The Many Faces of Health, Competence and Well-Being in Old Age

Hans-Werner Wahl, Hermann Brenner, Heidrun Mollenkopf, Dietrich Rothenbacher and Christoph Rott Ageing research has been identi?ed as a prototypical ?eld of inquiry deserving the full exploitation of single discipline approaches and interdisciplinary synergies amongst these single perspectives. Although this is a generally accepted insight, there still is a strong need to provide models of how this global and most fundamental challenge can be dealt with. It seems in any case necessary to narrow down the wide scope of ageing research issues to sets of key constructs most promising in terms of interdisciplinary cross-fertilisation. Againstthis,themajoraimofthebookistoprovideacomprehensive treatment of one well-selected set of key issues of recent ageing research, i. e. health, competence and well-being. In addition, the book-s ambition is to identify priorities for future ageing research and to further new avenues for interdisciplinary approaches and social policy applications. The substance of the book is based on an international conference which took place on June 18 and 19, 2004 in Heidelberg, Germany. Framed within the array of health, competence and well-being perspectives in ageing research, the idea of the conf- ence was to provide an integrated presentation of ?ndings generated in the German Centre for Research on Ageing at the University of Heidelberg (Deutsches Zentrum f- ur Alternsforschung, DZFA). The centre-s three departments, i. e.

Preface. Part 1: Focusing on Social-Ecological Research - Contributions to Health, Competence, and Well-Being in Old Age. Introduction: The Person-Environment Perspective in Ageing Research. The Role of the Home Environment in Middle and Late Adulthood. Commentary: A House is Not a Home: But Can it Become One?. Outdoor Mobility in Late Life: Persons, Environments and Society. Commentary: Mobility - A Key to Understanding and Improving Transportation Services for Seniors and Others. Age-Related Loss in Vision: A Case to Learn About Ageing in Context. Commentary: Age-Related Loss in Vision: A Case to Learn About Ageing in Context. Part 2: Focusing on Psychological Research - Contributions to Health, Competence, and Well-Being in Old Age. Introduction: Developmental Perspectives in the Second Half of Life. The Influence of Social Support on Marital Support: Age and Gender Differences?. Commentary: Changed Gender Roles and Their Impact on Marital Support and Satisfaction. Stressful Life Events, Protective Factors, and Depressive Disorders in Middle Adulthood. Commentary: Stressful Life Events, and Depressive Disorders: The Paradigm Shift. Predictors of Well-Being in Very Old Age. Commentary: Well-Being in Very Old Age - Old and New Issues. Part 3: Focusing on Epidemiological Research - Contribution to Health, Competence, and Well-Being. Introduction: Epidemiological Perspectives in Ageing Research. Cancer Among Older Adults. Incidence, Prognosis and New Avenues of Prevention. Commentary: Cancer in the elderly: prevention and better care needed. Cardiovascular Disease among Older Adults. Incidence, Prognosis and New Avenues for Prevention. Commentary: Cardiovascular Disease among Older Adults. Incidence, Prognosis and New Avenues for Prevention. Medical Care for Nursing Home Residents. National Perspectives in International Context. Commentary: Medical Care for Nursing Home Residents. National and International Perspectives. Part 4: Synergies betweenSocial-Ecological, Psychological and Epidemiological Research. The Impact of Internal and External Resources on Health, Competence, and Well-Being: Longitudinal Findings from the ILSE. Determinants and Prognostic Relevance of Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: An Interdisciplinary Approach within the KAROLA Study. Commentary: Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Studies of Ageing. Part 5: Applications and Social Policy Implications. Ageing Europe: Challenges for Policy and Research. On the Relevance of Ageing Research for Policy and Practise. Appendix. Abstracts of Poster session.