Health, Illness, and Optimal Aging: Biological and Psychosocial Perspectives

Aldwin and Gilmer have supplied an interesting textual model for examining health, illness, and aging. Their homogenized approach to aging research is refreshing and insightful."--Anthropology and Aging Quarterly

Clearly written at a level for college students, this is an excellent resource on aging...Highly recommended.--Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

Spanning the biological and psychosocial aspects of aging, this upper-level undergraduate and graduate text integrates current findings in biology, psychology, and the social sciences to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary coverage of the aging process. This new edition incorporates the tremendous amount of research that has come to light since the first edition was published. From a physical perspective, the text examines age-related changes and disease-related processes, the demography of the aging population, aging theories, and how to promote optimal aging. Coverage of the psychosocial aspects of aging encompasses mental health, stress and coping, spirituality, and caregiving in later years.

The authors address demographic, theoretical, and methodological issues on aging, including a worldwide overview of aging demographics. The book reviews biological and psychosocial theories and offers much-needed information on longitudinal design and statistics as they relate to aging research. It discusses the aging of the major organ systems, the brain and sensory systems, and the endocrine and immune systems; basic anatomy and physiology; normal, impaired, and optimal aging; and functional health. Psychosocial factors that affect health are addressed, including the interplay between physical health and mental health, stress, coping, and social support. The text also covers current issues in social gerontology, including such promising new trends as gerontechnology and Green Houses, and provides information on health promotion programs.

• Information involving retirement, volunteer opportunities, housing, and adaptation to health changes
• Coverage of economics and aging, including information on social security and other retirement income and the future of Medicare and Medicaid
• Significant new information about the regulatory systems
• Revised and updated chapters on death and dying and optimal aging
• Discussions on two models of optimal aging and valuable tips for its promotion
• URLs to relevant websites for additional information

Carolyn M. Aldwin, PhD, is Director of the Gerontology Program and Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. She received her doctorate from the University of California, San Francisco, was a postdoctoral fellow in the Program of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, and spent five years at the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study in Boston. Dr. Aldwin is a fellow and president-elect of Division 20 (adulthood and aging) and a fellow of Division 38 (health psychology) of the APA; and a fellow of the Gerontological Association of America. She is editor of Research in Human Development; was on the editorial boards of Journals of Gerontology and Psychology of Aging; co-editor of Psychology and Health, and is a consulting reviewer for multiple professional journals including Psychology and Aging, Journal of Stress & Anxiety, Developmental Psychology, and others. Dr. Aldwin is the author of Stress, Coping, and Development: An Integrative Approach, 2nd edition (2007); co-editor of Handbook of Health Psychology and Aging (2007), co-author of Health, Illness, and Optimal Aging, 1st edition (2004), and numerous professional journal articles.

Diane F. Gilmer, PhD, most recently was Lecturer and Postgraduate Researcher in the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of California, Davis, and is now retired. She received a master of science in nursing from the University of Portland, Oregon, and a master of science in education and doctorate in human development from the University of California. She is certified as an adult family nurse practitioner and is has worked extensively with the elderly. In addition to authoring many professional journal articles, she is the coauthor with Dr. Aldwin of Health, Illness, and Optimal Aging, 1st edition (2004).