Random House New Releases - Social Science - Gerontology

Never Say Die by Susan Jacoby

2012-02-14T00:30:00-05:00

Never Say Die The Myth of the New Old Age
Written by Susan Jacoby

Trade Paperback, 352 pages | Vintage | Social Science - Gerontology; Social Science - Death & Dying | $15.95 | 978-0-307-45628-1 (0-307-45628-5)

In Never Say Die, Susan Jacoby delivers a brave, impassioned, and exceptionally important wake-up call to Americans who have long been deluded by the dangerous myth that a radically new old age awaits the huge baby boom generation.

Combining historical, social, and economic analysis with personal experiences of love and loss, Jacoby unmasks the fallacies promoted by twenty-first-century hucksters of longevity, and reveals the hazards of the magical thinking that prevents us from facing the genuine battles of growing old. Never Say Die speaks to Americans, whatever their age, who draw courage and hope from facing reality instead of embracing platitudes and delusions, and who want to grow old with dignity and purpose. It is a life-affirming and powerful message that has never been more relevant.

The Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter

2011-08-24T00:30:00-05:00

The Virtues of Aging
Written by Jimmy Carter

eBook, 160 pages | Ballantine Books | Biography & Autobiography - Presidents; Social Science - Customs & Traditions; Social Science - Gerontology | $9.99 | 978-0-307-76466-9 (0-307-76466-4)

"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

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Never Say Die by Susan Jacoby

2011-02-01T00:30:00-05:00

Never Say Die The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age
Written by Susan Jacoby

eBook, 352 pages | Vintage | Social Science - Gerontology; Social Science - Death & Dying | $13.99 | 978-0-307-37960-3 (0-307-37960-4)

Susan Jacoby, an unsparing chronicler of unreason in American culture, now offers an impassioned, tough-minded critique of the myth that a radically new old age—unmarred by physical or mental deterioration, financial problems, or intimate loneliness—awaits the huge baby boom generation. Combining historical, social, and economic analysis with personal experiences of love and loss, Jacoby turns a caustic eye not only on the modern fiction that old age can be “defied” but also on the sentimental image of a past in which Americans supposedly revered their elders.

Never Say Die unmasks the fallacies promoted by twenty-first-century hucksters of longevity—including health gurus claiming that boomers can stay “forever young” if they only live right, self-promoting biomedical businessmen predicting that ninety may soon become the new fifty and that a “cure” for the “disease” of aging is just around the corner, and wishful thinkers asserting that older means wiser.

The author offers powerful evidence that America has always been a “youth culture” and that the plight of the neglected old dates from the early years of the republic. Today, as the oldest boomers turn sixty-five, it is imperative for them to distinguish between marketing hype and realistic hope about what lies ahead for the more than 70 million Americans who will be beyond the traditional retirement age by 2030. This wide-ranging reappraisal examines the explosion of Alzheimer’s cases, the uncertain economic future of aging boomers, the predicament of women who make up an overwhelming majority of the oldest—and poorest—old, and the illusion that we can control the way we age and die.

Jacoby raises the fundamental question of whether living longer is a good thing unless it means living better. Her book speaks to Americans, whatever their age, who draw courage and hope from facing reality instead of embracing that oldest of delusions, the fountain of youth.

From the Hardcover edition.

I Still Do by Roy L. Flukinger

2009-09-15T00:30:00-05:00

I Still Do Loving and Living with Alzheimer's
Written by Judith Fox
Foreword by Roy L. Flukinger

Hardcover, 144 pages | powerHouse Books | Photography - Portraits; Social Science - Disease & Health Issues; Social Science - Gerontology | $29.95 | 978-1-57687-507-0 (1-57687-507-5)

“This is a lovely book about a devastating problem—Alzheimer’s. The pages are like poetry and the photos say more than words. Anyone who has cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s will relate to and appreciate every one of these pages.”
—Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

“There is a sweetness in the light Judith Fox finds that softens a brutally unique and all too common experience. Ms. Fox has made the story about love and devotion when it might easily be expected to be about a more tragic and angry vision. But the tough stuff is lurking around every corner...”
—Arthur Ollman, Director, School of Art, Design, and Art History at San Diego State University

Three years into their marriage, Judith Fox’s husband, Dr. Edmund Ackell, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Over the course of the next ten years, Fox watched as the man who used to perform surgery, fly planes, and run universities, forgot how to turn on the coffee maker, place a phone call, or remember what his wife had told him two minutes earlier.

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s. A poignant and beautiful portrait of a man with Alzheimer’s as seen through the loving lens and words of his wife and care-partner, I Still Do: Loving and Living With Alzheimer’s puts a human face in front of the statistics, exploring the disease through Fox’s intimate photographs and poetic writing. While the details of I Still Do are personal and unique, this deeply candid story of illness, aging, partnership, and loving is universal.

60 On Up by Lillian Rubin

2008-09-01T00:30:00-05:00

60 On Up The Truth about Aging in the Twenty-first Century
Written by Lillian Rubin

Trade Paperback, 192 pages | Beacon Press | Psychology - Developmental - Adulthood & Aging; Family & Relationships - Aging; Social Science - Gerontology | $15.00 | 978-0-8070-2929-9 (0-8070-2929-7)

Getting old sucks, says best-selling author Dr. Lillian Rubin. With refreshing candor, she digs down under the statistics about our graying population and offers a provocative and unflinching examination of all the burning issues that mark aging today. Tackling the subject over a broad swath of the population, cutting across race, class, gender, and physical and cognitive ability, Rubin delivers a powerful and long-overdue reminder that everyone will be touched by the problems arising from our new longevity.

60 on Up by Lillian Rubin

2007-09-01T00:30:00-05:00

60 on Up The Truth about Aging in America
Written by Lillian Rubin

eBook | Beacon Press | Psychology - Developmental - Adulthood & Aging; Family & Relationships - Aging; Social Science - Gerontology | $15.00 | 978-0-8070-2930-5 (0-8070-2930-0)

The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book by Susan Beerman

2005-06-03T00:30:00-05:00

The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book
Written by Susan Beerman

Trade Paperback, 304 pages | Prometheus Books | Social Science - Gerontology; Social Science - Sociology - Marriage & Family | $21.99 | 978-1-59102-293-0 (1-59102-293-2)

Eldercare caregivers and professionals who enjoyed the clear, concise, practical information found in Eldercare 911: The Caregiver’s Complete Handbook for Making Decisions — which Publishers Weekly called an "excellent comprehensive guidebook" — will welcome the authors’ follow-up book: The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book.
Both the content and format of this new essential book show the authors’ unique understanding of what caregivers need most and have the hardest time finding: direct, practical, problem-solving answers that teach them to cope and help them regain control. The easy-to-read, relaxing informality of questions and answers — a one-of-a-kind format in eldercare books — simultaneously solves readers’ problems and provides them with an often gently humorous, occasionally provocative, and frequently poignant look into the emotions and lives of their fellow caregivers. The authors continuously deliver the message: "You are not alone."
The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book offers caregivers new skills, outlined step by step, to help them manage the most important issues they face. Caregivers may smile, even laugh outright, as they recognize their family members among the "Know It Alls," "Guilt Trippers," "Time Abusers," "Demanders," "Work Disrupters," and five more realistic categories. The authors show you how to say "no" to all of them!
The authors dedicate full chapters to the singular needs of working caregivers, living with dementia, how to avoid burnout, and making the difficult transition to life after caregiving. Moreover, "For Men Only" and "For Women Only" discuss new issues originating from the different perceptions men and women bring to their caregiving jobs. The final chapter, "Words of Hope and Encouragement," is, as one caregiver says, "filled with words of comfort about this maelstrom which has no road maps, no absolutes ... to help me feel less alone and lost."
Complete with helpful interactive worksheets and resource lists, this book’s helpful mixture of humor, comforting support, and concrete advice offers invaluable support and practical advice.
Book Binding: Paperback

Aging in America by Dr. Robert Butler

2003-08-01T00:30:00-05:00

Aging in America The Years Ahead
Text by Ed Winokur
Preface by Dr. Robert Butler
Photographed by Kashi, Ed
Foreword by Doris Roberts

Hardcover, 256 pages | powerHouse Books | Photography - Photo Essays; Social Science - Gerontology | $45.00 | 978-1-57687-193-5 (1-57687-193-2)

Another baby boomer turns fifty every seven-and-a-half seconds. At this rate, by 2030, one quarter of the United States’ population will be over sixty-five, and by mid-century, the senior citizen population is expected to reach eighty million, outnumbering the population of young people for the first time in history.

Aging in America chronicles the immense and unprecedented changes confronting America as advanced age goes mainstream. Photographer Ed Kashi and writer Julie Winokur first began this project as an award-winning story published by The New York Times Magazine. They then began documenting in greater detail a broad range of issues relating to aging, from the upsurge of elderly immigrants following their children to America to a tornado’s exacting toll on a rural elderly community. They traveled with the Loners of America, an RV club for mature singles, and delved into a retirement community where Alzheimer’s patients work in a child daycare facility. They tracked the campaign of a seventy-six year old running for office for the first time, documented a woman launching her modeling career in her sixties, and celebrated the wedding of an octogenarian couple.

“The reality of aging will force us to come to terms with the fact that longevity doesn’t mean eternal youth,” explains Winokur. “America is a society in collective denial of aging. We appreciate vintage in wine, not people.” Changing this perception is the intent of Aging in America, the first comprehensive visual account of contemporary senior living in this country.

Life Beyond 85 Years by Colleen L. Johnson

2003-07-01T00:30:00-05:00

Life Beyond 85 Years
Written by Colleen L. Johnson

Trade Paperback, 279 pages | Prometheus Books | Social Science - Gerontology | $22.99 | 978-1-59102-088-2 (1-59102-088-3)

People older than eighty-five, sometimes called "the oldest old," are now the fastest growing age group in the United States. As such they merit the attention of healthcare professionals, social workers, specialists in social gerontology, and everyone with a family member in this expanding segment of society. In this informative book, Drs. Johnson and Barer present original research showing how those eighty-five and older are adapting to the daily challenges of advanced age. They also examine what competencies people in this group need to survive and continue living within the larger community.
The authors address the topics of health and physical status, family and social relationships, and quality of life, as well as the implications of this increase in life expectancy for families and society. An especially interesting feature of the book are vignettes that illustrate how the oldest old perceive and interpret their world, and thereby convey the "aura of survivorship."
This book will be of interest to students, researchers, and policy makers in the fields of aging and wellness.

Resilient Widowers by Alinde J. Moore

2003-06-01T00:30:00-05:00

Resilient Widowers Older Men Adjusting to a New Life
Written by Alinde J. Moore

Trade Paperback, 260 pages | Prometheus Books | Social Science - Gerontology; Social Science - Men's Studies; Psychology & Psychiatry | $20.99 | 978-1-59102-082-0 (1-59102-082-4)

Based on an intensive qualitative study of a diverse group of 51 older widowers, this unique book sets widowhood within the context of life experience and identifies characteristics and patterns of behavior that contribute to widowersÆ success, or lack of it, in adjusting satisfactorily to their circumstances. The authors shed light on widowers' specific needs and on the services needed to help widowers develop greater self-reliance.
Among the topics discussed are models of resilience, marriage and illness of the spouse, caregiving and communication, death of the wife, grief and adjustment, living alone and remarriage, life values carried forward, adult children and other social support, and cohorts and the future. The authors conclude with a consideration of trends that may influence the next generation's experience of widowhood.
This excellent volume offers expert guidance on the needs and care of the nearly invisible population of older widowers.

Grandparents by Ursula A. Falk

2002-11-01T00:30:00-05:00

Grandparents A New Look at the Supporting Generation
Written by Ursula A. Falk

Trade Paperback, 320 pages | Prometheus Books | Social Science - Gerontology | $21.99 | 978-1-57392-966-0 (1-57392-966-2)

What image comes to mind when we hear the term grandparents? Too often it is the Norman Rockwell view of innocuous, kindly white-haired folk or, conversely, the negative stereotype of doddering dim-witted burdens confined to nursing homes. Unfortunately, such notions shortchange not only older people but younger generations as well, who may never realize how much grandparents have to offer. This informative, well-researched book aims to add some perspective and depth to the stick-figure images of grandparents promulgated by contemporary culture.
Psychotherapist Ursula Falk and sociologist Gerhard Falk provide an illuminating overview of the many facets of being a grandparent in todayÆs society. Among the topics discussed are the history of the grandparent role and its evolution, social forces that have affected the American family including grandparents, the distinctly different roles of grandmother and grandfather, the parental responsibilities that grandparents today are often forced to assume for their grandchildren in the absence of the childrenÆs parents, the ways in which other cultures treat grandparents, the usually negative and stereotypical depiction of grandparents in the media and in literature, and finally the supporting role that grandparents play with authentic examples. Also included is an appendix outlining the legal rights of grandparents.
The authors stress that grandparents must be seen as individuals with their own lives to lead and that society needs to reassess the value of the elderly.

The Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter

1998-10-13T00:30:00-05:00

The Virtues of Aging
Written by Jimmy Carter

Trade Paperback, 160 pages | Ballantine Books | Biography & Autobiography - Presidents; Social Science - Customs & Traditions; Social Science - Gerontology | $14.00 | 978-0-345-42592-8 (0-345-42592-8)

The Age Wave by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D.

1990-01-01T00:30:00-05:00

The Age Wave How The Most Important Trend Of Our Time Can Change Your Future
Written by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. and Joe Flower

Trade Paperback, 400 pages | Bantam | Social Science - Gerontology | $23.00 | 978-0-553-34806-4 (0-553-34806-X)

The Age of Aging by Abraham Monk

1979-10-01T00:30:00-05:00

The Age of Aging
Edited by Abraham Monk

Trade Paperback, 367 pages | Prometheus Books | Social Science - Gerontology | $22.99 | 978-0-87975-114-2 (0-87975-114-2)

Ageing has become a high priority issue on the agenda of legislators, public forums, and human service agencies. Social scientists are acknowledging that the American society is ageing - that is, older persons live longer and are increasing in numbers relative to the rest of the population. In "The Age of Aging", Abraham Monk has collected some of the most engaging and useful essays on ageing ever to have appeared in one volume. This book contributes to a better understanding of the processes of ageing and their impact on society as a whole. It goes beyond a mere descriptive account of the aged population, for it probes the images held about them and compares these views with their actual life styles, developmental transitions and crises. It also examines those experiences in light of social gerontological theories.Among the contributors, all of whom are leading researchers in the field of gerontology, are: Donald O Cowgill, Irving Roscow, Beverly A Yawney and Darrell L Slover, Dan Rubenstein, Helena Lopata, Marjorie H Cantor, and Martin B Sussman. This is not a single discipline book. It is not psychology, sociology, or social work, in the strict sense, but a combination of all. Thus, it is geared to a wide professional and educated laymen audience. Students in the social sciences and human service careers, and anyone seeking a better understanding about issues and concerns of old age will find this anthology a most invaluable and useful sourcebook.

Random House New Releases - Social Science - Gerontology

Never Say Die by Susan Jacoby

Never Say Die The Myth of the New Old AgeWritten by Susan Jacoby

The Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter

The Virtues of Aging Written by Jimmy Carter

Never Say Die by Susan Jacoby

Never Say Die The Myth and Marketing of the New Old AgeWritten by Susan Jacoby

I Still Do by Roy L. Flukinger

I Still Do Loving and Living with Alzheimer'sWritten by Judith Fox Foreword by Roy L. Flukinger

60 On Up by Lillian Rubin

60 On Up The Truth about Aging in the Twenty-first CenturyWritten by Lillian Rubin

60 on Up by Lillian Rubin

60 on Up The Truth about Aging in AmericaWritten by Lillian Rubin

The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book by Susan Beerman

The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book Written by Susan Beerman

Aging in America by Dr. Robert Butler

Aging in America The Years AheadText by Ed Winokur Preface by Dr. Robert Butler Photographed by Kashi, Ed Foreword by Doris Roberts

Life Beyond 85 Years by Colleen L. Johnson

Life Beyond 85 Years Written by Colleen L. Johnson

Resilient Widowers by Alinde J. Moore

Resilient Widowers Older Men Adjusting to a New LifeWritten by Alinde J. Moore

Grandparents by Ursula A. Falk

Grandparents A New Look at the Supporting GenerationWritten by Ursula A. Falk

The Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter

The Virtues of Aging Written by Jimmy Carter

The Age Wave by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D.

The Age Wave How The Most Important Trend Of Our Time Can Change Your FutureWritten by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. and Joe Flower

The Age of Aging by Abraham Monk

The Age of Aging Edited by Abraham Monk

Never Say Die The Myth of the New Old Age
Written by Susan Jacoby

The Virtues of Aging
Written by Jimmy Carter

Never Say Die The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age
Written by Susan Jacoby

I Still Do Loving and Living with Alzheimer's
Written by Judith Fox
Foreword by Roy L. Flukinger

60 On Up The Truth about Aging in the Twenty-first Century
Written by Lillian Rubin

60 on Up The Truth about Aging in America
Written by Lillian Rubin

The Eldercare 911 Question and Answer Book
Written by Susan Beerman

Aging in America The Years Ahead
Text by Ed Winokur
Preface by Dr. Robert Butler
Photographed by Kashi, Ed
Foreword by Doris Roberts

Life Beyond 85 Years
Written by Colleen L. Johnson

Resilient Widowers Older Men Adjusting to a New Life
Written by Alinde J. Moore

Grandparents A New Look at the Supporting Generation
Written by Ursula A. Falk

The Virtues of Aging
Written by Jimmy Carter

The Age Wave How The Most Important Trend Of Our Time Can Change Your Future
Written by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. and Joe Flower

The Age of Aging
Edited by Abraham Monk