Social Structure and Aging


Book Description

This volume presents a systematic examination of the impact of social structures on individual behaviors and on their development in adulthood and old age. These papers and responses attempt to improve the reciprocal relationship between changes in social macro- and micro-structures and the process of psychological development in relation to issues of human aging. Using and combining concepts and data from various fields, this research promotes a better understanding of the effects of demographic patterns and social structures on the psychological development of adults.




Resources for Nursing Research


Book Description

′The 4th edition of this extensive text is an outstanding resource prepared by nurses (and a librarian) for nurses. In a structured and helpful style it presents thousands of items from the literature - published papers, reports, books and electronic resources - as a clear, accessible, and most of all useful collection. The efforts to signpost and lead the reader to the sought-for information are effective and well-conceived, and the "How to use this book" section is remarkably simple...the book should be found in every nursing and health library, every research institute and centre, and close to many career researchers′ desks′ - RCN Research This latest edition of Resources for Nursing Research provides a comprehensive bibliography of sources on nursing research, and includes references for books, journal papers and Internet resources. Designed to act as a ′signpost′ to available literature in the area, this Fourth Edition covers the disciplines of nursing, health care and the social sciences. Entries are concise, informative and accessible, and are arranged under three main sections: · ′Sources of Literature′ covers the process of literature searching, including using libraries and other tools for accessing literature · ′Methods of Inquiry′ includes an introduction to research, how to conceptualize and design nursing and health research, measurement and data collection, and the interpretation and presentation of data · ′The Background to Research in Nursing′ encompasses the development of nursing research; the profession′s responsibilities; the role of government; funding; research roles and careers; and education for research. Fully revised and updated, the Fourth Edition includes just under 3000 entries, of which 90% are new. It has extensive coverage of US, UK literature and other international resources. This new edition will be an essential guide for all those with an interest in nursing research, including students, teachers, librarians, practitioners and researchers.




Applied Research in Gerontology


Book Description




Research Instruments in Social Gerontology


Book Description

The increasing number of older people in the United States has served to focus attention upon the processes of aging and the effectiveness of social programs for the elderly. In order to plan effective programs, accurate social measures are necessary. Now, more than ever before, researchers require conceptually explicit instruments designed to assess individual and social behaviors, attitudes, and traits in the elderly population. This is the first in a three-volume series designed to serve the needs of researchers, evaluators, and clinicians in assessing the instruments used in the field of aging. The measures review in Volume 1 focus on the cognitive reactions of older people to aging and on the assessments of aging made by people who are not yet old. This volume also contains the series introduction which explains the methods used for evaluating the instruments and assesses the status of gerontological measurement today. Each chapter is devoted to instruments in a particular subject area such as intellectual functioning, personality, self-esteem, and ethnic group identification. Most chapters are composed of three parts. First, there is a concise narrative review of the major theoretical concerns and measurement strategies within that particular research domain. The second part is a collection of abstracts, each of which presents a conceptual definition and a description of a specific instrument together with data about samples, reliability, validity, scaling properties, and correlations with age. Whenever possible the instruments themselves constitute the third part of the chapter.




Methods in Religion, Spirituality & Aging


Book Description

Since the 1971 White House Conference on Aging in the United States, the need to move from religiosity into new areas such as Spiritual Assessment and Spirituality has emerged. This movement has picked up momentum among scholars, particularly in terms of research in the area of Spirituality. While spirituality as a term is employed in many new studies, this term continues to defy the quest for a single definition and method. This book is divided into three sections. In the first the authors reflect on the philosophical and theological issues presented by these terms from a variety of both cognate and practical methodological approaches. The second section offers insights from the major professions of sociology, psychology, public health, nursing and social work. The final section offers insight and assistance to researchers and authors on specific religious traditions. This book will be important for anyone working to develop such practical tools as spiritual assessment forms to those who engage in more formal scholarly investigation.




Geriatric Assessment


Book Description




Family and Aging Policy


Book Description

Learn how public policies can help families provide the care their elderly relatives need Family and Aging Policy examines how public initiatives to assist the elderly in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Denmark, and Sweden can impact families who provide them with long-term care. For the majority of older people, the aging experience involves their families directly and indirectly, affecting income security, housing, and health care. This unique book addresses the aging issues that matter most to families struggling to deal with the demands of care giving and provides answers on how the public sector can help. As the traditional nuclear family becomes a memory and the notion of extended family disappears, the need for public interventions to help the elderly increases. A significant number of people grow old without families they can depend on. Others have families who want to help, but lack the financial means or the housing needed to provide care. Family and Aging Policy offers options on how families and formal services can share responsibilities, including how families can juggle jobs and care giving, the effects of the Family and Medical Leave Act, consumer-directed service options, community-based care programs, accessory dwelling units and zoning ordinances, and provisions for caregiver support in each of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Family and Aging Policy examines: extensive welfare programs in Sweden publicly funded home care programs in Denmark family-oriented social policies in Singapore shared responsibilities of families and formal services in Canada the Administration on Aging’s National Family Caregiver Support program in the United States California Caregiver Resource Centers and much more! Family and Aging Policy is an invaluable tool for researchers and policy analysts working in family policy issues and as an essential supplemental text for course work in gerontology, sociology, family relations, and social work.