This best-selling, multidisciplinary, social aging text presents positive images of aging while considering the many factors that contribute to how aging individuals experiences life. Up-to-date and expanded, this text offers a comprehensive view that presents aging positively, portraying concepts of active aging and resiliency, and defining “productive aging” by elaborating on the numerous ways elders contribute to society and their families. Based on the latest research findings, it offers greater depth to critical issues of aging, attending to differences by age and cohort, gender, ethnic minority status, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. If you want to purchase the book and access code order this ISBN 0205802621 / 9780205802623 Social Perpective and MySocKit Access Code Package consists of 0205684297 / 9780205684298 MySocKit -- Valuepack Access Card 0205763138 / 9780205763139 Social A Multidisciplinary Perspective
This is a current required textbook for my Social Gerontology class. Although I gravitate toward the study of the aging, as the 'baby-boomers' population (my parents age group) is now the largest population of elderly, the book is very tedious. The chapters are HUGE (30-40 page chapters) and seem never-ending. One of my main social work focal areas is Gerontology, but I am implementing that study independently, not as a minor. I really want to know and learn how to help my parents as they age, empower and enable them with the tools to do what I call 'Age with Grace' and embrace the aging process and all the other biological and cognitive processes that go along with getting older.
Again, the book is very long ~800 pages, but extremely informative and can be kept on my shelf when I complete this class as a resource tool for myself and my parents.
The chapters were very long and often were filled (at least in my edition) with typos. The authors had a habit of referring to things in future chapters as if they had already discussed it, which would be a little hard to figure out if you didn't come from a social services/health care background.
This proves that a textbook can be fascinating reading. We all are aging and the Baby Boomers like me are doing it our way rather than how people used to age. This book shows the new reality and possibilities. I am 56 and my husband is 60 so this book was of huge interest to us.
I read this as part of a Gerontology college course. As other reviews have mentioned, the chapters can drag on a bit, I felt that it did a good job of teaching fundamentals of social gerontology.