Key Concepts in Social Gerontology

Judith Phillips is Professor of Gerontology at Swansea University and director of the Older People and Ageing Research and Development Network in Wales (OPAN Cymru). Judith is a qualified social worker and has worked in statutory residential and field settings, specialising in work with older adults. Following a geography degree at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Judith went on to study at Stockholm University, Jesus College Oxford and UEA, Norwich, where she worked as a researcher and a lecturer before joining the Centre for Social Gerontology at the University of Keele in 1993. She returned to Wales in 2004 to set up the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ageing (now the Centre for Innovative Ageing) at Swansea University. She is also currently the Director of the Research Institute for Applied Social Sciences at Swansea University. Dr. Ajrouch is an Adjunct Associate Research Professor in the Life Course Development Program. Her research interests include matters of social relations and aging, with emphasis on gender, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. She recently completed a study, funded by the National Institute of Aging, which examined issues of social relations and health among Arab American elders. Dr Sarah Hillcoat-Nalletamby is Professor of Public Health and Policy Studies at Swansea University.

• IntroductionAdvocacyAge IntegrationAgeingAgeing in PlaceAgeismAmbivalenceAssisted LivingBereavementBiographical ApproachesCareCare ManagementCivic EngagementCohortConvoy TheoryCultural IdealsDeath and DyingDementiaDisabilityElder Mistreatment/AbuseEnvironmental GerontologyEthnicityEuthanasiaFamily RelationsFilial ResponsibilityFrailtyGenderGenerationsGerontologyGlobal AgeingHousingIndependenceIntergenerational PracticeLife-Course PerspectiveLifelong LearningLonelinessLong-Term CareLongevityPalliative CarePensionsPopulation AgeingQuality of LifeReligion/SpiritualityRetirementSocial ExclusionSocial RelationsSocial SupportSocial Theories of AgeingSuccessful AgeingThird and Fourth AgesTriple Jeopardy

I welcome this book’s refreshing approach to developing an understanding of fifty major concepts being employed in social gerontology. Far from a dictionary, the concepts are portrayed as complex, and conflicting definitions and usages are both noted and evaluated. The joint UK-US authorship promotes a much needed international approach to the field—something all too lacking in most American textbooks and theoretical articles. Each article includes a (necessarily selective) set of references, and cross-references to other concepts included in the book. Readers might enjoy a ‘follow the cross-reference’ adventure, which will situate each concept in a set of related concepts at the same, a broader, or a narrower level. Moreover, the coverage and evaluation of the concepts is right at the current leading edge in a rapidly moving field.