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Agathe's Summer
by Didier PourqueryOne morning in August of 2007, Didier Pourquery’s daughter, Agathe, only a few days away from her twenty-third birthday, stopped breathing. Seven years after her death, her father tells her story, based on his notes taken during the last three weeks of her life. He shares not only his sadness and loss, but also the joy that characterized his relationship with his daughter. At her birth, Agathe’s doctors said the average life expectancy for a child born with cystic fibrosis was twenty-five years. Once he learned his daughter only had a few weeks left to live, Didier Pouquery began writing daily about her last weeks. The notes he took then became the source of this book: a homage that is full of hope and light, even as it boldly highlights deep human frailty and the pain of losing a child. Pourquery alternates between an account of Agathe’s physical condition and a letter addressed to her after her death. We get to know her—and her father—through this lyrical and poignant portrait and ode. Who was this joyful and straight-talking girl? How did she grow up in the shadow of this looming disease? How was she able to help those around her, even as she faced a certain and early death? Although Agathe’s Summer is one father’s testimony to the short life of a child grown into a young woman, it is also the story of the love, hope, fear, and joy that speaks to all parents.
Age: A Love Story
by Hortense CalisherA novel that examines aging and marriage with sincerity and insightRupert and Gemma, an elderly couple still very much in love, know that death will inevitably come for one of them before taking the other, so they keep private journals to ensure that the survivor's mate will never truly be gone, living on instead through his or her words. Age is the narrative of Rupert and Gemma's lives: their similarities, their differences, and the ways in which the two are irreversibly entwined. Each writes of life's mundane events--social outings, errands, a quiet night at home--that assume wistful meaning when viewed through the lens of memory.
The Age of Anxiety: A Novel
by Pete TownshendIn his debut novel, rock legend Pete Townshend explores the anxiety of modern life and madness in a story that stretches across two generations of a London family, their lovers, collaborators, and friends.A former rock star disappears on the Cumberland moors. When his wife finds him, she discovers he has become a hermit and a painter of apocalyptic visions.An art dealer has drug-induced visions of demonic faces swirling in a bedstead and soon his wife disappears, nowhere to be found.A beautiful Irish girl, who has stabbed her father to death is determined to seduce her best friend's husband.A young composer begins to experience aural hallucinations, expressions of the fear and anxiety of the people of London. He constructs a maze in his back garden.Driven by passion and musical ambition, events spiral out of control-good drugs and bad drugs, loves lost and found, families broken apart and reunited. Conceived jointly as an opera, The Age of Anxiety deals with mythic and operatic themes. Hallucinations and soundscapes haunt this novel, which on one level is an extended meditation on manic genius and the dark art of creativity.
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton'Wharton's dazzling skills as a stylist, creator of character, ironical observer and unveiler of passionate, thwarted emotions have earned her a devoted following’ Sunday TimesNewland Archer and May Welland are the perfect couple. He is a wealthy young lawyer and she is a lovely and sweet-natured girl. All seems set for success until the arrival of May's unconventional cousin Ellen Olenska, who returns from Europe without her husband and proceeds to shake up polite New York society. To Newland, she is a breath of fresh air and a free spirit, but the bond that develops between them throws his values into confusion and threatens his relationship with May.‘Wharton evocatively records the high society of New York's gilded age’ Daily Mail
An Age of Madness: A Novel
by David MaineA Boston psychiatrist must confront her own inner demons in a novel that “peels away the layers of what can be known and what can be admitted” (Stuart Archer Cohen, author of The Army of the Republic).Dr. Regina Moss is a dedicated healer with a reputation that inspires colleagues and patients alike. Yet Regina is haunted by her past. Her daughter barely speaks to her. And she can’t stop thinking about the lanky new tech on the ward.Grief and trauma simmer just beneath Regina’s brash attitude and biting wit. But as her armor begins to crack, the reader is drawn deep into her troubled psyche. Full of startling revelations and heartrending twists, An Age of Madness is “a confidently rendered portrait of one woman’s journey to recover from loss” (Foreword Reviews).
Age of Opportunity
by Laurence SteinbergA leading authority draws on new research to explain why the adolescent years are so developmentally crucial, and what we must do to raise happier, more successful kids.Adolescence now lasts longer than ever before. And as world-renowned expert on adolescent psychology Dr. Laurence Steinberg argues, this makes these years the key period in determining individuals' life outcomes, demanding that we change the way we parent, educate, and understand young people.In Age of Opportunity, Steinberg leads readers through a host of new findings -- including groundbreaking original research -- that reveal what the new timetable of adolescence means for parenting 13-year-olds (who may look more mature than they really are) versus 20-somethings (who may not be floundering even when it looks like they are). He also explains how the plasticity of the adolescent brain, rivaling that of years 0 through 3, suggests new strategies for instilling self-control during the teenage years. Packed with useful knowledge, Age of Opportunity is a sweeping book in the tradition of Reviving Ophelia, and an essential guide for parents and educators of teenagers.
The Age of Shiva
by Manil SuriMeera, the narrator, is seventeen years old when she catches her first glimpse of Dev, performing a song so infused with passion that it arouses in her the first flush of erotic longing. She wonders if she can steal him away from Roopa, her older, more beautiful sister, who has brought her along to see him. It is only when her son is born that Meera begins to imagine a life of fulfillment. She engulfs him with a love so deep, so overpowering, that she must fear its consequences.
Age of Vice: 'The story is unputdownable . . . This is how it's done when it's done exactly right' Stephen King
by Deepti KapoorHIGHLY ANTICIPATED OPRAH DAILY PICK FOR 2023'Ill-fated love and toxic family power struggles provide emotional drive for this big dynastic saga' JAKE ARNOTT, GUARDIAN 'Huge, epic, immersive and absorbing . . . certain to be a book of the year' LEE CHILD, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'Kapoor's violent and bitter story is deeply addictive' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)This is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also killNew Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the kerb, and in the blink of an eye five people are dead. It's a rich man's car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family-loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals, and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family's ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence, and revenge, will these characters' connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
Age of Vice
by Deepti KapoorThis is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also killNew Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the kerb, and in the blink of an eye five people are dead. It's a rich man's car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family-loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals, and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family's ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence, and revenge, will these characters' connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
Age of Vice: A Novel
by Deepti KapoorA GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK&“Dazzling...Finally free from the book&’s grip, now all I want to do is get others hooked.&”— The Washington Post "Sensationally good — huge, epic, immersive and absorbing ... certain to be a book of the year." —Lee ChildThis is the age of vice, where money, pleasure, and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill. New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It&’s a rich man&’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold. Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family -- loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all. In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family&’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters&’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction? Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
Ageing, Gender and Family Law
by Beverley Clough Jonathan HerringThis book explores the intersecting issues relating the phenomenon of ageing to gender and family law. The latter has tended to focus mainly on family life in young and middle age; and, indeed, the issues of childhood and parenting are key in many family law texts. Family life for older members has, then, been largely neglected; addressing this neglect, the current volume explores how the issues which might be important for younger people are not necessarily the same as those for older people. The significance of family, the nature of family life, and the understanding of self in terms of one’s relationships, tend to change over the life course. For example, the state may play an increasing role in the lives of older people – as access to services, involvement in work and the community, the ability to live independently, and to form or maintain caring relationships, are all impacted by law and policy. This collection therefore challenges the standard models of family life and family law that have been developed within a child/parent-centred paradigm, and which may require rethinking in the turn to family life in old age. Interdisciplinary in its scope and orientation, this book will appeal not just to academic family lawyers and students interested in issues around family law, ageing, gender, and care; but also to sociologists and ethicists working in these areas.
The Agency of Children
by David OswellThe idea of children's agency is central to the growing field of childhood studies. In this book David Oswell argues for new understandings of children's agency. He traces the transformation of children and childhood across the nineteenth, twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and explores the dramatic changes in recent years to children's everyday lives as a consequence of new networked, mobile technologies and new forms of globalisation. The author reviews existing theories of children's agency as well as providing the theoretical tools for thinking of children's agency as spatially, temporally and materially complex. With this in mind, he surveys the main issues in childhood studies, with chapters covering family, schooling, crime, health, consumer culture, work and human rights. This is a comprehensive text intended for students and academic researchers across the humanities and social sciences interested in the study of children and childhood.
Ages And Stages: A Parent's Guide To Normal Childhood Development
by Charles Schaefer Theresa DiGeronimoA comprehensive parent's guide to your child's psychologicaldevelopment from birth through age 10 Written in an engaging,practical style, Ages and Stages offers you the benefits of themost current research on child development, featuring helpful tipsand techniques to foster your child's maturation. Charles Schaeferand Theresa Foy DiGeronimo tell you what behaviors you can expectas your child grows and how you can help him or her to advance tothe next level of development. They include numerous examples,stories, and activities you can use immediately to positivelyinfluence your child's development. The book's structure (dividedinto four stages of child development--birth to 18 months, 18 to 36months, 36 months to age six, and six to ten years) allows you tomonitor your child's progress, identify the reasons for emotionaland psychological differences in siblings, and even determine howyour parenting strategies should change as your child grows.
Ages of Anxiety: Historical and Transnational Perspectives on Juvenile Justice (Youth, Crime, and Justice #2)
by David S. Tanenhaus William S. BushSix compelling histories of youth crime in the twentieth century Ages of Anxiety presents six case studies of juvenile justice policy in the twentieth century from around the world, adding context to the urgent and international conversation about youth, crime, and justice. By focusing on magistrates, social workers, probation and police officers, and youth themselves, editors William S. Bush and David S. Tanenhaus highlight the role of ordinary people as meaningful and consequential historical actors. After providing an international perspective on the social history of ideas about how children are different from adults, the contributors explain why those differences should matter for the administration of justice. They examine how reformers used the idea of modernization to build and legitimize juvenile justice systems in Europe and Mexico, and present histories of policing and punishing youth crime. Ages of Anxiety introduces a new theoretical model for interpreting historical research to demonstrate the usefulness of social histories of children and youth for policy analysis and decision-making in the twenty-first century. Shedding new light on the substantive aims of the juvenile court, the book is a historically informed perspective on the critical topic of youth, crime, and justice.
Aggression in Organizations: Violence, Abuse, and Harassment at Work and in Schools
by Mark BravermanLearn guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and intervention!As violence and abusiveness become increasingly prevalent in our schools and workplaces, our sense of safety suffers a heavy toll. Aggression in Organizations: Violence, Abuse, and Harassment at Work and in Schools presents a wide range of research, perspectives, and approaches to violence and abuse at work and in school. Respected authorities discuss practical strategies that foster a sense of safety, dignity, growth, creativity, and social support in every organization.Topics include: the quantitative and qualitative methods that document the long-term effects of trauma and the effectiveness of interventions the role of perceptions in gauging workplace hostility a personality test to identify an aggressive personality the role of organizational frustration in forming aggressive behaviors the effects of a teacher&’s emotional abuse of a student two forms of workplace abuse, "bullying" and "mobbing" and many more!Aggression in Organizations discusses in depth the effects of physical violence, sexual and emotional abuse, and bullying in various situations and institutions. Case studies illustrate examples that bring the latest empirical and applied research into clear focus. Insights are revealed into what can be done to prevent a future filled with violence as well as guidelines for treating people affected by aggressive acts. Each chapter is well-referenced and many include helpful diagrams and tables to enhance clarity.Aggression in Organizations presents and explains: an overview of workplace and school violence protection a ten year clinical case study of an incident of workplace violence factors influencing women&’s perceptions of a sexually hostile workplace the emotionally abusive workplace identifying the aggressive personality organizational frustration and aggressive behaviors creating respectful, productive workplaces emotional abuse in the classroom adult-student sexual harassment a qualitative analysis of students and parents&’ immediate reactions to the shootings at Columbine High School a school-wide bullying prevention program for elementary studentsAggression in Organizations is essential reading for psychologists, educators, organizational consultants, human resource professionals, school counselors, and social workers.
The Aggressive Adolescent: Clinical and Forensic Issues
by Daniel L DavisMaximize your effectiveness with troubled kids!The Aggressive Adolescent: Clinical and Forensic Issues provides mental health professionals with a comprehensive text that covers both theoretical and practical applied knowledge of aggressive youth in a specific, problem-focused way. Through case histories and practical treatment interventions, this unique book will give you information to help you provide improved services to adolescents who have experienced neglect, physical abuse, and/or sexual abuse. The Aggressive Adolescent offers you a new model for practical and functional assessment, treatment, planning, and service delivery for aggressive youths. The book also explores legal and forensic issues that frequently accompany these cases to bring you insight into the whole picture surrounding problem adolescents. Compelling and comprehensive, The Aggressive Adolescent shows you how some behaviors once attributed to mental illness are now seen as criminal, and how this view is pushing mentally ill youths into the criminal justice system. This vital guide will help you, as a mental health professional, to bolster your understanding of forensic mental health issues and effectively assist in criminal justice settings.The Aggressive Adolescent will help you become a better, more connected youth care worker. You will learn: to see institutionalized adolescents as whole people rather than focusing on a single characteristic such as violent behavior to understand that these adolescents share common needs, desires, and aspirations with their therapists, and that you can use these commonalities to give you a connection that will facilitate their therapy to see that traditional methods of intervention are often inappropriate or ineffective for aggressive adolescents to address issues of risk assessment, malpractice, and liability, to help ensure fiscal and legal accountability The Aggressive Adolescent presents strategies for dealing with youths who are resistant to entering into treatment so that you can help them deal with their problems. This essential book will assist you in developing and implementing effective systems of care for aggressive adolescents in order to give them the help and support they need.
Aging and Diversity
by Stephen Fried Lisa S. Wagner Chandra M. MehrotraThis new edition has been completely rewritten and includes chapters that address key topics in diversity and aging: research methods, psychological aging; health beliefs, behaviors, and services; health disparities; informal and formal care for older persons; work and retirement; religious affiliation and spirituality; and death, dying, and bereavement. Taking a broad view of diversity, Mehrotra and Wagner discuss elements of diversity such as gender, race or ethnicity, religious affiliation, social class, rural-urban community location and sexual orientation. Including these elements allows them to convey some of the rich complexities of our diverse culture - complexities that provide both challenges to meet the needs of diverse population and opportunities to learn how to live in a pluralistic society. Throughout the book, Mehrotra and Wagner present up-to-date knowledge and scholarship in a way that engages readers in active learning. Rather than simply transmitting information, the authors place ongoing emphasis on developing readers' knowledge and skills; fostering higher order thinking and encouraging exploration of personal values and attitudes. Distinctive features of the book include: Opening vignettes for each chapter that present a sampling of how the issues to be discussed apply to diverse elders. Active learning experiences that invite readers to interview diverse elders, conduct internet searches, and give an analysis of a case study. Quizzes at the end of the chapters help readers ascertain the extent to which they have learned the material; the key for each quiz includes details about correct and incorrect responses so that additional learning can occur. Aging and Diversity Online boxes interspersed throughout the book provide internet resources that readers may use to find new research and publications. Suggested readings and audiovisual resources given at the end of each chapter serve as a guide to additional information on topics covered in the chapter. This approach of presenting the material will help the readers understand and apply key concepts and principles in ways that will not only improve the lives of older people they serve, but will also enhance their own aging experience.
Aging and Health in Africa (International Perspectives on Aging #4)
by Pranitha MaharajPopulation aging is a matter of global concern. It often occurs in tandem with changes in the health profile of the population. In Africa, many countries are already facing a high burden of communicable diseases. However, as more and more children survive childhood and move on to adult years and old age they are also more likely to experience health problems associated with the aging process. Population aging in Africa is occurring in the context of high levels of poverty, changing family structures, an immense disease burden, fragile health systems and weak or poorly managed government institutions. This book shows that aging is likely to lead to increased social and economic demands for the continent. However, most national governments in Africa have not begun to address the issue of how to respond effectively to the needs of the older population. This will require a better understanding of the socio-economic and demographic situation of the older population in Africa. This book fills the gaps that exist by exploring the social realities of population aging in Africa. It also focuses on the policy and programmatic responses, gaps and future challenges related to aging across the continent.
Aging An Apprenticeship
by Nan NarboeNan Narboe's 56 thoughtfully selected essays offer an intimate and lyrical account of aging through the decades. Authors Judy Blume, Andrew McCarthy, Gloria Steinem, Donald Hall, David Shields, Ursula K. Le Guin and others draw from their own experiences, describing a specific decade’s losses and gains to form a complex and unflinching portrait of the years from nearing fifty to ninety and beyond. In six sections, these detail-rich essays paint an accessible picture of nearing 50, the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, the 90s and beyond with equal parts humor and insight. Drawing on seven decades worth of experiences, the selected essays offer a clear-eyed composition of narratives, each narrative as important as the one before it. In Paul Casey's "Katie Couric Is No Friend of Mine," a colonoscopy, not a red convertible, marks his initiation into mid-life. Germaine Koh, in "Thoughts on Aging," is the oldest player in her roller derby league, confounded by her changing body. Ursula K. Le Guin’s "Dogs, Cats, and Dancers: Thoughts about Beauty” meditates on human self-consciousness—it is aging humans who find their bodies surprising. And in "Death," Donald Hall rejects euphemisms: he’s not going to “pass away;” he’s going to die.
The Aging Family: New Visions In Theory, Practice, And Reality
by Terry D. Hargrave Suzanne Midori HannaFirst published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Aging, Health, and Longevity in the Mexican-Origin Population (Social Disparities In Health And Health Care Ser.)
by Jacqueline L. Angel Fernando Torres-Gil Kyriakos MarkidesAging, Health, and Longevity in the Mexican-Origin Population creates a foundation for an interdisciplinary discussion of the trajectory of disability and long-term care for older people of Mexican-origin from a bi-national perspective. Although the literature on Latino elders in the United States is growing, few of these studies or publications offer the breadth and depth contained in this book.
Aging in China: Implications to Social Policy of a Changing Economic State (International Perspectives on Aging #2)
by Jason L. Powell Sheying ChenChina, which is fast on its way to becoming the most powerful economic force in the world, has four unique characteristics that distinguish it from other countries in Asia: (1) The proportion of aging population is growing faster than that of Japan (the country previously recognized as having the fastest rate) and much faster than nations in western Europe. (2) An early arrival of an aging population before modernization has fully taken place, with social policy implications. It is certain that China will face a severely aged population before it has sufficient time and resources to establish an adequate social security and service system for older people. (3) There will be fluctuations in the total dependency ratio. The Chinese government estimates are that the country will reach a higher dependent burden earlier in the twenty-first century than was previously forecast. (4) The government's fertility policy (single child per family) and its implementation has a strong influence on the aging process. Fewer children are being born, but with more elderly people a conflict arises between the objectives to limit population increase and yet maintain a balanced age structure (Peng and Guo 2001). The intersection of these fourfold factors means that the increased aging population is giving rise to serious concerns among Chinese social policy makers. There is a chronic lack of good resource materials that attempt to make sense of social policy in its relationship to examining the problems and possibilities of human aging grounded in an analysis of economic of social policy in China and impact on rural and urban spaces. Such analysis of China will be covered by conceptual, theoretical, and empirical approaches. The book will also discuss substantive topics of housing, community care, family care, pensions, and mental health. The book brings together a truly world class array of researchers to provide discussions of critical implications of aging social policy and the economic impact in China.
Aging in Comparative Perspective: Processes and Policies (International Perspectives on Aging #1)
by Jamie Halsall Ian Gillespie CookThis book examines the key aging processes in seven countries (United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, China, Nepal, and South Africa) and the main policies that have been, and are being, developed to deal with this rapid change in the demographic profile. It addresses the problems that are identified as well as the positive aspects of aging within each of these contrasting societies. Thus it makes a significant contribution to the major debates about growing old across the globe.
Aging in European Societies: Healthy Aging in Europe (International Perspectives on Aging #6)
by Constantinos PhellasBetween longer life expectancies and declining birth rates, Europe's elder population is growing into a sizable minority with considerable impact on nations, health systems, and economies--in other words, global implications as well as local and regional ones. Those investing in the health of older adults need a double perspective: the social and clinical complexity of aging and the larger forces shaping these experiences. Aging in European Societies examines aging trends across the continent, analyzing individual and collective variables that affect the lives of older adults, and drawing salient comparisons with other parts of the world. An interdisciplinary panel of experts provides theory, research, and empirical findings (with examples from the UK, Cyprus, Sweden, and others) in key areas such as family and social supports, physical and cognitive changes, dependence and autonomy issues, and living arrangements. The book's wide-net approach offers insights into not only aging, but aging well. And of particular importance, it details approaches to defining and measuring the elusive but crucial concept, quality of life. Included in the coverage: The potential for technology to improve elders' quality of life.Dementia and quality of life issues.Changes in functional ability with aging and over time.Family networks and supports in older age.Factors influencing inequalities in quality of life.Late-life learning in the E.U. Gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, and public health policymakers will welcome Aging in European Societies as a springboard toward continued discussion, new directions for research, and improvements in policy and practice.
Aging in Hong Kong: A Comparative Perspective (International Perspectives on Aging #5)
by Jean WooWith the longest life expectancy for men and the second longest for women, Hong Kong typifies our planet's aging population. The daily lives of its older adults closely match the advantages and disadvantages experienced by urban elders in other developed countries. For these reasons, Hong Kong's elderly serve as a salient guide to older people's social, psychological, and healthcare needs--concerns of increasing importance as the world grows older. Aging in Hong Kong examines this emblematic population as a case study specifically in comparison with their counterparts in the West, shedding light on diverse, interrelated currents in the aging experience. Referencing numerous international studies, the book contrasts different health service arrangements and social factors and relates them to a variety of health outcomes. Its wide-ranging coverage documents health and illness trends, reviews age-friendly policy initiatives, relates health literacy to patients' active role in their own care, and discusses elders as an underserved group in the division of limited health funding and resources. This multiple focus draws readers' attention to policies that need revisiting or retooling as chapters analyze major life areas including: Living environment.Retirement and post-retirement employment issues.Financial asset management.Health literacy regarding aging issues.Elder-positive service delivery models.Ageism in the prioritization of healthcare.End-of-life issues. By assembling such a wealth of data on its subject, Aging in Hong Kong puts ongoing challenges into clear focus for gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, public health policymakers, and others involved in improving the quality of elders' lives.