Aging Our Way: Lessons for Living from 85 and Beyond Reprint Edition

by Meika Loe (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0199975723

ISBN-10: 0199975728

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In 1998, Hallmark unveiled their new "One-Hundredth-Birthday" cards, and by 2007 annual sales were at 85,000. America is rapidly graying: between now and 2030, the number of people in the U.S. over the age of 80 is expected to almost triple. But how long people live raises the question of how
well they live.

Aging Our Way follows the everyday lives of 30 elders (ages 85-102) living at home and mostly alone to understand how they create and maintain meaningful lives for themselves. Drawing on the latest interdisciplinary scholarship on aging and three years of interviews with the elders, Meika Loe
explores how elders navigate the practical challenges of living as independently as possible while staying healthy, connected, and comfortable. While most books on the subject treat old age as a social problem and elders as simply diminished versions of their former selves, Aging Our Way views them
as they really are: lively, complicated, engaging people finding creative ways to make their aging as meaningful and manageable as possible. In their own voices, elders describe how they manage everything from grocery shopping, doctor appointments, and disability, to creating networks of friends and
maintaining their autonomy. In many ways, these elders can serve as role models. The lessons they have learned about living in moderation, taking time for themselves, asking for help, keeping a sense of humor, caring for others, and preparing for death provide an invaluable source of wisdom for
anyone hoping to live a long and fulfilling life. Through their stories, Loe helps us to think about aging, well-being, and the value of human relationships in new ways.

Written with remarkable warmth and depth of understanding, Aging Our Way offers a vivid look at a group of people who too often remain invisible--those who have lived the longest--and all they have to teach us.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Americans are living longer lives today than ever before. But are these quality years? How are we experiencing 'these additional years' in our 80s, 90s, and even 100s? In Meika Loe's Aging Our Way, men and women tell how they are making the best of their time, even with personal limitations. These
'ways of aging' are summed up as lessons for reflection and action. I urge you to read and share this inspiring book with others for it enriches understanding of life paths that many will follow." --Glen H. Elder, Jr., Howard W. Odum Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Loe's writing is clear, jargon-free, and warm-she clearly likes and often admires her subjects. She has done an excellent job in organizing her book topically and lets her subjects speak for themselves, then distills their most important points. While there are few startling revelations, there is a
great deal of wisdom." --Publisher's Weekly

"Useful for its thoroughness, examples of resiliency, and attention to this growing phenomenon." --CHOICE

"A lively, engaging, and moving read. Loe shows how the personal resources needed to cope with aging are closely tied to structural factors like race, class, gender, birth cohort, and socioeconomic status. Nearly any reader will find Aging Our Way relevant to their own life or the lives of their
aging parents or relatives." --Deborah Carr, Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University

"In this delightfully written book, Meika Loe illustrates how we continue to develop and become more diverse as we age. Aging Our Way is an engagingly written introduction to this new understanding of aging and will serve its readers well." --Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine, co-author of The 36-Hour Day

"What a timely and useful handbook for all ages-full of insights and often poignant. L'chayim!" --Dr. Sally H. Lunt, Advisory Board, and Judy Norsigian, Executive Director, Our Bodies Ourselves

"Aging Our Way is a remarkable glimpse of the everyday lives and life lessons of elders living on their own-and on their own terms. Through engaging interviews, Meika Loe moves away from an obsessive focus on youth to an idea of comfortable aging that embraces continuity, connection, creativity,
and quality of life." --Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest

"Aging Our Way is Loe's well-crafted answer to the question many ask as they approach the end of their days, 'How can one maintain comfort and health, stay at home, and continue to lead a meaningful life?'" --Foreword

"Loe's work will prove beneficial for qualitative sociologists, gerontologists, and ethnographers. The prose is accessible, the stories are rich, and the suggestive findings are pragmatic. Aging Our Way is a must-read for all sociologists of aging, perhaps especially so for ethnographers of aging."
--Scott Patrick Murphy, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Alliance for Applied Research in Education and Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Florida

"The references and data provided include some of the most highly regarded sources and provide a wealth of information. Written in an engaging style, Loe sheds light on the realities about the well-being of those who are 85+ and illustrates resilience, creativity, adaptation and strength among a
group of people often thought of as otherwise... This book is written in a passionate way that is easily accessible and appropriate for a wide range of readers, including students, practitioners, older adults, and their family members."-- Donna Wang, Department of Social Work, Long Island
University, Brooklyn Campus

"...unique in its content and approach... a timely, important and enjoyable addition to the literature of this increasingly important social issue." --Metapsychology Online Reviews

"Aging Our Way is a welcome addition to aging scholarship on the importance of social networks, continuity over the life course, self-reliance, dignity, and autonomy for well-being and comfortable aging." --Gender and Society

About the Author

Meika Loe is Associate Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at Colgate University and the author of The Rise of Viagra: How the Little Blue Pill Changed Sex in America.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199975728
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199975723
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.27 x 6.12 x 0.74 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #511 in Gerontology Social Sciences
- #1,200 in Sociology of Death (Books)
- #3,002 in Grooming & Style

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Dawn

A surprisingly interesting read

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2021

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Had to read this for a sociology class and it was actually a decent read. The book is laid out into lessons and the author provides stories from her "elders" that elaborate on said lessons. It's a great glimpse into aging for those that may not have a lot of experience with it.

One person found this helpful

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Rachel G

All generations can learn from this book!

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2011

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Meika Loe's book "Aging Our Way: Lessons for Living from 85 and Beyond" is a poignant analysis of how aging in place can be enriching, empowering, and fun all at the same time. You certainly do not have to be in academia to appreciate this book! As discussed from the perspective of many of the elder's that make up this book, aging is something that everyone must go through despite social location, economic class, gender, race, etc. Everyone knows a family member, friend, or acquaintance who has grappled with the decision of whether or not to age in place and this book offers thirteen lessons learned from elder's that show independence, resilience, and strength while they think about their next steps. I highly recommend this book for all ages and I feel encouraged to practice many of the life lessons that the elders have taught me!

7 people found this helpful

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Book review

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016

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Book was a gift to a friend. The shipping was timely, the price was right. No problems.

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Sandy

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2015

Verified Purchase

Interesting but more academic than I wanted.

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East Bay Lifer

Excellent "lessons" for aging in place

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015

As a clinical psychologist, I highly recommend the book, Aging Our Way: Lessons for Living from 85 and Beyond, October, 2011, Oxford University Press, by Meika Loe. I recently read it and then shared it with my 92-year old father. Meika Loe interviewed thirty elders (ages 85-102), living in their own environments, and then presented their insights as lessons to be learned. For example, Lesson 1: Keep doing what you're doing, Lesson 2: (Re) design your living space....Lesson 13: Accept and prepare for death. There is also an appendix on best practices for aging in place. My 92 year old father read the interviews and, when I asked him his opinion, said, "People have positive attitudes about aging."

In assisting my father and looking ahead to my own aging, I have become quite interested in this topic. A good resource for looking at what factors go into successful aging is the second edition of the Milken Institute's report. Note that this report consider factors, not in terms of best places to RETIRE, but in terms of best places to AGE. SUCCESSFULLY. Most places (small and large) appear to be in the Midwest rather than on the east or west coasts. However, the factors can be looked at when assessing any location.
http://successfulaging.milkeninstitute.org/2014/best-cities-for-successful-aging-report-2014.pdf

2 people found this helpful

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Delpinneaple

Important, Engaging Book

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2011

This book is really beautifully written. The author does a fine job of putting the interviews she did with these "elders" into a larger perspective. She connects their stories to the communities they live in, but also makes connections to the larger world. She made me think about our society, and how it is functioning -- especially for the very old. I knew the U.S. was aging rapidly before I read Aging Our Way, but I have a much better sense now of how huge and important a shift this is, and will be, for all of us. I think it's remarkable how Loe gets her subjects talking so honestly and openly about their lives. Their stories really carry the reader along. She does a good job of letting the elders tell their stories, but weaves each experience into the greater whole. I read this book and had it out on the coffee table when my 83 year old mother-in-law picked it up and started reading it. Now she wants to borrow my copy!

4 people found this helpful

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Marvin L. Mcconoughey

Useful book for all adult ages

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2011

Meika Loe combines scholarship and empathy in this readable book about aging. I gained insights into how others exert management of their aging in very diverse health and economic circumstances. A key message is that there is no one "right" way to handle old age. There are many successful approaches, and the elderly exert considerable power over the details of their daily life. The author is kind, and that shines through her writing. This was the most useful of several books I've read on aging.

5 people found this helpful

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