Families Caring for an Aging America

Families Caring for an Aging America
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2016-12-08
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309448069

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Senior Activities FUNdamentals

Senior Activities FUNdamentals
Author: Debra Ann Covell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 127
Release: 2019-08-29
Genre:
ISBN: 9781733767729

A unique resource for Senior Activities Professionals, Senior Activities FUNdamentals inspires them to plan activities in a brand-new way. Filled with fun and energizing activities, Senior Activities FUNdamentals accommodates seniors experiencing frailty, reduced mobility, and/or memory loss. Author Debbi Covell's passion for the older generation is apparent throughout the pages of this fresh, fun, and informative guide. With more than 25 years of experience planning activities for seniors, including those living with dementia or other memory loss, the author strongly believes that seniors have the same basic needs as anyone: to laugh and have fun, to explore and learn, and to live life to the fullest. Senior Activities FUNdamentals provides a variety of activity ideas to fulfill these needs and to challenge the mind, lift the spirits, and engage seniors. A unique feature of this resource is the inclusion of activities with clear, step-by-step instructions on setting up and carrying it out, explaining the benefits to seniors.Just as important, Senior Activities FUNdamentals offers detailed and relevant information essential in understanding and motivating seniors. The suggestions and tips can alleviate "job burnout," which is prevalent in this profession. It is a great training resource!Senior Activities FUNdamentals will be a resource Senior Activities Professionals will refer to time and time again!

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2020-05-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309671035

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Activities for Older People in Care Homes

Activities for Older People in Care Homes
Author: Sarah Crockett
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2013-07-15
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 0857008390

When tasked with providing activities for older people in care homes, it can be difficult to know where to begin. What constitutes an activity? How can you make sure activities are as positive and person-centred as possible? What can you actually do? Written by an experienced activity coordinator, this handbook is an indispensable companion for others in this role. The author provides useful background information on dementia, the importance of activities and how to get to know residents through life story work. She addresses important practical considerations such as how to assess a resident for suitable activities, activity planning, timetabling, budgeting and money-stretching, as well as more subtle issues such as how to enthuse residents and staff to join in and how to deal with resistance from colleagues. An A-Z of inventive ideas and step-by-step instructions for activities as wide-ranging as arts and crafts, cooking, exercise, gardening, meditation, music, reminiscence, themed days and trips out is also included. Offering peer-to-peer advice and encouragement as well as a wealth of practical ideas and suggestions, this is essential reading for all those involved in activity planning for older people, including those with dementia, in care homes.

Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age

Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2010-11-29
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309158834

Does a longer life mean a healthier life? The number of adults over 65 in the United States is growing, but many may not be aware that they are at greater risk from foodborne diseases and their nutritional needs change as they age. The IOM's Food Forum held a workshop October 29-30, 2009, to discuss food safety and nutrition concerns for older adults.

Technology for Adaptive Aging

Technology for Adaptive Aging
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2004-04-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309091160

Emerging and currently available technologies offer great promise for helping older adults, even those without serious disabilities, to live healthy, comfortable, and productive lives. What technologies offer the most potential benefit? What challenges must be overcome, what problems must be solved, for this promise to be fulfilled? How can federal agencies like the National Institute on Aging best use their resources to support the translation from laboratory findings to useful, marketable products and services? Technology for Adaptive Aging is the product of a workshop that brought together distinguished experts in aging research and in technology to discuss applications of technology to communication, education and learning, employment, health, living environments, and transportation for older adults. It includes all of the workshop papers and the report of the committee that organized the workshop. The committee report synthesizes and evaluates the points made in the workshop papers and recommends priorities for federal support of translational research in technology for older adults.

Social Exclusion in Later Life

Social Exclusion in Later Life
Author: Kieran Walsh
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2021-03-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030514064

Drawing on interdisciplinary, cross-national perspectives, this open access book contributes to the development of a coherent scientific discourse on social exclusion of older people. The book considers five domains of exclusion (services; economic; social relations; civic and socio-cultural; and community and spatial domains), with three chapters dedicated to analysing different dimensions of each exclusion domain. The book also examines the interrelationships between different forms of exclusion, and how outcomes and processes of different kinds of exclusion can be related to one another. In doing so, major cross-cutting themes, such as rights and identity, inclusive service infrastructures, and displacement of marginalised older adult groups, are considered. Finally, in a series of chapters written by international policy stakeholders and policy researchers, the book analyses key policies relevant to social exclusion and older people, including debates linked to sustainable development, EU policy and social rights, welfare and pensions systems, and planning and development. The book’s approach helps to illuminate the comprehensive multidimensionality of social exclusion, and provides insight into the relative nature of disadvantage in later life. With 77 contributors working across 28 nations, the book presents a forward-looking research agenda for social exclusion amongst older people, and will be an important resource for students, researchers and policy stakeholders working on ageing.

World Report on Ageing and Health

World Report on Ageing and Health
Author: World Health Organization
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2015-10-22
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9241565047

The WHO World report on ageing and health is not for the book shelf it is a living breathing testament to all older people who have fought for their voice to be heard at all levels of government across disciplines and sectors. - Mr Bjarne Hastrup President International Federation on Ageing and CEO DaneAge This report outlines a framework for action to foster Healthy Ageing built around the new concept of functional ability. This will require a transformation of health systems away from disease based curative models and towards the provision of older-person-centred and integrated care. It will require the development sometimes from nothing of comprehensive systems of long term care. It will require a coordinated response from many other sectors and multiple levels of government. And it will need to draw on better ways of measuring and monitoring the health and functioning of older populations. These actions are likely to be a sound investment in society's future. A future that gives older people the freedom to live lives that previous generations might never have imagined. The World report on ageing and health responds to these challenges by recommending equally profound changes in the way health policies for ageing populations are formulated and services are provided. As the foundation for its recommendations the report looks at what the latest evidence has to say about the ageing process noting that many common perceptions and assumptions about older people are based on outdated stereotypes. The report's recommendations are anchored in the evidence comprehensive and forward-looking yet eminently practical. Throughout examples of experiences from different countries are used to illustrate how specific problems can be addressed through innovation solutions. Topics explored range from strategies to deliver comprehensive and person-centred services to older populations to policies that enable older people to live in comfort and safety to ways to correct the problems and injustices inherent in current systems for long-term care.