Full Description
A grey tsunami is sweeping the land, wreaking social and financial havoc in its wake. Sound familiar? This myth about aging, along with twenty-eight others, is the focus of Getting Wise about Getting Old, which paints a far more accurate and nuanced portrait of old age. In it, experts debunk myths and persistent stereotypes about aging on a broad array of social issues - from retirement (seniors are low-performance workers) to housing (most older adults live in long-term care accommodation), and violence (senior women are not victims of sexual assault) to political participation (seniors are conservative and resistant to change) - deconstructing and countering them with the latest findings. The work of two leading research groups in Quebec, the short and accessible chapters of this vitally important book contribute to a better understanding of the social challenges, as well as the advantages, of an aging society.
Contents
Foreword to the English Edition / Laura Tamblyn Watts
Foreword to the French Edition / Danis Prud'homme, Caroline Bouchard, Marco Guerrera, and Sophie Gagnon
Introduction: Multiple Perspectives on Diverse Aging Experiences / Anne-Marie Séguin, Véronique Billette, and Patrik Marier
Part 1: Portrayals and Realities of Aging
1 Myths and Realities about Seniors / Ignace Olazabal and Julien Simard
2 Living on Easy Street? The Myth of the Affluent Senior / Patrik Marier, Yves Carrière, and Jonathan Purenne
3 Older Adults: Allergic to Social Change? / Julien Simard and Ignace Olazabal
4 "That's Surprising, at Your Age!" The Myth of Digital Disinterest / Kim Sawchuk, Line Grenier, and Constance Lafontaine
5 Grey-Haired Neurons: Does an Accurate Memory Have to Become a Memento of Younger Days? / Maxime Lussier, Manon Parisien, Nathalie Bier, and Sophie Laforest
Part 2: Living Environments
6 Do Most Very Old Quebecers Live in Residential Long-Term Care Centres? / Anne-Marie Séguin, Isabelle Van Pevenage, and Chloé Dauphinais
7 Age-Friendly Cities: A Panacea for Aging in Place? / Meghan Joy, Patrik Marier, and Anne-Marie Séguin
8 Seniors and Their Cars: Choice or Necessity? / Paula Negron-Poblete and Anne-Marie Séguin
9 Challenging the Myth of Older Homelessness as Chronic Homelessness / Victoria Burns
10 Are Penitentiaries Suitable Places for Older Inmates? / Michel Gagnon and Michel Dunn
Part 3: Different Aging Experiences
11 Older Adults Living with Mental Health Problems: "Nothing More Can Be Done with Them" / Ginette Aubin and Bernadette Dallaire
12 Aging with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: The Myth of the Eternal Child / Daniel Dickson
13 Older Adults Are Not Affected by HIV/AIDS: The Origins and Consequences of a Misconception / Isabelle Wallach
14 Aging, Sexuality, and the "Cougar" Myth / Milaine Alarie
15 Sexual Assault of Older Women: An Unthinkable Reality / Mélanie Couture, Milaine Alarie, Sarita Israel, and Marie-Pier Petit
16 Are Older Adults Safe from Conjugal Violence? / Sarita Israel, Mélanie Couture, and Marie-Pier Petit
Part 4: Social Roles
17 Living Longer: Years of Retirement or Years of Work? / Yves Carrière, Patrik Marier, Jonathan Purenne, and Diane Galarneau
18 Older Workers: A Societal Problem? / Marie-Michèle Lord and Pierre-Yves Therriault
19 Do Older Adults Have All the Time in the World? / Isabel Wiebe, Anne-Marie Séguin, Philippe Apparicio, and Véronique Billette
20 Can One Enjoy a Happy Retirement without Volunteering? / Julie Castonguay, Julie Fortier, Andrée Sévigny, Hélène Carbonneau, and Marie Beaulieu
21 The Social Participation of Older People: Get on Board, as They Used to Say! / Émilie Raymond, Julie Castonguay, Mireille Fortier, and Andrée Sévigny
Part 5: Death and Bereavement
22 How Older Adults Experience Bereavement: Does Greater Frequency Make Death Easier to Bear? / Valérie Bourgeois-Guérin, Isabelle Van Pevenage, Jeanne Lachance, Rock-André Blondin, and Antonin Marquis
23 Palliative Care for Those Dying of "Old Age": Unmet Needs / Isabelle Van Pevenage, Patrick Durivage, Véronique Billette, Patricia Friesen, and Eleonora Bogdanova
24 Do Older Adults Wish to Die at Home (and Can They)? / Isabelle Van Pevenage, Patrick Durivage, Anne-Marie Séguin, and Laurence Hamel-Roy
Part 6: Caregiver Support
25 Are Families Abandoning Older Relatives? / Isabelle Van Pevenage, Zelda Freitas, Patrik Marier, and Pam Orzeck
26 Multiple Autonomies: Navigating the World of Home Care Services / Norma Gilbert, Annette Leibing, and Patrik Marier
27 LGBT Older Adults: Who Is There to Support Them and Care for Them as They Age? / Julie Beauchamp, Shari Brotman, Line Chamberland, and Ilyan Ferrer
28 Care Provision to Older Immigrants by Their Families: When Discrimination Creates Barriers to Services / Ilyan Ferrer and Shari Brotman
Conclusion: Public Policy Issues and the Complexities of Aging / Patrik Marier, Anne-Marie Séguin, and Véronique Billette
Contributors; Index
