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Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 10th edition

Published by Pearson (March 28, 2017) © 2017

  • Nancy R. Hooyman University of Washington
  • Kevin Y. Kawamoto
  • H Asuman Kiyak University of Washington, Seattle

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As part of a new Pearson program, this print textbook is available to rent for the Fall 2017 semester. Given affordable access to the best learning materials from day one, students will not only come to class prepared, but also ready to succeed. Additional details are coming soon.
For courses in Sociology of Aging
A thorough, multidisciplinary review of the diverse process of aging and the current research surrounding itThe best-selling Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective presents the diversities of the aging experience — the interaction between the physiological, cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, social, and cultural forces on aging, as well as the heterogeneity of the older population in terms of age, race, class, gender, functional ability, and sexual orientation. The Tenth Edition explores new research connecting the relationship between older people and their environments, and its impact on their quality of life and overall well-being. The text also captures profound changes in societal views, and provides critical information about growing economic disparities among the older population.
Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Tenth Edition is also available via Revel™, an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more.
Fresh new topics and research findings keep the Tenth Edition current
  • NEW! Social determinants of health and the resultant social, economic, and health inequities are recognized in a greater capacity. They are based not only on age, but also on gender, race, social class, functional ability, and sexual orientation — and affect life expectancy, quality of life, and opportunities to experience aging in a healthy manner within the U.S. and globally.
  • NEW! The strengths and resilience of women, LGBT adults, elders of color, immigrants, and refugees — all adults, who have often experienced historical disadvantage across the life course and typically increased disparities in old age — are featured.
  • NEW! Recent discoveries in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression and dementia — particularly Alzheimer’s disease — and the emergence of dementia-friendly communities and residential care settings are included.
  • NEW! Advances in consumer-directed care, integration of medical and behavioral health care, and coordination across multiple systems of health care and long-term services and supports — resulting from both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and changes in Medicaid waivers — are discussed as ways to promote home- and community-based care over institutional care.
  • NEW! Innovations in housing and aging-friendly communities are covered as ways to support aging with creative culture change developments in long-term care settings.
  • NEW! Using technology to promote active aging in a range of settings — by supporting both older adults and their caregivers — is a focus of this edition. Also explored are the ethical issues of privacy and self-determination that come with access to this technology.
  • NEW! Policy and practice supports for unpaid family caregiving and underpaid care, by the direct care workforce and cross-generational coalitions of families and direct care workers, are addressed as important steps in moving toward a more caring society.
  • NEW! Health promotion strategies — at both the individual and community levels — focus on exercise, nutrition, social engagement, and chronic disease management.
  • NEW! Culturally competent approaches to understanding and respectfully meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse older population, both within the U.S. and globally, are emphasized.

A multidisciplinary, thematic approach and engaging features help students connect to course material
  • Three themes underlie the content of each chapter:
    • The importance of congruence between elders and their environment (P-E fit).
    • The interaction between the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging on resilience, active aging, and frailty — all within a life-course perspective that takes account of historical, economic, and cultural factors.
    • Structural contexts and inequities by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and functional ability.
  • Chapter features provide learning goals, a more engaging experience, and handy reference materials.
    • Bulleted points pertaining to the content covered and learning objectives begin each chapter.
    • Integrated discussions in most chapters — underscoring the application of research findings to everyday situations — cover the policy and practice implications of the aging process, career opportunities, and some predictions regarding the probable experiences of future cohorts of elders.
    • Updated boxes — such as Read it in Context, Fact and Figures, and Did You Know? — help students enrich their understanding of the topics covered in each chapter.
    • Journal prompts in every chapter encourage students to respond individually or in small groups to questions about content, updated tables, figures, graphs, and boxes.
    • The glossary defines key terms introduced in that chapter, while more resources — especially Internet resources — are added at the end of each chapter.
  • Designed for flexibility, this text is intended for an 18-week semester, but readers can easily proceed at a faster pace by selecting only the chapters most relevant to their focus of study.
Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Tenth Edition is also available via Revel™, an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more.
Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Tenth Edition is also available via Revel™, an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more.

Fresh new topics and research findings keep the Tenth Edition current
  • Social determinants of health and the resultant social, economic, and health inequities are recognized in a greater capacity. They are based not only on age, but also on gender, race, social class, functional ability, and sexual orientation — and affect life expectancy, quality of life, and opportunities to experience aging in a healthy manner within the U.S. and globally.
  • The strengths and resilience of women, LGBT adults, elders of color, immigrants, and refugees — all adults, who have often experienced historical disadvantage across the life course and typically increased disparities in old age — are featured.
  • Recent discoveries in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression and dementia — particularly Alzheimer’s disease — and the emergence of dementia-friendly communities and residential care settings are included.
  • Advances in consumer-directed care, integration of medical and behavioral health care, and coordination across multiple systems of health care and long-term services and supports — resulting from both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and changes in Medicaid waivers — are discussed as ways to promote home- and community-based care over institutional care.
  • Innovations in housing and aging-friendly communities are covered as ways to support aging with creative culture change developments in long-term care settings.
  • Using technology to promote active aging in a range of settings — by supporting both older adults and their caregivers — is a focus of this edition. Also explored are the ethical issues of privacy and self-determination that come with access to this technology.
  • Policy and practice supports for unpaid family caregiving and underpaid care, by the direct care workforce and cross-generational coalitions of families and direct care workers, are addressed as important steps in moving toward a more caring society.
  • Health promotion strategies — at both the individual and community levels — focus on exercise, nutrition, social engagement, and chronic disease management.
  • Culturally competent approaches to understanding and respectfully meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse older population, both within the U.S. and globally, are emphasized.

Thorough chapter-by-chapter changes and updates keep the text current
  • Chapter 1: The Growth of Social Gerontology presents person-environment and active aging/resilience perspectives that are the framework for the text. It reviews demographic trends — particularly the increase in the oldest-old and in centenarians and racial differences in life expectancy — and discusses the development of the field and research methods used.
  • Chapter 2: Aging in Other Countries and Across Cultures in the United States discusses the demographic characteristics and the economic and social implications of global aging — with a focus on Asian countries with the longest life expectancy — and looks at impacts of modernization on attitudes toward elders. The distinctive challenges faced by older immigrants and refugees in the United States are outlined.
  • Chapter 3: The Social Consequences of Physical Aging introduces the major biological theories of aging, recent discoveries in biological research, and the effects of genetic versus lifestyle factors on physical aging. It reviews current research on normal alterations in major organ systems, how they influence older adults’ functional ability, and environmental modifications to accommodate common changes. In addition, it summarizes typical modifications in older adults’ sleep patterns.
  • Chapter 4: Managing Chronic Diseases and Promoting Well-Being in Old Age focuses on the incidence and risks of the most frequent chronic diseases and causes of death. The chapter explains variations in illness, obesity, functional ability, and access to health care (based on age, gender, race, and social class) — and how these affect active aging. Also identified are risk factors for accidents, strategies to prevent falls and driving fatalities, and exemplars and limitations of health promotion innovations.
  • Chapter 5: Cognitive Changes with Aging reviews research on normal age-associated changes in intelligence, learning, and memory; covers measurement challenges and strategies to improve cognitive function, such as brain games, use of computers, and other cognitive retraining techniques; and discusses wisdom and creativity in old age and how these abilities often improve with aging.
  • Chapter 6: Personality and Mental Health in Old Age describes theories of personality and emotional expression across the life course, critiques theories of successful aging, and explores concepts of positive aging and resilience. It analyzes common mental disorders — depression, anxiety, paranoia, and dementia — and barriers to quality mental health care in old age. New research on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), its causes and treatment, and innovations to support those affected by it (including dementia-friendly communities and institutions) are highlighted.
  • Chapter 7: Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality in Old Age addresses the influence of societal attitudes and provider policies, normal physiological changes, gender identity and sexual orientation, and chronic diseases on older adults’ sexuality and intimacy. It emphasizes the vital role of late-life love, affection, and intimacy on well-being; and identifies the implications for assessing and supporting the sexuality of older adults.
  • Chapter 8: Social Theories of Aging explores the major theories — from positivist empirical approaches that shaped early research questions and societal views of older adults, to more recent phenomenological approaches such as social constructionism and feminist theory — which capture the highly subjective nature of the aging experience. The life course perspective that undergirds the text is thoroughly explained.
  • Chapter 9: The Importance of Social Supports for Older Adults examines the central role of informal supports on well-being — including multigenerational families, LGBT families, older partners, adult children, siblings, and grandparents as primary caregivers of grandchildren. It identifies growing numbers of older adults, especially women and elders of color, who live alone as well as community interventions to strengthen informal networks to reduce social isolation. The topic of pets as social support is also discussed.
  • Chapter 10: Opportunities and Challenges of Informal Caregiving analyzes the central role of family caregivers, especially women, in providing increasingly complex and demanding long-term care; the gains and stresses of such care; and assessments, practice interventions, and policies to support family caregivers. It emphasizes the often-overlooked role of direct care staff to the care team and the need for improved working conditions. It also reviews the types, extent, and causes of elder mistreatment, typically by family members.
  • Chapter 11: Living Arrangements and Social Interactions utilizes the person-environment framework to review where most older adults live (e.g., type of housing and geographic location). The chapter discusses ways to create aging-friendly communities and support the near-universal desire to age within the community, by taking advantage of options such as virtual villages, assistive technology, and home- and community-based care. It shows how organizational culture change can make long-term care facilities more homelike, and portrays two overlooked populations that are “aging in place” — the homeless and prisoners.
  • Chapter 12: Enhancing Older Adults’ Lives through Technology addresses how technology — whether used by older adults, their caregivers, or both — can enhance well-being, lifelong learning, social engagement, and active aging in multiple ways. Gerotechnology describes the intersection of technological and gerontological studies, pointing to the benefits of smart homes and other technological devices used in the home and in long-term care facilities. However, it also raises ethical issues, such as those surrounding privacy and self-determination.
  • Chapter 13: Productive Aging provides a broad definition and critique of productive aging as both paid and unpaid work; examines trends in retirement, employment, unemployment, poverty, and hunger; and presents new conceptions of work and retirement in the Third Age. It includes different types of productive aging — such as embracing religion and spirituality, volunteerism, and civic engagement — and the intersections of age, race, gender, and functional ability on opportunities to contribute to society.
  • Chapter 14: Death, Dying, Bereavement, and Widowhood explores attitudes toward death and dying, the process of dying and the associated grief, the vital role of palliative care and hospice, and the legal and ethical options related to end-of-life care — advance care planning, the right to die, and achieving a “good death.” The chapter addresses the challenges and resilience of older adults who are widowed, and their process of bereavement and grief.
  • Chapter 15: The Resilience of Elders of Color depicts the economic, health, and social disparities faced by older adults of color — African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans/American Indians — while also portraying their strengths and resilience. The implications for culturally competent practice are identified.
  • Chapter 16: The Resilience of Older Women recognizes that although older women typically face more economic disparities than older men, they are remarkably resilient. Older women generally have strong informal social supports as they face declining income, widowhood or divorce, and chronic illness.
  • Chapter 17: Social Policies to Address Social Problems provides an overview of the major factors affecting the development of social policies, and how these factors underlie our current age-based policies and contemporary debates on federal spending. The chapter reviews the major income security policies and programs — Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and private pensions — which shape economic well-being in old age, along with the major funder of social services, the Older American’s Act. Ongoing policy dilemmas are discussed.
  • Chapter 18: Health and Long-Term Care Policy and Programs examines Medicare as the primary funder of acute care, Medicaid as the funder of long-term services and supports (including home and community-based care), and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which has funded community-based innovations to improve access and quality of care while reducing cost. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the major components of a comprehensive policy approach to long-term services and supports, as well as barriers to achieving it.

Brief Contents

  1. The Growth of Social Gerontology
  2. Aging in Other Countries and Across Cultures in the United States
  3. The Social Consequences of Physical Aging
  4. Managing Chronic Diseases and Promoting Well-Being in Old Age
  5. Cognitive Changes with Aging
  6. Personality and Mental Health in Old Age
  7. Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality in Old Age
  8. Social Theories of Aging
  9. The Importance of Social Supports
  10. Opportunities and Challenges of Informal Caregiving
  11. Living Arrangements and Social Interactions
  12. Enhancing Older Adults' Lives Through Technology
  13. Productive Aging
  14. Death, Dying, Bereavement, and Widowhood
  15. The Resilience of Elders of Color
  16. The Resilience of Older Women
  17. Social Policies to Address Social Problems
  18. Health and Long-Term Care Policy and Programs
Nancy R. Hooyman holds the Hooyman Professorship of Gerontology and is Dean Emeritus at the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. Her MSW and PhD in sociology and social work are from the University of Michigan. She is nationally recognized for her scholarship in aging and multigenerational policy and practice, gender inequities in family caregiving, and feminist gerontology. In addition to this textbook, Dr. Hooyman is the co-author of Living through Loss: Interventions across the Life Span; Taking Care of Aging Family Members; and Feminist Perspectives on Family Care: Policies for Gender Justice, and editor of Transforming Social Work Education: The First Decade of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative.
She has published over 130 articles and chapters and is a frequent national and international presenter on issues related to gerontology, multigenerational perspectives in aging, and older women. She is co-principal investigator of the Council on Social Work Education’s National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education, which for 15 years advanced gerontological competencies and content in social work curriculum. A fellow in the Gerontological Society of America, Dr. Hooyman is past-chair of GSA’s Social Research, Policy and Practice Section. She received the Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award from the Council on Social Work Education in 2009 and was inducted into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare in 2010.
H. Asuman Kiyak (1951–2011) was director of the University of Washington Institute on Aging, professor in the School of Dentistry, and adjunct professor in the Departments of Architecture and Psychology at the University of Washington. She obtained her MA and PhD in psychology at Wayne State University. Professor Kiyak was the recipient of major research grants — from NIH, CDC, AOA, the State of Washington, and private foundations — in the areas of health promotion and health service utilization by older adults, as well as in person-environment adaptation to Alzheimer’s disease by patients and their caregivers.
She published over 130 articles and 35 chapters in these areas and was known nationally and internationally for her research on geriatric dental care and the application of psychological theory to health promotion. In 2000, she received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Association for Dental Research and served as president of the Geriatric Oral Research and the Behavioral Sciences and Health Services Research Groups of IADR. Dr. Kiyak was principal investigator of a large clinical trial in geriatric dentistry, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and of two studies of a community-based health promotion study funded by the CDC. In 2003, she was named Distinguished Professor of Geriatrics at UCLA and received the Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Washington Educational Outreach division. Professor Kiyak was a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America.

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