About the Book
This eighteenth edition of "Annual Editions: Aging" (2006 Update) provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and, an instructor's resource guide with testing materials. "Using Annual Editions in the Classroom" is offered as a practical guide for instructors.
Table of Contents:
UNIT 1. The Phenomenon of Aging1. Elderly Americans, Christine L. Himes, Population Bulletin, December 2001The author points out the ever-growing number and percentage of the American population comprising persons 65 years of age and older. Further, she observes that those over 65 are living longer than previous generations. Currently those 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the elderly population. 2. The Economic Conundrum of an Aging Population, Robert Ayres, World Watch, September/October 2004The drop in the crude birth rate and an increase in the life expectancy has resulted in the aging of the population in a large number of industrialized affluent countries throughout the world. The author examines the effect of a smaller labor force and a larger older retired population on these nations' economies and productivity.3. A Study for the Ages, Nancy Shute, U.S. News & World Report, June 9, 1997The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) has followed more than 2,000 volunteers between the ages of 20 and 90 in an attempt to delineate how healthy people grow older. The BLSA found that function losses that were once thought to be age-related, such as decreased mobility or memory lapses, can be slowed or stopped. Furthermore, many supposed indignities of aging turn out to be purely misconceptions.4. Puzzle of the Century, Mary Duenwald, Smithsonian, January 2003The higher than average number of Nova Scotians that live to 100 years and beyond has led researchers to try to determine if this is a result of genetics or lifestyle.5. Will You Live to Be 100?, Thomas Perls and Margery Hutter Silver, AARP Modern Maturity, November/December 1999After completing a study of 150 centenarians, Harvard Medical School researchers Thomas Perls and Margery Hutter Silver developed a quiz to help you calculate your estimated life expectancy. 6. Will They Still Need You, Will They Still Feed You...When You're 64, Norma Cohen, FT Reinventing Retirement, November 17, 2004The increasing costs of pension programs, Medicare, Medicaid, and prescription drugs that result from an aging population and the tough decisions that must be made to keep these programs financially sound is the subject of this article.UNIT 2. The Quality of Later Life7. Women's Sexuality as They Age: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same, Patricia Barthalow Koch and Phyllis Kernoff Mansfield, SIECUS Report, December 2001/January 2002The authors examine women's sexuality over the life cycle in an attempt to determine whether there are any changes in female sexuality as a result of aging or menstrual status. 8. How To Live To Be 100, Richard Corliss and Michael D. Lemonick, Time, August 30, 2004The authors examine the lives of centenarians and attempt to determine the factors that contribute to their longevity. For a number of individuals, dietary, and lifestyle choices are seen to be the critical factors that lead to the very long lives of these individuals. 9. Walking May Keep Mind Sharp, Ward Off Alzheimer's, Lindsey Tanner, Tribune-Star, September 24, 2004Regular strenuous physical exercise has long since been seen as a way to delay or deter some of the physically debilitating effects of aging. The author reviews a recent study of retired men between the ages of 71 and 93. This study found that older men who walked two or more miles a day were significantly less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease than their counterparts who did not walk that far.10. The Do or Die Decade, Susan Brink, U.S. News & World Report, March 11, 2002The author focuses on differences in men in comparison to women's basic attitudes, values, and reactions to diverse life events in order to explain why women live longer and healthier lives than men.11. We Can Control How We Age, Lou Ann Walker, Parade, September 16, 2001A Harvard study followed individuals from their teens into their eighties and as a result gives specific recommendations for what individuals can do to improve their chances of aging well.UNIT 3. Societal Attitudes Toward Old Age12. Society Fears the Aging Process, Mary Pipher, An Aging Population, 2002The author contends that young and healthy adults often avoid spending time with old persons because it reminds them that someday they too are going to get old and die. Moreover, she contends that negative views of the aging process are portrayed in the media and expressed through the use of pejorative words to describe the elderly. 13. Ageism in America, David Crary, Tribune-Star, September 5, 2004The article focuses on the writings and ideas of Erdman Palmore, a 74-year old retired gerontology professor from Duke University. The author outlines the basic arguments made by Palmore against many of the widespread negative stereotypes and views of older Americans.14. The Activation of Aging Stereotypes in Younger and Older Adults, Alison L. Chasteen, Norbert Schwarz, and Denise C. Park, Journal of Gerontology, Volume 57B, Number 6, 2002The authors examine and compare a sample of younger and older adults in their stereotypic attitudes toward young and old persons.15. Successful Aging: The Second 50, Joe Volz, Monitor on Psychology, January 2000Psychologists' research is changing attitudes about what it takes to live the good--and longer--life. Research on aging is now shifting from what is required medically to prolong life to ensuring that a longer life is worth living. Psychological research is making significant inroads in the areas of memory and cognition. The research indicates that cognitive capacity more than physical disability is the critical factor in determining whether people can remain active while arriving at extreme old age.UNIT 4. Problems and Potentials of Aging 16. You're Never Too Old, Avery Comarow, U.S. News & World Report, July 12, 2004For some time, doctors have excluded older patients from many of the more serious surgeries believing that they were too old to survive the procedures. Currently the notion that old age should not exclude patients from any needed surgery is taking hold among doctors and medical facilities across the country. The author points out the many benefits older patients have received from this change in medical knowledge and practice.17. Primary Care for Elderly People: Why Do Doctors Find It So Hard?, Wendy L. Adams et. al., The Gerontologist, Volume 42, Number 6, 2002The authors observed that, on the whole, doctors felt confident in managing specific illnesses that were confronting their patients. They were, however, less confident in dealing with geriatric patients who often were experiencing multiple and compounding adverse medical events and cognitive impairment.18. The Secret Killer, David Stipp, Fortune, October 27, 2003The author examines the evidence that seems to indicate that persons taking small doses of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs may lower the person's risk of heart disease; Alzheimer's; and colon, lung, and prostate cancer. The emerging explanation of these findings is that much of what goes wrong as we age stems from low-level inflammation in places like arterial walls and the brain.19. Will You Still Need Me When I'm...84? More Couples Divorce After Decades, Jeffrey Zaslow, The Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2003The author examines the reasons for the current increase in divorces for couples sixty years of age and older.20. The Disappearing Mind, Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek, June 24, 2002The author outlines the current scientific findings on the causes of Alzheimer's disease as well as where research is heading in terms of detecting and curing the disease.21. Alzheimer's Disease as a "Trip Back in Time", Christopher J. Johnson and Roxanna H. Johnson, American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, March/April 2000The authors of this article develop a nonlinear regression model to help caregivers working with Alzheimer's patients to understand the regularly occurring variations in the person's memory, behavior, and physical ability.UNIT 5. Retirement: American Dream or Dilemma?22. How to Survive the First Year, Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2003The author points out that in the transition to retirement, the first twelve months are the hardest. A list of critical questions that each prospective retiree should address is presented. 23. Reshaping Retirement: Scenarios and Options, Michael Moynagh and Richard Worsley, The Futurist, September/October 2004The author raises the question of how old age will be experienced in the future. Will it remain much as it is now, but start at an older age? Or will retirement be reshaped to mix part-time work with free time giving older persons higher incomes and a much more positive attitude toward their later years?24. Retired, But Still On the Job, Karen Alexander, The New York Times, March 18, 2003The author discusses the different means that companies may use to keep retirees periodically engaged in projects for which they have experience and knowledge that are useful to problems and issues confronting their former employer. Some companies are developing flexible work schedules that allow their employees to ease gradually into retirement. 25. Preserving Your Portfolio, Paul J. Lim, U.S. News & World Report, October 25, 2004The article gives persons in their 50s advice on how to revise their investment portfolio from the goal of accumulating capital as fast as possible to one of reducing volatility and preserving the wealth they amassed over a lifetime.26. Work/Retirement Choices and Lifestyle Patterns of Older Americans, Harold Cox, et al., Journal of Applied Sociology, Volume 18, Number 1, 2001This article examines six different patterns of work, retirement, and leisure from which people of retirement age may choose. Measures of life satisfaction are given to participants in each of the six groups to determine who are the most satisfied with their lives.UNIT 6. The Experience of Dying27. More Hospice Patients Forgoing Sustenance, Janet McConnaughey, Terre Haute Tribune-Star, July 24, 2003A survey conducted in the state of Oregon indicated that twice as many hospice patients choose to end their life by refusing to eat as choose to die by physician-assisted suicide. The reasons the patients chose this means of death were examined.28. Expectancy of Spousal Death and Adjustment to Conjugal Bereavement, Edward F. Donnelly, Nigel P. Field, and Mardi J. Horowitz, Omega, Volume 42, Number 3, 2000-2001The authors examine whether the bereavement following the death of a spouse is shorter when the deceased has suffered from a long terminal illness and there is considerable time for the surviving marital partner to have anticipated and prepared for the death.29. Start the Conversation, AARP Modern Maturity, September/October 2000This article observes what is happening physically and emotionally to a dying person. It also investigates the critical decisions that must be made by the person or his or her caregivers. 30. Trends in Causes of Death Among the Elderly, Nadine R. Sahyoun et al., Aging Trends No. 1, March 2001The authors outline the leading causes of death among the elderly during the last two decades of the 20th century. Further, they indicate in which areas there has been a decline in the number of deaths during this time period.UNIT 7. Living Environment in Later Life31. (Not) the Same Old Story, Chuck Salter, Fast Company, February 2002Nursing homes are viewed as places where people go to die. Gerontologist Bill Thomas proposes changes in nursing home environments that would make them places where people live--and enjoy their daily activities and friendships.32. Bumps Ahead on Easy Street?, Marilyn Gardner, The Christian Science Monitor, October 30, 2002Port Charlotte, Florida, is seen as a community dominated by older persons who have moved from northern states and retired there. Shopping centers and community services, as well as social and recreational activities, are seen as catering to a senior population. 33. Seniors & the City, Peg Tyre, Newsweek, October 11, 2004As older persons approach their retirement years, many of them are leaving the suburbs and moving back into the central city. The author points out the many advantages that living in the city offers to seniors.34. The City of Laguna Woods: A Case of Senior Power in Local Politics, Ross Andel and Phoebe S. Liebig, Research on Aging, January 2002The authors investigate how a retirement community in Orange County, California, incorporated three adjacent senior-living facilities and several businesses to form Laguna Woods, a city almost exclusively populated by seniors. The city's incorporation allowed the residents to successfully block the building of a nearby airport.UNIT 8. Social Policies, Programs, and Services for Older Americans 35. Have Seniors Been Dealt a Bad Hand? Medicare's Drug Discount Cards, Agewise, Summer 2004The article points out what one couple would pay for drugs using the new Medicare drug discount program and how much cheaper it is for them to order drugs online from a Canadian pharmacy. 36. Medicare Solutions--and Problems, Joseph P. Newhouse, Harvard Magazine, May/June 2004The new Medicare prescription drug benefit is seen as raising the cost of Medicare benefits appreciably. While being favored by senior citizens, it will not be welcomed by taxpayers when the costs become known. 37. Long-Term Care: The Ticking Bomb, Governing, February 2004The demand for home-based and nursing-home care for Medicaid recipients is growing very rapidly. The question of how the program will be able to maintain its financial solvency, given this rapid growth in demand for services, is the subject of this article.
