Karen A. Roberto – författare

This much-needed book explores the issues and consequences of chronic pain in later life. Chronic pain often accompanies the non-fatal health conditions experienced by older women, but much of the professional literature virtually ignores older chronic pain sufferers. Older Women With Chronic Pain begins to fill this void by exploring chronic pain and its effects on older individuals. Authors draw upon existing pain literature, their knowledge of aging, and recognition of the health issues facing older women to illuminate the particulars of chronic pain in later life in relation to its etiology, assessment, consequences, and management.Chronic pain is not and should not be treated as part of the natural aging process. This book stresses the importance of understanding the causes and consequences of living with chronic pain in later life. Among the specific areas that chapters explore are:

This much-needed book explores the issues and consequences of chronic pain in later life. Chronic pain often accompanies the non-fatal health conditions experienced by older women, but much of the professional literature virtually ignores older chronic pain sufferers. Older Women With Chronic Pain begins to fill this void by exploring chronic pain and its effects on older individuals. Authors draw upon existing pain literature, their knowledge of aging, and recognition of the health issues facing older women to illuminate the particulars of chronic pain in later life in relation to its etiology, assessment, consequences, and management.Chronic pain is not and should not be treated as part of the natural aging process. This book stresses the importance of understanding the causes and consequences of living with chronic pain in later life. Among the specific areas that chapters explore are:

Our population is aging. What will we do about it?

Due to population explosion and a global increase in average life expectancies, an unprecedentedly high percentage of the world's population is aging. By the middle of this century there will be up to 2 billion individuals over the age of 65, a demographic shift never before experienced in our human history. In addition, declining birth rates in industrialized countries means a decrease in the number of adults under 64. In Aging Social Policies: An International Perspective the authors consider how policy – domestic and international – affects and will continue to affect the lives of our aging population.

The many significant technological and medical advances of the 21st century cannot overcome the escalating risk posed to older adults by such stressors as pain, weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory and other cognitive deficits, hearing loss, visual impairment, isolation, marginalization, and physical and mental illness. In order to overcome these and other challenges, and to maintain as high a quality of life as possible, older adults and the professionals who treat them need to promote and develop the capacity for resilience, which is innate in all of us to some degree. The purpose of this book is to provide the current scientific theory, clinical guidelines, and real-world interventions with regard to resilience as a clinical tool. To that end, the book addresses such issues as concepts and operationalization of resilience; relevance of resilience to successful aging; impact of personality and genetics on resilience; relationship between resilience and motivation; relationship between resilience and survival; promoting resilience in long-term care; and the lifespan approach to resilience.

By addressing ways in which the hypothetical and theoretical concepts of resilience can be applied in geriatric practice, Resilience in Aging provides inroads to the current knowledge and practice of resilience from the perspectives of physiology, psychology, culture, creativity, and economics. In addition, the book considers the impact of resilience on critical aspects of life for older adults such as policy issues (e.g., nursing home policies, Medicare guidelines), health and wellness, motivation, spirituality, and survival. Following these discussions, the book focuses on interventions that increase resilience. The intervention chapters include case studies and are intended to be useful at the clinical level. The book concludes with a discussion of future directions in optimizing resilience in the elderly and the importance of a lifespanapproach to aging.

This updated and expanded second edition of Resilience in Aging offers a comprehensive description of the current state of knowledge with regard to resilience from physiological (including genetic), psychological (including cognitive and creative), cultural, and economic perspectives.  In addition, the book considers the impact of resilience on many critical aspects of life for older adults including policy issues, economic, cognitive and physiological challenges, spirituality, chronic illness, and motivation. The only book devoted solely to the importance and development of resilience in quality of life among older adults, Resilience in Aging, 2nd Edition continues to offer evidence-based theory, clinical guidelines, and new and updated case examples and real-world interventions so professional readers can make the best use of this powerful tool. The critical insights in this volume are concluded with a discussion of future directions on optimizing resilience and the importance of a lifespan approach to the critical component of aging. The book’s coverage extends across disciplines and domains, including:

This wide-ranging and updated lifespan approach gives Resilience in Aging, 2nd Edition particular relevance to the gamut of practitioners in gerontologyand geriatrics, including health psychologists, neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, geriatricians, family physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, among others.