Aging Social Policies

Robbyn R. Wacker, Ph.D., is the Provost and Senior Vice President and Professor of Gerontology at the University of Northern Colorado. Her research interests include international aging social policy and psychosocial predictors of community service use among older adults. She has published over 65 refereed presentations, scholarly articles, books, and conference proceedings and has earned numerous university and professional awards, including UNC’s Academic Leadership Excellence Award. Karen A. Roberto, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Gerontology, Founding Director of the Institute of Society, Culture, and Environment, and Professor of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She also holds adjunct appointments in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She has published over 150 scholarly articles and book chapters, is the editor/author of ten books, and has earned numerous university and professional awards, including the Gerontological Society of America Behavioral and Social Science Distinguished Mentorship in Gerontology Award

• Part I: THE CONTEXT OF AGING SOCIAL POLICY1. Our Aging Societies - The Setting for Aging Social Policy2. The Aging Social Policy ProcessPART II: AGING SOCIAL POLICY COMPARISONS3. Retirement Income4. Employment5. Housing6. Health Care7. Mental Health Care8. Community Resources9. Family CarePART III: THE FUTURE OF AGING SOCIAL POLICY10. Aging Social Policy ChallengesReferencesAbout the Author

Inclusion of the international perspective helps students better understand U.S. aging policy. Otherwise, they are sucked into the misperception that the U.S. way is the only way.