Aging in Good Health [Paperback]

Sue E. Levkoff (Editor), Yeon Kyung, Ph.D. Chee (Editor), Shohei, Ph.D. Noguchi (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

With advances in medicine and preventive health-care measures, more and more people are living to advanced old age while remaining productive and experiencing relatively good health and vitality. Unfortunately, a significant number of the elderly still succumb to various serious maladies, many of them preventable and treatable, whether physical or psychological. This excellent interdisciplinary collection of articles on ageing, by a wide range of experts, is designed to make available to the general reader the best recent research on the many facets of successful ageing. Divided into four parts, the contributors discuss the psychological, sociological, and biomedical aspects of ageing and conclude with a focus on how to provide effective service to the elderly. Among the specific issues discussed are the role of negative life events in adapting to growing old, spiritual needs of those near the end of life, emotional health and maturity, ethical issues in family relations and care-giving, the planning and consequences of retirement, elder abuse, over-medication, drug and alcohol abuse, nutritional recommendations, increasing physical activity, improving physician-patient communication, valuable services in the community, and the role of volunteers. Through the varying perspectives, this inviting collection develops an overall picture of the needs of ageing individuals and offers successful approaches to the diverse challenges of later years.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...addresses compelling issues..." -- New York Daily News

"...easily understandable...might be very useful in an introductory course in geriatrics...a useful library resource." -- Physical Therapy, November 2003

"...informative grouping of thoughts, practical information, research and thought-provoking trends and topics on aging...a great resource." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 2003

"If you're a senior citizen or have one in your family, you will most certainly benefit from reading this book." -- Bookviews.com

About the Author

SUE E. LEVKOFF, Sc.D., M.S.W., S.M., is associate professor of psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital, associate professor of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and associate professor of Health and Social Behavior at Harvard School of Public Health.

YEON KYUNG CHEE, Ph.D., is instructor in the department of Social Medicine and Division of Aging at Harvard Medical School.

SHOHEI NOGUCHI, B.A., is founder of Mejiro Human Science College, Mejiro Life Science College, and Chuo College of Law in Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 385 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 1 edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591020263
• ISBN-13: 978-1591020264
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,272,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good summary of research on aging, April 8, 2003

By 

Keith Nichols (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aging in Good Health (Paperback)

This is a good summary of current knowledge about the problems of the aged. It reads like a master's thesis but is clear and easily understood. The 46 pages of bibliography provide lots of academic studies to go after if you like statistics.

Of most interest to me are the chapters on life review, whereby persons try to discern the pattern and value of their lives; spirituality; and emotional health. Also, the role of medication in the elderly, exercise and nutrition, falling and fear of falling, and geriatric rehabilitation held new information for me.

An overall sense I get from this book is that even though being old is largely a sedentary occupation, it should be less so, and that in order for one to keep from becoming prematurely disabled, some physical training is in order as soon as possible. If this idea were acted upon more in retirement communities, and everywhere, for that matter, residents might postpone their loss of physical ability, especially ability to stand and walk. For many, physical conditioning could be as ambitious as tai-chi and weight training or swimming. This would strengthen them and preserve their body control, as well as providing the other physical and psychological benefits of exercise. Retirement communities could keep their residents mobile longer and perhaps require fewer wheelchairs if their apartment-dwellers spent an hour or so a day doing something more physical than watching TV.