Aging and Diversity: An Active Learning Experience

As the older population in the United States is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, it is important to understand the characteristics, the potential, and the needs of this population. In this new and fully revised edition of Aging and Diversity, Chandra Mehrotra and Lisa Wagner address key topics in diversity and aging, discussing how the aging experience is affected by not only race and ethnicity but also gender, religious affiliation, social class, rural-urban community location, and sexual orientation and gender identity. Taking this broad view of human diversity allows the authors to convey some of the rich complexities facing our aging population – complexities that provide both challenges to meet the needs of a diverse population of elders and opportunities to learn how to live in a pluralistic society. Mehrotra and Wagner present up-to-date knowledge and scholarship about aging and diversity in a way that engages readers in active learning, placing ongoing emphasis on developing readers’ knowledge and skills, fostering higher order thinking, and encouraging exploration of personal values and attitudes.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Abouth the Authors Introduction to the Third Edition 1: Aging and Diversity 2: Research Methods 3: Psychology and Aging 4: Health Beliefs, Behaviors, and Services 5: Inequalities in Health 6: Informal and Formal Care for Older Persons 7: Work, Retirement, and Leisure 8: Religious Affiliation and Spirituality 9: Death, Dying, and Bereavement Epilogue Index

About the Author :
Chandra M. Mehrotra, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. He has served as a consultant to the United Nation’s Population Fund, as a chair of APA’s Committee on Aging and the Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators, and on the editorial boards of Educational Gerontology and Teaching of Psychology. Over the course of his career, he has received a number of awards and honors, and has authored several books related to aging, teaching and learning in psychology, distance learning, and educational assessment. Lisa S. Wagner, PhD is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Gerontology Minor at the University of San Francisco (USF). Dr. Wagner has conducted research on stereotyping and aging for the past 20 years. As Director of the Gerontology Minor at USF, she helps promote awareness of aging issues on campus and creates opportunities for meaningful intergenerational interactions. She serves on the editorial board of Educational Gerontology.

Review :
"This deeply engaging 3rd edition by Mehrotra and Wagner takes the lens of diversity and adjusts it through many angles and experiences of aging across prisms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, and community. It is research-rich, resource-rich, and practice-wise. Chapters open with complex sparkling vignettes and are threaded with guided opportunities for students to participate. This innovative and accessible book constitutes an exceptional contribution to an essential area of gerontology." Holly Nelson-Becker, Brunel University, London "How are all older adults alike? How is each older adult different from others? Aging and Diversity helps students answer these important questions and apply their answers in the everyday lives of older adults. Using a combination of engagement, reflection and story-telling, Mehrotra and Wagner draw from basic research, online resources and case material to make issues of culture, class, and individual differences come alive. Their 3rd edition is unparalleled in applying active learning techniques to prepare students for life and work in an increasingly diverse society." Michael A. Smyer, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Bucknell University