Gerontology Books - Page 5

Keeping Busy: A Handbook of Activities for Persons with Dementia

James R. Dowling

Amazon Price: $16.15 List Price: $19.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Johns Hopkins University Press Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $10.63

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Comforting & Practicle Info 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After checking this book from the library, I purchsed a copy as a reference. The author gives practicle activities which enable the caregiver and the patient to survive dementia with dignity.
Other writings are more scientific and testimonial; This book gets us off our duff!

Editorial Review:

Although very little can be done to alter the course of dementia, much can be done to maximize the quality of life of people with the condition. Research as well as practical experience suggest that behavior management, especially through programs that provide meaningful and constructive activity, is currently the most effective treatment.

In Keeping Busy, James Dowling describes a variety of activities designed to bring meaning and enjoyment to the lives of persons with dementia. The activities are organized by general categories such as music, exercise, horticulture, pets, humor, and social events. The largest section deals with communication and includes word games that help people strengthen their remaining verbal skills. The description of each activity includes step-by-step instructions, as well as tips on how to adapt it for small or large groups, for individuals at home or in an organization, or people who are bedridden.

The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life

M.d., Ph.d., Gene D. Cohen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In a single generation, the view of life after fifty has changed dramatically. Today's society is shaped by unprecedented growth in the number of people living in their "golden years", shifting patterns of work and home life, and advances in health care that offer the promise of longer, more active lives. In this fascinating, life-affirming book, Dr. Gene Cohen debunks harmful myths about aging and illuminates the biological and emotional foundations of creativity. He shoes how the unique combination of age, experience, and creativity can produce exciting inner growth and infinite potential for everyone. Interweaving history, scientific research, inspiring true-life stories, and his own fresh insights, Dr. Cohen takes us into the previously uncharted territory of human potential in the "second half" of life.

Discover the owners of the Creative Age:

• We can actually increase the number of essential connections among brain cells including those for memory and response.
• Many sleep and mood disorders can be eliminated by stimulating the brain; sleep problems are not an inevitable part of aging or decline in brain function
• Vocabulary expands well into the eighties among people who continue to challenge themselves intellectually through reading, writing, and word games -- having difficulty finding the right word is not inevitable
• Capitalizing on our creativity, and having a positive outlook and sense of well-being, boosts our immune systems.

Adult Development and Aging With Infotrac

John C.; Blanchard-Fields, Fredda Cavanaugh

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Required Reading 4 out of 5 stars.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.

Many of you who are considering buying this text are probably doing so for either a regular college course or for one of the Regents College/Excelsior College exams. I decided to earn a second bachelors degree and am working through Excelsior College. This is the required text for one of their exams. I can say that the book is thorough and covers the material that you need to know to pass the test, completely. Like many psyhcology and sociology texts, the subject matter can be dry, but the author seems to do a better than average job of dealing with this. I feel that the fact that I got an 'A' on the exam says very positive things about the text and its ability to prepare you for the testing.

Good overview of aging and elderly issues 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This textbook was required reading for a psychology class that I took on Adult Development and Aging. The text is very easy to read - the material covers all the major topics related to cognition, memory, development, illnesses, relationships, and end of life experiences. It provides a solid look at all of these topics without going too deep. I would recommend the book for anyone with aging parents - it is helpful to get a sense of what they are experiencing in their lives and to understand what role we play in supporting them.

Elder Law : In a Nutshell (Nutshell Series). (Nutshell Series)

Lawrence A. Frolik, Richard L. Kaplan

List Price: $23.50 By: West Group Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $1.88

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Rampant Elder Abuse and Fraud Colored By Law: Guardianship! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 19 people found this review helpful.

Reports of guardians stealing from their wards' bank accounts and other wise abusing guardianship powers are surfacing with disturbing regularity. 'This problem is going to get bigger and bigger,' says E. Bentley Lipscomb, AARP's Florida state director and a former state secretary of elder affairs. - GUARDIANS DRAWING INCREASED SCRUTINY, AARP Bulletin. Read also "The Retirement Nightmare" by Diane Armstrong. Get the real truth about the fraud and abuse of the elderly and not so elderly by corrupt probate system and guardians. To avoid a guardianship in the State of Florida, and other states, should be of paramount importance. Find out how to protect yourself and your loved ones with alternatives: health care surrogate, durable power of attorney, mediation and more. Consider that if you leave your parents to fend for themselves, and ignore the deterioration associated with aging, a guardian can gain a guardianship over them and their assets, without informing you. That guardianship will nullify the most meticulous of plans.

Editorial Review:

This reliable source provides expert narration on the scope and diversity of elder law. The text addresses ethical considerations and health care decision-making issues. Discusses Medicare, Medigap, Medicaid, and long-term care insurance. Looks into living arrangements, guardianship, and benefits—Social Security, supplemental security income, veterans benefits, and pension plans. Also explores age discrimination in employment, elder abuse, and neglect.

Aging and The Life Course: An Introduction to Social Gerontology: An Introduction to Social Gerontology

Jill Quadagno

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

aging and the life course 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

mrs quadagno has written a book that effectively discusses the various effects of aging on society.she delves into the effects on a socioeconomic level.race and income as they relate to social services for the elderly is the man topic of her focus.american social services provided are compared with the other western democracies of similar economies.AS our society lives longer we need to discuss what it means to be elderly?and who should be entitled to receive social service programs ?should recipants be based on an age or a need basis?

Editorial Review:

This groundbreaking text is the first to take a life course perspective, examining the relationship between the quality of one's life in old age and one�s experiences, earlier choices, opportunities, and constraints. The text gives students a broad background for understanding current policy debates through a distinctive chapter entitled "Old Age and the Welfare State" (Chapter 11) and through boxed essays in every chapter called "An Issue for Public Policy." Each chapter also includes a box called "In Their Own Words" that allows older people to describe their own experiences. In addition, coverage of race, class, gender, and culture is integrated throughout and featured in the "Diversity in the Aging Experience" sections.

Old Age

Helen M. Luke

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

For All Ages and for All Time 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 24 people found this review helpful.

Like her former partner Robert A. Johnson, Helen Luke is a master of rendering the psychological meanings in great literature understandable and relevant to all people wishing to gain a deeper level of understanding about the growtn of the human soul. Having plumbed the depths of her own psycho-spiritual aging process(Such Stuff As Dreams are Made On), Ms. Luke has created a work fusing literary scholarship and personal experience into a guide for all of us to follow towards the inevitable. When the time comes for me to plant my oar (read her interpretation of The Odyssey)and turn towards the life of prayer, song and storytelling I will be eternally grateful to have had this wonderful Wise Woman as my guide. Deserving of a wide readership.

Editorial Review:

In this classic text on aging wisely, the renowned Jungian analyst Helen M. Luke reflects on the final journeys described in Homer’s Odyssey, Shakespeare’s King Lear and The Tempest, and T. S. Eliot’s Little Gidding, and also on suffering. In examining some of the great masterpieces of literature produced by writers at the ends of their lives, she elucidates the difference between growing old and disintegrating and encourages us to grow emotionally and mentally in this culminating stage of our own lives.

Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death

Barbara Johnson

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

They Are Called 'The Golden Years' For Sure. 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is "For Women Only" as the seal on the front cover shows. She is somewhere between Erma Bombeck and Fanny Flagg with her type of humor and sayings. This volume was written for those with a sense of humor but, if you've heard all that homespun advice, it's not so funny anymore.

None of the stuff women must live through during midlife crisis would be relevant to men, unless they are married to such creatures; they too have their own type of menopause. Chapter 7 is all about the causes of men, as she makes fun of the male personality. One I liked: "Youth looks ahead, Old age looks back, Middle age looks tired."

While the younger years may be the most fun, many grandmothers enjoy a more meaningful relationship with their adolescent grandchildren during the teenage years. These are times the rebels in the family show their true selves. They tend to turn for solace to loving grandparents during these turbulent times. Teens trust those who have given them unconditional love during their growing-up years and who are nonjudgemental.

Memory is a mental bank account for elders. In it, we deposit the treasures of our lives so that, in time of need, we can withdraw hope and courage. Remembering good memories can make us feel like mental millionaires. One of my heroes, General Douglas MacArthur once said, "Whatever your years, there is in every being's heart the love of wonder, the undaunted challenges of events, the unfailing childlike appetite for what comes next, and the joy of the game. You are as young as your hope, as old as your despair." My doctor told me just today to "give in to the body's need to heal" and to take the needed naps with joy; don't begrudge the "time out" but look forward to six weeks down the road when you can do all the things you did before the invasive surgery. Be accepting of the circumstances and don't fight against your best interests, getting well again.

Ms. Johnson uses an excerpt from one of "Dear Abby" columns called "How to Plant a Special Garden:" First, plant five rows of peas: 'Preparedness,' 'Promptness,' 'Perseverence,' 'Politeness, and "Prayer.' Next to them, plant three rows of squash: 'Squash Gossip,' Squash Criticism,' and 'Squash Indifference.'
Then five rows of lettuce: 'Let us be faithful,' 'Let us be unselfish,' 'Let us be loyal,' 'Let us be truthful,' and 'Let us love one another.' And no garden is complete without turnips: "Turn up for church,' 'Turn up with a smile,' 'Turn up with determination.' Leonard Levinson's quote, "Sorrow is the future tense of love." You've heard that it is better to be safe than sorry. But, telling someone you love that you are sorry you said or did something which made them sad is one of the best things a woman can do.

Yes, this book is for women only; but the jokes about being old apply to the men, too. It's funny -- hilarious to some, I'm sure, but insightful in a way we all need to be reminded.

Editorial Review:

For women only, this is one of Barbara Johnson's most unique books. With her zany collection of observations about "life between the Blue Lagoon and Golden Pond," Barbara jumps right in, showing women how to survive growing older with courage and joy.

Aging, Spirituality, and Religion: A Handbook

James W. Ellor, James J. Seeber

List Price: $65.00 By: Augsburg Fortress Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $8.71

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Important Text for Professionals 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This important text offers chapters from 44 well known authors on topics from theology to social science theory as well as ministry and pastoral psychology. This book won the award for one of the 10 most important books to be ready by Parish Clergy. Packed with insights and important research this book is a key tool for both researchers and practitioners.

Don't be scared away by the title 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Don't be scared away by the title, this book offers wisdom to readers of all ages. The Fields/Norris essay will be of particular interest to women going through any life-transition. It helps you embrace and learn from uncertainty, so you can apply the knowledge you already have.

Editorial Review:

Specialists from subdivisions of gerontology examine the ways religion and spirituality are experienced by aging persons within an aging society.

The Virtues of Aging (Library of Contemporary Thought)

Jimmy Carter

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Growing old gracefully 4 out of 5 stars.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful.

"The Virtues of Aging," by former United States President Jimmy Carter, is a down-to-earth nonfiction book about growing old gracefully. Carter mixes interesting statistics with autobiographical information and practical advice.

Carter discusses his work and experiences with a number of organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity. He also discusses the lives of people who made extraordinary accomplishments in their senior years. Carter doesn't shy away from sensitive topics, such as senior sexuality or preparing for one's own death.

One admirable characteristic of Carter's writing is that while it is informed by his own Christian faith, he is also respectful of other belief traditions. Overall, he writes like an unpretentious friend who is sharing his life experience and perspective. Throughout the book, his wife Rosalynn is a constant presence; you get a real sense of the solidity of that relationship.

Editorial Review:

"We are not alone in our worry about both the physical aspect of aging and the prejudice that exists toward the elderly, which is similar to racism or sexism. What makes it different is that the prejudice also exists among those of us who are either within this group or rapidly approaching it. When I have mentioned the title of this book to a few people, most of them responded, 'Virtues? What could possibly be good about growing old?' The most obvious answer, of course, is to consider the alternative to aging. But there are plenty of other good answers--many based on our personal experiences and observations. "
--from THE VIRTUES OF AGING

A Guide to Elder Planning: Everything You Need to Know to Protect Yourself Legally and Financially (Financial Times Prentice Hall Books)

Steve Weisman

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Elder Planning Review 5 out of 5 stars.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful.

For each generation it seems that a reference book comes along that becomes the universal guide for the audience it intends to reach. Examples that come to mind are the Farmers Almanac and the Guinness Book of Records. For their intended reader these books are the starting and ending points of the information sought.

Steve Weisman has filled that void for those considering elder planning issues. The book's fund of knowledge takes pains to begin at defining terms and strategies and, only then, provides the advice needed by all. To best illustrate the breadth of topics contained in the treatise, the issues range from asset protection to planning for your pets. The book is of value not only to the elderly but also to extended families facing elder planning issues and provides methods for non-elderly adults to maximize their assets throughout their life. As with any great book aimed at helping the populace, the use of clear, concise language is remarkable. In reviewing the book, I am left with the old refrain, "why didn't I think of that" but I can happily report that Steve Weisman did think of that and his efforts benefit us all.

Editorial Review:

Let's face it... in today's world, senior citizens and their families face more complicated financial, legal and personal planning decisions than ever before--and making the wrong decisions can be catastrophic. In this book, Steven J.J. Weisman, renowned estate planning attorney and host of the nationally syndicated radio show "A Touch of Grey," offers you practical, simple guidance on every one of these issues. Written with simplicity and humor, Elder Planning uncovers strategies and loopholes for retirement, health care, long-term care, asset protection, investments, taxes, social security, housing, Medicare/Medicaid, estate planning, substitute decision, and more. This book is easy to read and easy to use, making it the indispensable resource for anyone needing to protect themselves, their parents and their heirs.