Book Review
Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, seventh edition,
San Diego: Academic Press, 2011
Robert H. Binstock and Linda George K. George (eds.)
and Stephen J. Cutler, Jon Hendricks, and James H. Schulz (associate eds.)
The Handbooks of Aging series (first published in 1976) consists of three separate volumes, the Handbook of the Biology of Aging, the Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, and the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences.
The Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, seventh edition, provides up-to-date information on issues in aging that are pertinent for both the individual and the greater community. This new edition encompasses a broad spectrum of aging issues, reflecting the rapid growth of ideas, information and research literature during the past five years. Eighteen of the 25 chapters are on subjects not in the sixth edition (2006); they are authored by 32 new contributory authors out of 40 total authors. Only one chapter is an update by an author who was in the previous edition.
The Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences is organized into four sections: Theory and Methods; Aging and Social Structure; Social Factors and Social Institutions; and Aging and Society. The organization within each chapter facilitates the reader’s ability to drill down and focus on a specific element covered in the body of work, accomplished at the opening of each chapter by a section that outlines the contents. Conclusions, acknowledgments and future research subsections provide closure for each chapter, creating the feel of a monograph rather than a chapter.
Thomas Rando and Laura Carstensen of the Stanford University Center on Longevity eloquently state in the foreword:
"Even though the near doubling of life expectancy was a spectacular achievement, there were not concurrent advances in our ability to alleviate the disabling conditions of later lifer. Nor were there sociological advances to create a world as responsive to the needs of the very old people as to those of the very young. In order to realize the enormous potential of longer life, scientists must come to a more comprehensive understanding of human aging and the social, psychological, and biological factors that contribute to optimal outcomes. Along with phenomenal advances in the genetic determinants of longevity and susceptibility to age related diseases has come an awareness of the critical importance of environmental factors that modulate and even supersede genetic predispositions. This series provides a balanced perspective of the interacting factors that contribute to human aging."
I have found the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences to be a very comprehensive collection of subject matter relating to aging and the social sciences, from my standpoint as a clinician, physical therapist, and as a member of Generation X. I particularly found part 4 of the book, Aging and Society, enlightening; the chapters discuss the correlation of the aging individual as a group and as a collective and the resulting impact on social and financial policies here in the United States. Chapters 19 and 22 provide international perspectives on pension reform and on long-term care financing, service delivery and quality assurance, two of the current hot button political topics.
I highly recommend this book for its relevance to the individual in our aging society and to clinicians in a wide field of practice. There are many references germane to my role as a clinician working with an aging world population that I have marked for further self-study.
CAPT Kathleen M. O’Neill, PT, DPT, MPH, CPH
United States Public Health Service
Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation
Director of Physical Therapy
Tuba City, AZ