Diverse Perspectives on Aging in a Changing World

Focusing on under-researched aspects of social, economic and political change, this volume offers fresh insights into aging, older people and their families. It combines an international and interdisciplinary approach. Chapters explore the contexts in which family roles, institutional practices, public policies and social and cultural discourses evolve, connecting analyses of aging issues and policy development with sound research practices, as well as previously-ignored gaps in professional practice. Topics covered include politics and policy, health and social care, culture and migration, urban and rural sociology, gender studies, technology and economics. The book will be of particular interest to students and researchers in gerontology, community development, geography and population studies, along with researchers and professionals in physiotherapy, nursing and social work.

Gillian Joseph is Director of Clear Pane Research Services in Guelph, Canada, providing leadership to a team of research specialists who undertake independent research and provide research support to professionals, graduate students, academics and community-based researchers. Previously she was Research Associate at the Centre for Families, Work and Well-being at the University of Guelph, and also served as Lecturer at the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto.

Foreword Blossom Wigdor Introduction Section 1: Aging Spaces and the Individual 1. Aging and Sustainability: Creating a Discourse on Places of Inclusive Mobility for the Promotion of Longevity Gina Sylvestre 2. The Portrayal of Older Adults in Popular Television Shows Margaret Waltz and Brian K. Gran 3. Health-Related Technology Use by Older Adults in Rural and Small Town Communities Beth Perry, Margaret Edwards, Carol Anderson, Maiga Chang, Dr Kinshuk and Pamela Hawranik 4. The Relationship between Physical/Psychological Predictors and Self-rated Health among Older People in Hong Kong Shelly Kin Shan Leung, Linda Chiu Wa Lam, Oi Ling Siu and Gillian Joseph Section 2: Aging Families, Caregivers and Gender 5. Men Providing Care to Aging Parents in the Internet Age: Part of the Stalled Gender Revolution? Lori D. Campbell and Michael P. Carroll 6. Dynamic Care Networks: The Changing Face of Family Caregiving Adam Davey, Maximiliane E. Szinovacz and Katherine W. Bauer 7. Revised Perspective on the Communication Predicament between Adult Children and their Aging Parents Valerie Powell 8. Neoliberalism, Temporary Foreign Workers, and Precarious Elder Care/ Elder Care Work Gillian Joseph and Belinda Leach 9. Vision Care Services in Long Term Care Facilities: Why are they Overlooked? Pamela Hawranik, Sandy Bell and Donnie McIntosh Section 3: Aging and Economics 10. When Health Care is Delivered in Your Home Will you Need to Make Economic Trade-offs? Lee Anne Davies, John P. Hirdes and Roger Mannell 11. Do Fuzzy Retirement-Income Systems Work Best? Brian K. Gran 12. Grey Ghettos: Inclusion or Exclusion in the Modern Canadian City? Gina Sylvestre and Nora Cristall 13. What Drives Older Consumers' Entertainment Choices? Gord Hendren, Gillian Joseph and Kristin Crawford