Routledge Library Editions: Aging – serie

This 42-volume set has titles originally published between 1960 and 1995. The books examine all aspects of old people in an aging population, from health and physical activity to social care and housing. Providing health, psychological and sociological perspectives, individual titles include common themes such as: bereavement, deterioration of health (both mental and physical), social isolation, social services and care, and the impact these have on elderly people and the people around them, both family and society as a whole.

Originally published in 1989, Day Brought Back My Night explores the lives of people who have lost sight in late life as a result of age-related visual disorders. As life-expectancy in western society has increased, the number of people who fall into this group has grown, yet little had been written on this plight. This major study filled the gap in the literature, and will still be of great value to practitioners, scholars, and students in the fields of social gerontology, medicine, social work, and nursing. Stephen Ainlay surveys the various etiologies of age-related visual disorders and establishes the medical framework of the problem. His primary concern, however, is to understand people’s experience of vision loss, and he makes use of extensive interview data to establish the ways in which people come to terms with their own aging. The stories told here reflect people’s responses to a changing body as well as shifting relationships with friends, family members, medical practitioners, and service providers. They reveal hopes and fears, lost priorities, and new initiatives, relationships that recede and relationships that are newly established. Above all, they comment on the drama that is involved in people’s struggle to find continuity in their lives. In this way, the book is as much an exploration into the problem of identity as it is a study of sensory loss in later life.

Originally published in 1989, Day Brought Back My Night explores the lives of people who have lost sight in late life as a result of age-related visual disorders. As life-expectancy in western society has increased, the number of people who fall into this group has grown, yet little had been written on this plight. This major study filled the gap in the literature, and will still be of great value to practitioners, scholars, and students in the fields of social gerontology, medicine, social work, and nursing. Stephen Ainlay surveys the various etiologies of age-related visual disorders and establishes the medical framework of the problem. His primary concern, however, is to understand people’s experience of vision loss, and he makes use of extensive interview data to establish the ways in which people come to terms with their own aging. The stories told here reflect people’s responses to a changing body as well as shifting relationships with friends, family members, medical practitioners, and service providers. They reveal hopes and fears, lost priorities, and new initiatives, relationships that recede and relationships that are newly established. Above all, they comment on the drama that is involved in people’s struggle to find continuity in their lives. In this way, the book is as much an exploration into the problem of identity as it is a study of sensory loss in later life.

In the early 1980s, it had only recently been appreciated that what was known of the epidemiology of dementia in the elderly living in the community was just the tip of a large iceberg. Originally published in 1984, reissued here with a new preface, this book is concerned with presenting information on the nature of dementia, its prevalence and the existing pattern of services available at the time. It begins by considering the nature and epidemiology of dementia and examines the problems of supporting dementia sufferers for both families and professionals. Current services in the community are shown to be inadequate, and the division between hospital and community largely inappropriate. In conclusion the author proposes that radical changes to current service provision are necessary including the development of special day centres and residential units for dementia sufferers. Living with Dementia: Community Care of the Elderly Mentally Infirm addressed a topic of major importance and was an invaluable source of information for community nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, geriatricians, general practitioners and social workers, all of whom encountered the problem. Today we can look back and reflect on what has changed.

In the early 1980s, it had only recently been appreciated that what was known of the epidemiology of dementia in the elderly living in the community was just the tip of a large iceberg. Originally published in 1984, reissued here with a new preface, this book is concerned with presenting information on the nature of dementia, its prevalence and the existing pattern of services available at the time. It begins by considering the nature and epidemiology of dementia and examines the problems of supporting dementia sufferers for both families and professionals. Current services in the community are shown to be inadequate, and the division between hospital and community largely inappropriate. In conclusion the author proposes that radical changes to current service provision are necessary including the development of special day centres and residential units for dementia sufferers. Living with Dementia: Community Care of the Elderly Mentally Infirm addressed a topic of major importance and was an invaluable source of information for community nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, geriatricians, general practitioners and social workers, all of whom encountered the problem. Today we can look back and reflect on what has changed.

Originally published in 1977, Old Age in European Society provides an historical perspective on aging, a process which had received little attention from any group in the social sciences and virtually none from historians at the time. Starting from the premise that ‘the elderly can and should be active, participant members of their society’ the book examines the ways in which old people were and are viewed by certain key groups. This is done in a series of thematic essays linked by the main theme of a dominant culture in which the elderly and the groups who deal with them were and still are ensnared. This dominant culture is one of denigration of the elderly: the traditional idea of veneration of the elderly is found to be largely mythical. Variations on this theme are dealt with in individual chapters concerned with the elderly in French working-class culture and geriatric medicine. Key groups are studied with an eye to distinct patterns of modernization, which involves particular attention to the working class and middle class as those exposed to the leading edge of change. Women are treated separately, as their aging process involves distinctive elements, which exacerbate the problems of old age. France, with its exceptional percentage of elderly and its low retirement ages, provides much of the material for these essays, the main purpose of which is to indicate those topics for which an historical treatment is vital to our understanding of the elderly and to the formulation of a more positive approach to old age.

Originally published in 1977, Old Age in European Society provides an historical perspective on aging, a process which had received little attention from any group in the social sciences and virtually none from historians at the time. Starting from the premise that ‘the elderly can and should be active, participant members of their society’ the book examines the ways in which old people were and are viewed by certain key groups. This is done in a series of thematic essays linked by the main theme of a dominant culture in which the elderly and the groups who deal with them were and still are ensnared. This dominant culture is one of denigration of the elderly: the traditional idea of veneration of the elderly is found to be largely mythical. Variations on this theme are dealt with in individual chapters concerned with the elderly in French working-class culture and geriatric medicine. Key groups are studied with an eye to distinct patterns of modernization, which involves particular attention to the working class and middle class as those exposed to the leading edge of change. Women are treated separately, as their aging process involves distinctive elements, which exacerbate the problems of old age. France, with its exceptional percentage of elderly and its low retirement ages, provides much of the material for these essays, the main purpose of which is to indicate those topics for which an historical treatment is vital to our understanding of the elderly and to the formulation of a more positive approach to old age.

Local writing on the subject of old age had tended to a fairly uniform approach, focusing on empirical studies of old age as a social problem using census and survey-type data. Little attention had been paid to theory development. Originally published in 1981, this book provides an in-depth study of how old age was experienced in contemporary Australian society at the time. It was the first major piece of original research on aging to be published in Australia and in several important senses represented a clear departure from the mainstream of Australian gerontology. The Aging Experience links original in-depth data to a broad theoretical framework. Working from the premise that old age is a devalued status it examines the implications of this for the personal experience and interpersonal relations of elderly people. Through detailed case studies of elderly Australians their interaction with family, age peers and welfare services are described. The analysis concentrates less on the overt characteristics of these relationships and their material functions than on their symbolic content and meaning for the participants. Thus, the study moves beyond conventional statistical documentation of the problems of old age to a sharper delineation of aging as a lived experience. It is an approach which offers new perspectives, and challenges many of the assumptions underlying previous research.

Local writing on the subject of old age had tended to a fairly uniform approach, focusing on empirical studies of old age as a social problem using census and survey-type data. Little attention had been paid to theory development. Originally published in 1981, this book provides an in-depth study of how old age was experienced in contemporary Australian society at the time. It was the first major piece of original research on aging to be published in Australia and in several important senses represented a clear departure from the mainstream of Australian gerontology. The Aging Experience links original in-depth data to a broad theoretical framework. Working from the premise that old age is a devalued status it examines the implications of this for the personal experience and interpersonal relations of elderly people. Through detailed case studies of elderly Australians their interaction with family, age peers and welfare services are described. The analysis concentrates less on the overt characteristics of these relationships and their material functions than on their symbolic content and meaning for the participants. Thus, the study moves beyond conventional statistical documentation of the problems of old age to a sharper delineation of aging as a lived experience. It is an approach which offers new perspectives, and challenges many of the assumptions underlying previous research.

In the 1980s, as the proportion of elderly people in the population grew steadily larger, the task of looking after them would fall increasingly on one group – daughters. The government, in promoting its move in social policy towards community care, had stated that ‘the family’ – which in practice meant women – must expect to provide the bulk of care in the future. But how do women feel about this? What impact does caring for others have on their own lives? How might professional helpers better support them?Originally published in 1988, from in-depth interviews with daughters who have looked after their mothers for varying numbers of years, Jane Lewis and Barbara Meredith look at why it is that women come to care, and consider the legacy of their caring experiences. Because caring is usually a labour of love, the feelings that surround it are complicated and fraught with ambivalence. In analysing these Daughters Who Care explores the meaning of caring from the carer’s point of view, as well as examining the implications for professionals seeking to ‘support the supporters’.Carers themselves and those working with them professionally or as volunteers, as well as students of community care, social policies for the elderly, and social psychology will all find this a stimulating approach to what is still an increasingly urgent issue.

In the 1980s, as the proportion of elderly people in the population grew steadily larger, the task of looking after them would fall increasingly on one group – daughters. The government, in promoting its move in social policy towards community care, had stated that ‘the family’ – which in practice meant women – must expect to provide the bulk of care in the future. But how do women feel about this? What impact does caring for others have on their own lives? How might professional helpers better support them?Originally published in 1988, from in-depth interviews with daughters who have looked after their mothers for varying numbers of years, Jane Lewis and Barbara Meredith look at why it is that women come to care, and consider the legacy of their caring experiences. Because caring is usually a labour of love, the feelings that surround it are complicated and fraught with ambivalence. In analysing these Daughters Who Care explores the meaning of caring from the carer’s point of view, as well as examining the implications for professionals seeking to ‘support the supporters’.Carers themselves and those working with them professionally or as volunteers, as well as students of community care, social policies for the elderly, and social psychology will all find this a stimulating approach to what is still an increasingly urgent issue.

In the late 1980s, the relationship between physical activity or exercise and aging was one of great contemporary interest. On the one hand there was a growing elderly population in industrialized societies seeking an active rather than a passive retirement, while on the other hand there was much current interest in the benefits to health of physical activity. The first edition of this book, published in 1978, was acknowledged as a major review of the field. In the years since its publication, however, there were many advances in our knowledge, made evident by the fact that this second edition, originally published in 1987, contains over 50 percent more references, 1840 in total. The author shows how far we can improve our adaptation to the aging process through an increase in personal fitness. Aimed at gerontologists, physicians in geriatric medicine and sports medicine, as well as other interested in human performance (for example, the physiologist, physical educator, ergonomist and physiotherapist), the book would remain a standard reference work on this subject for many years.

In the late 1980s, the relationship between physical activity or exercise and aging was one of great contemporary interest. On the one hand there was a growing elderly population in industrialized societies seeking an active rather than a passive retirement, while on the other hand there was much current interest in the benefits to health of physical activity. The first edition of this book, published in 1978, was acknowledged as a major review of the field. In the years since its publication, however, there were many advances in our knowledge, made evident by the fact that this second edition, originally published in 1987, contains over 50 percent more references, 1840 in total. The author shows how far we can improve our adaptation to the aging process through an increase in personal fitness. Aimed at gerontologists, physicians in geriatric medicine and sports medicine, as well as other interested in human performance (for example, the physiologist, physical educator, ergonomist and physiotherapist), the book would remain a standard reference work on this subject for many years.

In the 1960s, planning the development of services for the elderly was a subject of considerable importance in Britain, both because existing services were known to be inadequate, and because the proportion of older people, especially of those over seventy-five, was expected to increase during the next thirty years. Originally published in 1969, this book describes how a sample of local authorities were planning their services for the elderly, how they estimated the need for services and the availability of resources, and how they linked their plans with those of other organisations. By providing a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by local authority officials when trying to plan, and by suggesting a realistic approach to planning, the report made a valuable contribution towards putting the planning of services for the elderly on to a sound basis. It would have been helpful to all those concerned with the planning and administration of the social services at the time. At the same time the historical background and the insight given into the operation of local authority services should still be of interest to readers today.

In the 1960s, planning the development of services for the elderly was a subject of considerable importance in Britain, both because existing services were known to be inadequate, and because the proportion of older people, especially of those over seventy-five, was expected to increase during the next thirty years. Originally published in 1969, this book describes how a sample of local authorities were planning their services for the elderly, how they estimated the need for services and the availability of resources, and how they linked their plans with those of other organisations. By providing a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by local authority officials when trying to plan, and by suggesting a realistic approach to planning, the report made a valuable contribution towards putting the planning of services for the elderly on to a sound basis. It would have been helpful to all those concerned with the planning and administration of the social services at the time. At the same time the historical background and the insight given into the operation of local authority services should still be of interest to readers today.

During the 1970s and 1980s prescription and over-the-counter drugs had come to play a major role in the health care of older people. Originally published in 1986, this book reviews the historical background to this development and explores its social and pharmacological implications. The main aim of the study was to provide a critical perspective on drug use together with a framework for developing effective prescribing policies. The authors do not, in developing their arguments, reject the enormous value of drugs in the treatment of many illnesses affecting older people; they do, however, criticise excessive as well as inappropriate prescribing. The intention was to provide some practical illustrations of how the harmful effects of drug use can be curtailed. This book was aimed, in particular, at workers in the health services, for example: doctors, health visitors, district nurses, pharmacists, the professions allied to medicine. However, it should also be of interest to other groups such as social workers, carers, support groups and older people themselves.

During the 1970s and 1980s prescription and over-the-counter drugs had come to play a major role in the health care of older people. Originally published in 1986, this book reviews the historical background to this development and explores its social and pharmacological implications. The main aim of the study was to provide a critical perspective on drug use together with a framework for developing effective prescribing policies. The authors do not, in developing their arguments, reject the enormous value of drugs in the treatment of many illnesses affecting older people; they do, however, criticise excessive as well as inappropriate prescribing. The intention was to provide some practical illustrations of how the harmful effects of drug use can be curtailed. This book was aimed, in particular, at workers in the health services, for example: doctors, health visitors, district nurses, pharmacists, the professions allied to medicine. However, it should also be of interest to other groups such as social workers, carers, support groups and older people themselves.

By the early 1980s, industrialised countries had experienced a dramatic increase in the number of people who survive into old age. The provision of a high standard of health care for these elderly citizens is one of the major challenges facing health services throughout the world.Originally published in 1982, in this book experts describe the geriatric services in Britain at the time, a country which had pioneered developments in this field over the previous thirty years. Much of the practical knowledge required to establish a service is outlined and the underlying philosophy is also discussed. The material covered includes the historical development of the services, operational policies, the team approach, orthopaedic and psychiatric services for the elderly and the social aspects of care. There is also a chapter dealing with the importance of education and research in this field.Unique in its approach, this book would have been of considerable value to those seeking to establish a geriatric service or to improve an already established service. Today it can be read in its historical context.

By the early 1980s, industrialised countries had experienced a dramatic increase in the number of people who survive into old age. The provision of a high standard of health care for these elderly citizens is one of the major challenges facing health services throughout the world.Originally published in 1982, in this book experts describe the geriatric services in Britain at the time, a country which had pioneered developments in this field over the previous thirty years. Much of the practical knowledge required to establish a service is outlined and the underlying philosophy is also discussed. The material covered includes the historical development of the services, operational policies, the team approach, orthopaedic and psychiatric services for the elderly and the social aspects of care. There is also a chapter dealing with the importance of education and research in this field.Unique in its approach, this book would have been of considerable value to those seeking to establish a geriatric service or to improve an already established service. Today it can be read in its historical context.

In the 1980s work with elderly people was making up an increasing proportion of the workload of speech therapists, due to the overall increase in the elderly population. At the same time all health professionals, such as nurses working in long-stay wards or nursing homes, had many elderly patients or clients who showed communication difficulties due to general problems such as institutionalization, social skill deficits, poor hearing or dementia.Originally published in 1988, this book provides a practical approach to working with elderly people with speech and communication difficulties. While traditional speech therapy for adults with specific disorders is covered, it focuses primarily upon the ‘indirect’ role of the therapist, working through lay and professional carers, environmental modification and in both hospital and community. The book is likely to appeal principally to speech therapists, but will also interest other professional staff working with elderly people.

In the 1980s work with elderly people was making up an increasing proportion of the workload of speech therapists, due to the overall increase in the elderly population. At the same time all health professionals, such as nurses working in long-stay wards or nursing homes, had many elderly patients or clients who showed communication difficulties due to general problems such as institutionalization, social skill deficits, poor hearing or dementia.Originally published in 1988, this book provides a practical approach to working with elderly people with speech and communication difficulties. While traditional speech therapy for adults with specific disorders is covered, it focuses primarily upon the ‘indirect’ role of the therapist, working through lay and professional carers, environmental modification and in both hospital and community. The book is likely to appeal principally to speech therapists, but will also interest other professional staff working with elderly people.

Originally published in 1988, the purpose of this book was to introduce the student and practicing physiotherapist to the multi-faceted components of the care and treatment of elderly patients and to present a problem-orientated approach to physiotherapy, assessment and management. Care of the elderly demands a dynamic and responsible approach and it was hoped that this book would improve therapy skills. The authors’ principle aim was to describe appropriate physiotherapy practice together with the pathology and medicine of old age. There is also consideration of social and psychological issues and working with the elderly people in the community as well as in hospital.

Originally published in 1988, the purpose of this book was to introduce the student and practicing physiotherapist to the multi-faceted components of the care and treatment of elderly patients and to present a problem-orientated approach to physiotherapy, assessment and management. Care of the elderly demands a dynamic and responsible approach and it was hoped that this book would improve therapy skills. The authors’ principle aim was to describe appropriate physiotherapy practice together with the pathology and medicine of old age. There is also consideration of social and psychological issues and working with the elderly people in the community as well as in hospital.

Of all the problems associated with a rapidly growing aging population, health care demands top priority. Research on health care for older people requires an understanding of the basic principles of aging and its related social processes, while popular assumptions on the subject are often ill-informed and are based more on misconceptions about aging than on scientific knowledge.Originally published in 1989, Aging and Health Care focuses on the most urgent health care problems of older people at the time and explores possible solutions. Drawing on up-to-date social and behavioral research, it provides a sound basis on which to build practices and policies on aging and health care. The contributors examine the complex relationships among aging persons, their health care needs, and the current health care and support systems. Individual chapters contribute in particular to our understanding of the interactions of the health care system with individual aging processes, and the interdependence between the informal and formal care systems.With its emphasis on the interrelationships of health care with the biological, psychological and social changes that people experience as they grow older, Aging and Health Care will still be of historical interest to those studying in social science, aging, and public health.

Of all the problems associated with a rapidly growing aging population, health care demands top priority. Research on health care for older people requires an understanding of the basic principles of aging and its related social processes, while popular assumptions on the subject are often ill-informed and are based more on misconceptions about aging than on scientific knowledge.Originally published in 1989, Aging and Health Care focuses on the most urgent health care problems of older people at the time and explores possible solutions. Drawing on up-to-date social and behavioral research, it provides a sound basis on which to build practices and policies on aging and health care. The contributors examine the complex relationships among aging persons, their health care needs, and the current health care and support systems. Individual chapters contribute in particular to our understanding of the interactions of the health care system with individual aging processes, and the interdependence between the informal and formal care systems.With its emphasis on the interrelationships of health care with the biological, psychological and social changes that people experience as they grow older, Aging and Health Care will still be of historical interest to those studying in social science, aging, and public health.

In 1980 old people comprised over half the clients of Local Authority Social Services Departments and accounted for about half of their resources, yet until then residential care of the aged had been a backwater of both research and practice. During the 1970s a large research literature had developed on the subject, particularly in the United States. However, studies had been partial in their focus on issues, making no attempt to draw together their arguments to create a model that described and evaluated competing theories about what it is that determines the quality of residential life. Originally published in 1981, Bleddyn Davies and Martin Knapp filled that gap in this book.The authors discuss not only the theoretical arguments about residential care and the degree to which those theories had been verified by research, but also how far the factors considered to be important had been successfully measured, considering the choices to be made between alternative varieties of care that had grown up so rapidly in the previous five years. The authors conclude with an analysis of how their approach should contribute to the discussion of issues that was to be faced by British policy-makers in the 1980s as our welfare systems attempted to cope with the increasing numbers of the very old.

In 1980 old people comprised over half the clients of Local Authority Social Services Departments and accounted for about half of their resources, yet until then residential care of the aged had been a backwater of both research and practice. During the 1970s a large research literature had developed on the subject, particularly in the United States. However, studies had been partial in their focus on issues, making no attempt to draw together their arguments to create a model that described and evaluated competing theories about what it is that determines the quality of residential life. Originally published in 1981, Bleddyn Davies and Martin Knapp filled that gap in this book.The authors discuss not only the theoretical arguments about residential care and the degree to which those theories had been verified by research, but also how far the factors considered to be important had been successfully measured, considering the choices to be made between alternative varieties of care that had grown up so rapidly in the previous five years. The authors conclude with an analysis of how their approach should contribute to the discussion of issues that was to be faced by British policy-makers in the 1980s as our welfare systems attempted to cope with the increasing numbers of the very old.

The care of elderly people, particularly those who are frail, is a major task facing society. Originally published in 1981, this book considers the challenge of caring from a social work perspective. It locates social work with elderly people firmly within the mainstream of social work ethics, knowledge and skills, and demonstrates how work with the elderly both informs and in turn is informed by an understanding of work with other client groups.From an initial discussion of why social workers are often reluctant or unable to work with the problems that may be present in old age, Social Work with Elderly People continues with a description of the disadvantages that often accompany old age and the problems that elderly people may experience. Certain aspects of social work practice are then considered in more detail, such as the pace of work, the goals of intervention, communication and assessment. Later chapters focus on practice with elderly people in three different settings: on their own in the community, with their families, and in residential care. Issues such as the dynamics of caring and being cared for, the assessment and management of dependency and risk, and the preservation of individuality in spite of frailty and disability are discussed in a variety of contexts.Cherry Rowlings brings to the subject her experience as a practitioner and a team leader in social services departments, together with the results of the research she had recently undertaken. Many of the examples illustrating practice come from social workers who had been interviewed as part of this research.Social Work with Elderly People was intended for teachers on courses leading to a qualification either in social work or in social service, students on basic and post-qualifying courses and practitioners and supervisors of field and residential staff. Other professions with a concern for the care of elderly people, doctors, health visitors, occupational therapists and nurses, will also find this book of relevance to their work.

The care of elderly people, particularly those who are frail, is a major task facing society. Originally published in 1981, this book considers the challenge of caring from a social work perspective. It locates social work with elderly people firmly within the mainstream of social work ethics, knowledge and skills, and demonstrates how work with the elderly both informs and in turn is informed by an understanding of work with other client groups.From an initial discussion of why social workers are often reluctant or unable to work with the problems that may be present in old age, Social Work with Elderly People continues with a description of the disadvantages that often accompany old age and the problems that elderly people may experience. Certain aspects of social work practice are then considered in more detail, such as the pace of work, the goals of intervention, communication and assessment. Later chapters focus on practice with elderly people in three different settings: on their own in the community, with their families, and in residential care. Issues such as the dynamics of caring and being cared for, the assessment and management of dependency and risk, and the preservation of individuality in spite of frailty and disability are discussed in a variety of contexts.Cherry Rowlings brings to the subject her experience as a practitioner and a team leader in social services departments, together with the results of the research she had recently undertaken. Many of the examples illustrating practice come from social workers who had been interviewed as part of this research.Social Work with Elderly People was intended for teachers on courses leading to a qualification either in social work or in social service, students on basic and post-qualifying courses and practitioners and supervisors of field and residential staff. Other professions with a concern for the care of elderly people, doctors, health visitors, occupational therapists and nurses, will also find this book of relevance to their work.