementia from a social citizenship perspective. It looks at rights, status(es) and participation and shows how this framework can be applied in practice.

With dementia care shifting from institutional to home settings, this book considers the intersections of formal health and social care strategies and family experiences. Drawing on case studies from Canada, it enhances the understanding of good policy and practice in dementia care and the potential for better outcomes for all those concerned.

India’s ageing population is growing rapidly. This book examines living arrangements across India and their impact on the provision of care for older adults in India.