Full Description
Active aging programs that encourage older adults to practice health- promoting behaviors are proliferating worldwide. In Poland, the meanings and ideals of these programs have become caught up in the sociocultural and political-economic changes that have occurred during the lifetimes of the oldest generations—most visibly, the transition from socialism to capitalism. Yet practices of active aging resonate with older forms of activity in late life in ways that exceed these narratives of progress. Moreover, some older Poles come to live valued, meaningful lives in old age despite the threats to respect and dignity posed by illness and debility. Through intimate portrayals of a wide range of experiences of aging in Poland, Jessica C. Robbins shows that everyday practices of remembering and relatedness shape how older Poles come to be seen by themselves and by others as living worthy, valued lives.
Contents
List of illustrations
Preface
Introduction
1 Histories of Active Aging: Aktywność across Eras
2 Aspiring to Activity: Transforming Aging through Education
3 Beyond Activity: Sustaining Relations in Institutional Care
4 Remembering the Polish Nation: Connections across Third and Fourth Ages
5 Rethinking Memory: Everyday Rhythms of Dementia
6 Gardens of Memory: Reimagining Home and Nation
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
