BooksDirect

Description - The Graying of the World by Laura K Olson

This book studies America's frail older population in comparison with the elderly in ten other nations. It contains a cross-national assessment of approaches to long-term care for old people and explains the nature and extent of current and future problems related to caring for the functionally impaired elderly. By studying and analysing the ongoing struggles of other nations in their attempts to cope with growing populations of frail elderly, readers in the US may expand the parameters of their own national debate on the subject. "The Graying of the World" shows the political, economic and social context in which decisions on elder-care are based and evaluates how successful various countries' programmes have been. Chapters outline alternative approaches taken by different national systems, highlighting unique and creative solutions to provide useful information on new and alternative ways to respond to personal and public issues related to elder-care. The elderly and their care in Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, People's Republic of China, Sweden and Yugoslavia are discussed, as are the elderly in Canada and the United States.
Chapters cover the following topics for each country: the increasing number of frail elderly and their costly health needs; the current and future role of the family in elder-care; types of support services offered for the elderly, including in-home care, community-based care, and institutional care; the relationship of a nation's political economy to its attitude and policy on long-term care; and innovative approaches to elder-care. Practitioners, decision makers and the concerned general public should find "The Graying of the World" an informative book that expands the discussion of health care options available for the elderly. As such, the book is also a helpful text for undergraduate and beginning graduate students of gerontology, public policy, and comparative politics, as well as for social service practitioners. It aims to provoke conversation on developing a healthcare plan for the future that meets the needs of a large elderly population.

Buy The Graying of the World by Laura K Olson from Australia's Online Independent Bookstore, BooksDirect.

A Preview for this title is currently not available.