About the Book
The present and future of our society are shaped by an ever-increasing proportion of old and very old people. The Berlin Aging Study is one of the largest interdisciplinary efforts to explore old age and aging. Unique aspects of the Berlin Aging Study are the spectrum of scientific disciplines involved, the range of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary research topics, the focus on very old age (70 to over 100 years), and the empirical reference to a representative heterogenous urban population. The study's first cross-sectional findings on intellectual abilities, self and personality, social relationships, physical health, functional capacity, medical treatment, mental disorders such as depression and dementia, socioeconomic conditions, activities, everyday competence, subjective well-being, and gender differences are reported in depth in this book. The study was carried out in the context of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences study group on 'Aging and Social Development'. The authors primarily conduct their research at the Berlin Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Free University of Berlin, and the Humboldt University, Berlin.
Table of Contents:
Introduction; Part I. Theoretical Orientations and Methods: 1. The Berlin Aging Study: sample, design, and overview of measures Paul Baltes, Karl Ulrich Mayer, Hanfried Helmchen and Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen; 2. Sample selectivity and generalizability of the results from the Berlin Aging Study Ulman Lindenberger, Reiner Gilberg, Todd D. Little, Reinhard Nuthmann, Ulrich Potter and Paul Baltes; 3. Generational experiences of old people in Berlin Ineke Maas, Markus Borchelt and Karl Ulrich Mayer; 4. Six individual biographies from the Berlin Aging Study Yvonne Schutze, Clemens Tesch-Romer and Cornelia Borchers; Part II. Major Results from the Four Research Units: 5. Morbidity, medication, and functional limitations in old age Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen and Markus Borchelt; 6. Psychiatric illnesses in old age Hanfried Helmchen, Margret M. Baltes, Bernhard Geiselmann, Siegfried Kanowski, Michael Linden, Friedel M. Reischies, Michael Wagner, Thomas Wernicke and Hans-Ulrich Wilms; 7. Trends and profiles of psychological functioning in very old age Jacqui Smith and Paul Baltes; 8. Socioeconomic conditions and social inequalities in old age Karl Ulrich Mayer, Ineke Maas and Michael Wagner; Part III. Interdisciplinary Findings: 9. Men and women in the Berlin Aging Study Margret M. Baltes, Alexandra M. Freund and Ann L. Horgas; 10. Social relationships in old age Michael Wagner, Yvonne Schutze and Frieder R. Lang; 11. Self, personality, and life regulation: facets of psychological resilience in old age Ursula M. Staudinger, Alexandra M. Freund, Michael Linden and Ineke Maas; 12. Limits and potentials of intellectual functioning in old age Ulman Lindenberger and Friedel M. Reischies; 13. Sensory systems in old age Michael Marsiske, Julia Delius, Ineke Maas, Ulman Lindenberger, Hans Scherer and Clemens Tesch-Romer; 14. Everyday competence in old and very old age: theoretical considerations and empirical findings Margret M. Baltes, Ineke Maas, Hans-Ulrich Wilms, Markus Borchelt and Todd D. Little; 15. On the significance of morbidity and disability in old age Markus Borchelt, Reiner Gilberg, Ann L. Horgas and Bernhard Geiselmann; 16. Utilization of medical and nursing care in old age Michael Linden, Reiner Gilberg, Ann L. Horgas and Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen; 17. Sources of well-being in very old age Jacqui Smith, William Fleeson, Bernhard Geiselmann, Richard A. Settersten Jr and Ute Kunzmann; Part IV. Overview and Outlook: 18. What do we know about old age and aging? Conclusions from the Berlin Aging Study Karl U. Mayer, Paul Baltes, Margret M. Baltes, Markus Borchelt, Julia Delius, Hanfried Helmchen, Michael Linden, Jacqui Smith, Ursula M. Staudinger, Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen and Michael Wagner.
Review :
'An outstanding contribution to gerontological studies. It is based on an excellent data source, the collection of which is a great achievement in and of itself. Written by a group of distinguished experts the chapters meet the highest scientific standards and the book is likely to be consulted by scholars in a wide range of fields. It is truly a landmark in the study of aging.' British Journal of Sociology
