The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Geropsychology


Book Description

"The Oxford Handbook of Geropsychology provides students and experienced clinicians and clinical researchers alike with a comprehensive and contemporary overview of developments in the field of geropsychology. Informed by an international perspective, the introductory section covers demographics, meta-analyses in geropsychology, social capital and gender, cognitive development, and ageing. Sections on assessment and formulation include chapters on interviewing older people, psychological assessment strategies, capacity and suicidal ideation, and understanding long term care environments. Psychological distress and their causes are reviewed with chapters focusing upon late-life depression and anxiety, psychosis, and personality disorders. In this section, neuropsychiatric approaches to working with older people and risk factors relating to cognitive health are reviewed. Intervention strategies covered include cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and family therapy. Interprofessional teamwork and aspects of work with persons with dementia (PwD), caregivers, and care staff, are also covered. Chapters on interventions address specific populations such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older persons, people with physical and psychological comorbidities, and those experiencing grief and bereavement. Finally, this Handbook explores new horizons, including positive ageing, exercise and health promotion, and the use of new media such as online and virtual reality interactive technologies in clinical research and practice with older adults." -- From the Amazon




World Report on Ageing and Health


Book Description

The WHO World report on ageing and health is not for the book shelf it is a living breathing testament to all older people who have fought for their voice to be heard at all levels of government across disciplines and sectors. - Mr Bjarne Hastrup President International Federation on Ageing and CEO DaneAge This report outlines a framework for action to foster Healthy Ageing built around the new concept of functional ability. This will require a transformation of health systems away from disease based curative models and towards the provision of older-person-centred and integrated care. It will require the development sometimes from nothing of comprehensive systems of long term care. It will require a coordinated response from many other sectors and multiple levels of government. And it will need to draw on better ways of measuring and monitoring the health and functioning of older populations. These actions are likely to be a sound investment in society's future. A future that gives older people the freedom to live lives that previous generations might never have imagined. The World report on ageing and health responds to these challenges by recommending equally profound changes in the way health policies for ageing populations are formulated and services are provided. As the foundation for its recommendations the report looks at what the latest evidence has to say about the ageing process noting that many common perceptions and assumptions about older people are based on outdated stereotypes. The report's recommendations are anchored in the evidence comprehensive and forward-looking yet eminently practical. Throughout examples of experiences from different countries are used to illustrate how specific problems can be addressed through innovation solutions. Topics explored range from strategies to deliver comprehensive and person-centred services to older populations to policies that enable older people to live in comfort and safety to ways to correct the problems and injustices inherent in current systems for long-term care.




Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today


Book Description

Reminiscence is a vital way to stimulate communication and promote confidence and self-worth in people with dementia. This practical guide is designed to give those who care for people with dementia a clear sense of how reminiscence can be used to greatly improve their quality of life. The book explores how reminiscence can contribute to person-centred dementia care and contains detailed descriptions of activities that can be used in a group setting, for one-to-one reminiscence at home or in a variety of care settings. Based on ideas developed and tested internationally over a period of ten years, the book offers imaginative approaches to reminiscence and a wealth of resources for use in a wide range of situations. The book includes advice on organising a reminiscence project and provides a useful planning tool for group sessions. Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today highlights the value of reminiscence for those with dementia and is an essential guide to good practice for family and professional carers.




Aging, Globalization and Inequality


Book Description

This book is a major reassessment of work in the field of critical gerontology, providing a comprehensive survey of issues by a team of contributors drawn from Europe and North America. The book focuses on the variety of ways in which age and ageing are socially constructed, and the extent to which growing old is being transformed through processes associated with globalisation. The collection offers a range of alternative views and visions about the nature of social ageing, making a major contribution to theory-building within the discipline of gerontology. The different sections of the book give an overview of the key issues and concerns underlying the development of critical gerontology. These include: first, the impact of globalisation and of multinational organizations and agencies on the lives of older people; second, the factors contributing to the "social construction" of later life; and third, issues associated with diversity and inequality in old age, arising through the effects of cumulative advantage and disadvantage over the life course. These different themes are analysed using a variety of theoretical perspectives drawn from sociology, social policy, political science, and social anthropology. "Aging, Globalization and Inequality" brings together key contributors to critical perspectives on aging and is unique in the range of themes and concerns covered in a single volume. The study moves forward an important area of debate in studies of aging, and thus provides the basis for a new type of critical gerontology relevant to the twenty-first century.




Critical Advances in Reminiscence Work


Book Description

"This book is a mind opener to many important issues of human behavior." -- from the Foreword by James E. Birren Reminiscence work continues to develop in exciting and productive ways. In this volume, Webster and Haight along with multidisciplinary contributors point out ways of improving the quality of life through the processes of reminiscence. They present examples of cutting-edge treatments in reminiscence work. Organized into sections, the book sets the stage with a valuable review of the literature and then focuses on conceptual issues, developmental/sociocultural contexts, special populations, and clinical applications. Topics addressed include: reminiscence and development in late life, personal identity/social discontinuity, spiritual reminiscence, story-telling, integrating reminiscence and life review techniques with therapy, and reminiscence groups for people with dementia, among them. Critical Advances in Reminiscence Work will help shape the direction of the field in the future and should be read by every practitioner, researcher, and senior undergraduate/graduate student interested in biographical approaches.




Reminiscence and Nursing Home Life


Book Description

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.




Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults


Book Description

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.




The Handbook of Structured Life Review


Book Description

Structured Life Review is a one-on-one therapeutic technique that guides people in reflecting on their lives from early childhood to the present. It allows individuals to learn from past experiences, settle unresolved issues, and ultimately achieve a state of life acceptance. Participants benefit from increased life satisfaction, reduced depression, and the opportunity for reconciliation, acceptance, and serenity.




The Meaning of Reminiscence and Life Review


Book Description

Robert Butler's call for life reviews has exerted a key influence on the way gerontologists have looked at reminiscence and remembering. Widely thought to be a helpful mechanism for integrating past and future, the process of life review needs better specification and evaluation based on sound research. ""The Meaning of Reminiscence and Life Review"" brings together both research and application pieces covering the range of possibilities. It examines important controversies and asks: ""Does it work?"" and ""What is the evidence?"" Given their own voice, what do old people say about looking back?




Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups


Book Description

Birren has conducted more than twenty-five years of autobiography groups, where participants recall, write, and share their life stories. He offers "how-to" tips for organizing, complementing, and understanding oral history works. He finds that the exercise is rewarding for adults entering periods of transitions, such as the elderly population, and encourages the sharing of experiences with others on the same journey.