Aging

Concepts and Controversies
Tenth Edition
Harry R. Moody
Jennifer R. Sasser
Aging
July 2020 | 640 pages | Sage US
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Description

Winner of the 2022 Textbook & Academic Authors Association's The McGuffey Longevity Award
Aging: Concepts and Controversies is structured to encourage a style of teaching and learning that goes beyond conveying facts and methods. This innovative text focuses on controversies and questions rather than on assimilating facts or creating a single “correct” view about aging or older people. Drawing on their extensive expertise, authors Harry R. Moody and Jennifer R. Sasser first provide an overview of aging in three domains: aging over the life course, health care, and socioeconomic trends. Each section then includes data and conceptual frameworks, helping students to make sense of the controversies and understand their origin, engage in critical thinking, and develop their own views. The Tenth Edition of this hallmark textbook includes amplified discussions focused on differences, diversity, structural inequalities, and inclusion, as well as contemporary issues, including climate change and immigration.

 

Included with this title:

The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as Sage Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.

Contents

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

Part 1: Basic Concepts I. A Life Course Perspective on Aging

  • Age Identification
  • The Stages of Life
  • The Life Course and Aging
  • Traditional Theories of Aging
  • Influences on the Life Course
  • Aging in the 21st Century
  • The Biology of Aging
  • Aging and Psychological Functioning
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 1: Controversy 1. Does Old Age Have Meaning?
  • The Meaning of Age
  • Leisure Activities in Later Life
  • Religion and Spirituality
  • Gerontology and the Meaning of Age
  • Activity or Reflection?
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 2: Controversy 2. Why Do Our Bodies Grow Old?
  • The Process of Biological Aging
  • Biological Theories of Aging
  • Is Aging Inevitable?
  • Compression or Prolongation of Morbidity?
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 3: Controversy 3. Do Intelligence and Creativity Decline With Age?
  • Elements of Cognitive Function
  • The Classic Aging Pattern
  • Measures of Late-Life Intelligence
  • Studies of Age and Cognitive Function
  • Correlates of Cognitive Stability
  • Creativity in an Aging Population
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate

Part 2: Basic Concepts II. Aging, Health Care, and Society

  • The Challenge of Longevity
  • Epidemiology of Aging
  • Economics of Health Care
  • Long-Term Care
  • Self-Determined Death
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 4: Controversy 4. Should We Ration Health Care for Older People?
  • Precedents for Health Care Rationing
  • The Justification for Age-Based Rationing
  • Rationing as a Cost-Saving Plan
  • The Impetus for Rationing
  • Cost Versus Age
  • Alternative Approaches to Rationing
  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
  • The Debate Over Age-Based Rationing
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 5: Controversy 5. Should Families Provide for Their Own?
  • Aging and the American Family
  • Abandonment or Independence?
  • Family Responsibility
  • Medicaid and Long-Term Care
  • Financing Long-Term Care
  • Medicaid Planning
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 6: Controversy 6. Should Older People Be Protected From Bad Choices?
  • The Vulnerabilities of Older People
  • Interfering When People Make Bad Choices
  • Elder Abuse and Mistreatment
  • Perceptions of Quality of Life
  • Sexuality in Later Life
  • Crime and Older Adults
  • Intervention in the Lives of Vulnerable Older Adults
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 7: Controversy 7. Should People Have the Choice to End Their Lives?
  • Depression and Suicide
  • The “Right to Die”
  • Outlook for the Future
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate

Part 3: Basic Concepts III. Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society

  • The Varieties of Aging Experience
  • The Economic Status of Older Americans
  • Public Policy on Aging
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 8: Controversy 8. Should Age or Need Be the Basis for Entitlement?
  • A Tale of Two Generations
  • Justice Between Generations
  • The Least-Advantaged Older Adults
  • Help for Those Most in Need
  • The Targeting Debate
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 9: Controversy 9. What Is the Future for Social Security?
  • Main Features of Social Security
  • Success—and Doubt
  • Pay as You Go
  • Social Security Trust Fund
  • Eligibility
  • Privatization
  • Women and Social Security
  • Debate Over Social Security
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 10: Controversy 10. Is Retirement Obsolete?
  • History of Retirement
  • Origins of Late-Life Leisure
  • Changes in the American Economy
  • A New View of Retirement
  • Debate Over Retirement Policy
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 11: Controversy 11. Aging Boomers: Boom or Bust?
  • Who Are the Boomers?
  • What Is a Generation? Age-Period-Cohort Analysis
  • Social Construction of the Boomer Phenomenon
  • Boomers in the Years Ahead
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 12: Controversy 12. The New Aging Marketplace: Hope or Hype?
  • The New Customer Majority
  • Market Sectors Likely to Grow
  • What Do Older Consumers Want?
  • Limits of the Marketplace Model
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate

Epilogue: Finding Your Place in an Aging Society

Epilogue: Finding Your Place in an Aging Society

Appendix: Tips for Conducting Your Own Research in Gerontology

Appendix: Tips for Conducting Your Own Research in Gerontology

Glossary

Glossary

Bibliography

Bibliography

Index

Index

Additional materials

Description

Winner of the 2022 Textbook & Academic Authors Association's The McGuffey Longevity Award
Aging: Concepts and Controversies is structured to encourage a style of teaching and learning that goes beyond conveying facts and methods. This innovative text focuses on controversies and questions rather than on assimilating facts or creating a single “correct” view about aging or older people. Drawing on their extensive expertise, authors Harry R. Moody and Jennifer R. Sasser first provide an overview of aging in three domains: aging over the life course, health care, and socioeconomic trends. Each section then includes data and conceptual frameworks, helping students to make sense of the controversies and understand their origin, engage in critical thinking, and develop their own views. The Tenth Edition of this hallmark textbook includes amplified discussions focused on differences, diversity, structural inequalities, and inclusion, as well as contemporary issues, including climate change and immigration.

 

Included with this title:

The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as Sage Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.

Contents

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

Part 1: Basic Concepts I. A Life Course Perspective on Aging

  • Age Identification
  • The Stages of Life
  • The Life Course and Aging
  • Traditional Theories of Aging
  • Influences on the Life Course
  • Aging in the 21st Century
  • The Biology of Aging
  • Aging and Psychological Functioning
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 1: Controversy 1. Does Old Age Have Meaning?
  • The Meaning of Age
  • Leisure Activities in Later Life
  • Religion and Spirituality
  • Gerontology and the Meaning of Age
  • Activity or Reflection?
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 2: Controversy 2. Why Do Our Bodies Grow Old?
  • The Process of Biological Aging
  • Biological Theories of Aging
  • Is Aging Inevitable?
  • Compression or Prolongation of Morbidity?
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 3: Controversy 3. Do Intelligence and Creativity Decline With Age?
  • Elements of Cognitive Function
  • The Classic Aging Pattern
  • Measures of Late-Life Intelligence
  • Studies of Age and Cognitive Function
  • Correlates of Cognitive Stability
  • Creativity in an Aging Population
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate

Part 2: Basic Concepts II. Aging, Health Care, and Society

  • The Challenge of Longevity
  • Epidemiology of Aging
  • Economics of Health Care
  • Long-Term Care
  • Self-Determined Death
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 4: Controversy 4. Should We Ration Health Care for Older People?
  • Precedents for Health Care Rationing
  • The Justification for Age-Based Rationing
  • Rationing as a Cost-Saving Plan
  • The Impetus for Rationing
  • Cost Versus Age
  • Alternative Approaches to Rationing
  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
  • The Debate Over Age-Based Rationing
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 5: Controversy 5. Should Families Provide for Their Own?
  • Aging and the American Family
  • Abandonment or Independence?
  • Family Responsibility
  • Medicaid and Long-Term Care
  • Financing Long-Term Care
  • Medicaid Planning
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 6: Controversy 6. Should Older People Be Protected From Bad Choices?
  • The Vulnerabilities of Older People
  • Interfering When People Make Bad Choices
  • Elder Abuse and Mistreatment
  • Perceptions of Quality of Life
  • Sexuality in Later Life
  • Crime and Older Adults
  • Intervention in the Lives of Vulnerable Older Adults
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 7: Controversy 7. Should People Have the Choice to End Their Lives?
  • Depression and Suicide
  • The “Right to Die”
  • Outlook for the Future
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate

Part 3: Basic Concepts III. Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society

  • The Varieties of Aging Experience
  • The Economic Status of Older Americans
  • Public Policy on Aging
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 8: Controversy 8. Should Age or Need Be the Basis for Entitlement?
  • A Tale of Two Generations
  • Justice Between Generations
  • The Least-Advantaged Older Adults
  • Help for Those Most in Need
  • The Targeting Debate
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 9: Controversy 9. What Is the Future for Social Security?
  • Main Features of Social Security
  • Success—and Doubt
  • Pay as You Go
  • Social Security Trust Fund
  • Eligibility
  • Privatization
  • Women and Social Security
  • Debate Over Social Security
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 10: Controversy 10. Is Retirement Obsolete?
  • History of Retirement
  • Origins of Late-Life Leisure
  • Changes in the American Economy
  • A New View of Retirement
  • Debate Over Retirement Policy
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 11: Controversy 11. Aging Boomers: Boom or Bust?
  • Who Are the Boomers?
  • What Is a Generation? Age-Period-Cohort Analysis
  • Social Construction of the Boomer Phenomenon
  • Boomers in the Years Ahead
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 12: Controversy 12. The New Aging Marketplace: Hope or Hype?
  • The New Customer Majority
  • Market Sectors Likely to Grow
  • What Do Older Consumers Want?
  • Limits of the Marketplace Model
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate

Epilogue: Finding Your Place in an Aging Society

Epilogue: Finding Your Place in an Aging Society

Appendix: Tips for Conducting Your Own Research in Gerontology

Appendix: Tips for Conducting Your Own Research in Gerontology

Glossary

Glossary

Bibliography

Bibliography

Index

Index

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

Aging

Concepts and Controversies

Harry R. Moody , Jennifer R. Sasser
Cancel Print

July 2020 | 640 pages | Sage US

Format Published Date ISBN Price

Winner of the 2022 Textbook & Academic Authors Association's The McGuffey Longevity Award
Aging: Concepts and Controversies is structured to encourage a style of teaching and learning that goes beyond conveying facts and methods. This innovative text focuses on controversies and questions rather than on assimilating facts or creating a single “correct” view about aging or older people. Drawing on their extensive expertise, authors Harry R. Moody and Jennifer R. Sasser first provide an overview of aging in three domains: aging over the life course, health care, and socioeconomic trends. Each section then includes data and conceptual frameworks, helping students to make sense of the controversies and understand their origin, engage in critical thinking, and develop their own views. The Tenth Edition of this hallmark textbook includes amplified discussions focused on differences, diversity, structural inequalities, and inclusion, as well as contemporary issues, including climate change and immigration.

 

Included with this title:

The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as Sage Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.


Table Of Contents:

  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Authors
  • Part 1: Basic Concepts I. A Life Course Perspective on Aging
  • Age Identification
  • The Stages of Life
  • The Life Course and Aging
  • Traditional Theories of Aging
  • Influences on the Life Course
  • Aging in the 21st Century
  • The Biology of Aging
  • Aging and Psychological Functioning
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 1: Controversy 1. Does Old Age Have Meaning?
  • The Meaning of Age
  • Leisure Activities in Later Life
  • Religion and Spirituality
  • Gerontology and the Meaning of Age
  • Activity or Reflection?
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 2: Controversy 2. Why Do Our Bodies Grow Old?
  • The Process of Biological Aging
  • Biological Theories of Aging
  • Is Aging Inevitable?
  • Compression or Prolongation of Morbidity?
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 3: Controversy 3. Do Intelligence and Creativity Decline With Age?
  • Elements of Cognitive Function
  • The Classic Aging Pattern
  • Measures of Late-Life Intelligence
  • Studies of Age and Cognitive Function
  • Correlates of Cognitive Stability
  • Creativity in an Aging Population
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Part 2: Basic Concepts II. Aging, Health Care, and Society
  • The Challenge of Longevity
  • Epidemiology of Aging
  • Economics of Health Care
  • Long-Term Care
  • Self-Determined Death
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 4: Controversy 4. Should We Ration Health Care for Older People?
  • Precedents for Health Care Rationing
  • The Justification for Age-Based Rationing
  • Rationing as a Cost-Saving Plan
  • The Impetus for Rationing
  • Cost Versus Age
  • Alternative Approaches to Rationing
  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
  • The Debate Over Age-Based Rationing
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 5: Controversy 5. Should Families Provide for Their Own?
  • Aging and the American Family
  • Abandonment or Independence?
  • Family Responsibility
  • Medicaid and Long-Term Care
  • Financing Long-Term Care
  • Medicaid Planning
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 6: Controversy 6. Should Older People Be Protected From Bad Choices?
  • The Vulnerabilities of Older People
  • Interfering When People Make Bad Choices
  • Elder Abuse and Mistreatment
  • Perceptions of Quality of Life
  • Sexuality in Later Life
  • Crime and Older Adults
  • Intervention in the Lives of Vulnerable Older Adults
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 7: Controversy 7. Should People Have the Choice to End Their Lives?
  • Depression and Suicide
  • The “Right to Die”
  • Outlook for the Future
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Part 3: Basic Concepts III. Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society
  • The Varieties of Aging Experience
  • The Economic Status of Older Americans
  • Public Policy on Aging
  • Conclusion
  • Chapter 8: Controversy 8. Should Age or Need Be the Basis for Entitlement?
  • A Tale of Two Generations
  • Justice Between Generations
  • The Least-Advantaged Older Adults
  • Help for Those Most in Need
  • The Targeting Debate
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 9: Controversy 9. What Is the Future for Social Security?
  • Main Features of Social Security
  • Success—and Doubt
  • Pay as You Go
  • Social Security Trust Fund
  • Eligibility
  • Privatization
  • Women and Social Security
  • Debate Over Social Security
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 10: Controversy 10. Is Retirement Obsolete?
  • History of Retirement
  • Origins of Late-Life Leisure
  • Changes in the American Economy
  • A New View of Retirement
  • Debate Over Retirement Policy
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 11: Controversy 11. Aging Boomers: Boom or Bust?
  • Who Are the Boomers?
  • What Is a Generation? Age-Period-Cohort Analysis
  • Social Construction of the Boomer Phenomenon
  • Boomers in the Years Ahead
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Chapter 12: Controversy 12. The New Aging Marketplace: Hope or Hype?
  • The New Customer Majority
  • Market Sectors Likely to Grow
  • What Do Older Consumers Want?
  • Limits of the Marketplace Model
  • Questions for Writing, Reflection, and Debate
  • Epilogue: Finding Your Place in an Aging Society
  • Appendix: Tips for Conducting Your Own Research in Gerontology
  • Glossary
  • Bibliography
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

“[Moody and Sasser] is very relevant and relatable for the graduate students. They appreciate the diverse perspectives on various issues affecting the aging population.”
Tamara Wolske, University of Indianapolis
“I believe this book contains the best information for students who are new to aging concepts. This text is the most comprehensive in relation to course objectives and outcomes.”
Angela Johnson, MHA, Indiana State University
“Completely relatable as it discusses concepts broadly and offers a critical approach.”
Elizabeth Edson Chapleski, MSW, PhD, Wayne State University
“I have used this text for years and love it!”
Linda J. Keilman, DNP, GNP-BC, FAANP, Michigan State University
“One of the [book’s] greatest strengths is the emphasis that there is no one right answer to some of these problems, that it is possible for smart people to come up with different solutions.”
Twyla Hill, Wichita State University

Recommendations