Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
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Patricia Drentea is Professor of Sociology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from The Ohio State University. She has numerous publications on aging and families, caregiving, and dying. Her work has been published in journals such as The Gerontologist, The Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, Sociology of Health and Illness, CANCER, and the Journal of Aging and Health.
Acknowledgements
Preface - Introduction to Aging Families
- Data and Methods
- Structure of the Chapters
- Organization of the book
Chapter 1. Introduction to Aging Families
Provides an overview of major social changes in aging Vignette-Older woman who is more what the face of the future will be than what is today
Chapter Objectives- Increase of older adult population
The Baby Boomers
Life Expectancy in the United States
The past, present, and future
Box-How to become a centenarian- Changes in world population
Box about future world population- Box-What is a family?
- Facts about families
Diverse Family Forms
More options
Trends in the Aging Family
Longer Life Span
More Needs for Caregiving - Changes In Diversity-Race And Ethnicity
Current Versus Future Population in the U.S.
The Changing Landscape of the Population- Changes in socioeconomic status
Increased Standard of Living for Most
Continued Inequality- Changes in health
Healthier than before
Chronic illness
Communicable Illness
Health Disparities- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 2. Diversity in American Society
The story is one of diversity in the 21st century. Begins with postmodern theory about diversity of society etc. Diversity is about changing landscape of more common and visible types of families.
Chapter Objectives- Theory of postmodern complex life
Increasing diversity of families- Modern versus traditional
- Increasing diversity of realities
Major trends in intimate relationships: the impact on aging families
Divorce
Remarriage and stepfamilies
Single parenting
Cohabitation
Singlehood
Childlessness
Box-Childfree by Choice
DINKS
LGBTQ Families
Families of Choice
Biracial and Multiracial/Multiethnic Families
Religiosity- Traditional Pulls
- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 3- Changing Gender Roles: Effects on Aging Experience
Women now are coming of age during time of more options, different family patterns, more work, more likely to have different expectations of men. For many older women, they came of age in the 1970s, during the women’s revolution, after the civil rights movement, and during a time when the world was opening up to them.
Chapter Objectives- Feminist Theory
Six Propositions- Changes in Gendered Lives Over Time
Spouse
Parenting
Worker- Gender, Dating and Sexuality
Dating
Sexuality in Later Life
STIs and Aging- Widowhood
- Social Roles, Sex Roles, and Mental Health
- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 4. Parenthood Later In Life
Provides an overview of having children in later life, and issues relevant to all parents as they get older.
Chapter Objectives- The life course paradigm
increasing heterogeneity
- Increasing Age at First Birth
- Reproductive Medicine and Technology
Advanced maternal age-women 35 and over
chart- Risks and Benefits of Women Having Children Over 35
Down Syndrome
Table 5.1 Incidence of Down syndrome by age of mother
Box-World’s Oldest Moms
Twins and multiples- Older Parents and Psychosocial Implications
Boomerang children- Intergenerational linkages
The Sandwich Generation- transfers
- Dispossession
- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 5.Work and Retirement
The story of how people interact with their cohort and the social structure. Each cohort is different because it is had different experiences. New cohorts will be different from before because women have worked, more educated population, rise of technology. How economic and family issues affect work careers, retirement etc.
Chapter Objectives- Theory-age stratification
- Changes in the dependency ratio
- Changes in estimated work life
Estimated Work Life
Work in later life
Work and Family in Later Life
Retirement
Duration and Reasons for Increase in retirement
BOX—Financial Planning for Retirement
Phased retirement
Savings in later life
The great recession and the effects on working
Debt
Unemployment- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 6. Activities in Later Life
The story to tell is about activities in later life, work, and retirement with trends in both early retirement and working later in life. Activities may center around things people liked to do their whole life, but also when an extra 30 years is appended to a life. One activity is increasing grandparenting. Discussion of where seniors live.
Chapter Objectives- Theory-activity theory and continuity theory
- Activities in later life
More leisure time and opportunities
Consumerism: America’s favorite hobby-shopping?
The other side- Travel and adult education programs
- Grandparenting
extended time grandparenting, quality and quantity
grandparenting as an identity
styles of grandparenting
Box-an example of custodial living
Divorce/reconstituted families and grandparents- Moving, activities and families in later life
- Technology
Connectivity and social media - Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 7. Health and Caregiving
Story is that we are living longer, and generally healthier. There’s been an expansion of morbidity, but also a compression. We can be healthier longer, but have new things to worry about such as wear and tear of joints, being kept alive artificially too long etc. Increasing need for caregiving.
Chapter Objectives- Theory-cumulative advantage and disadvantage
- Improved health overall, vitality and aging well
Health
Activities of daily living
D. Expansion versus compression of morbidity
E. Socioeconomic status and health
F. Caregiving
caregiving measures
men’s caregiving
increase in male caregiving- Need for social support
- Alzheimer’s disease-a special case in caregiving and social support
Box-warning signs of Alzheimer’s Disease- Living arrangements
- Assistive technology
- Assisted Care, Advanced Care Planning, and End-of-Life Decisions
- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
Chapter 8. Conclusion
Chapter Objectives- Introduction
- Societal Changes
- Dominant Social Changes: Future Directions for Society
- Technology and Communication
- Globalization and families
- Intercultural marriage and increasing heterogeneity of families
- Increased distance from families
- Increased choices for living arrangements
- More social roles for later life
- Elder Mistreatment
- Summary
- Critical Thinking Questions
GLOSSARY
REFERENCES
INDEX
- Each chapter introduces a theory
- Each chapter opens with a vignette to relate the topics to real life
- Original interviews were used for vignettes as well as original data analysis for graphs and tables
- Each chapter includes boxes of special interest
- Vocabulary words and glossary at the end of the book