ABSTRACT

This book provides practical evidence-based strategies that will help clinicians across a broad range of disciplines to address and discuss the main issues an aging person is likely to face and overcome if they are to maintain a sense of well-being as they age.

Based on an extensive body of research, the relevant up-to-date knowledge for each topic is concisely presented, followed by practical, concrete, evidence-based suggestions as to how a healthcare provider might acknowledge and create a partnership with their clients to help the person increase their sense of well-being. Each chapter contains a list of key terms, a summary, and case examples that illustrate in realistic and humanistic ways how a person might present the concern being addressed and intervene.

The specific challenges associated with aging that are addressed include: anxiety attached to an increasing awareness of mortality; retirement; the increasing number of losses of significant others; regrets; memory loss; the arrival of old-old age and feelings of loneliness, mattering insufficiently, and a loss of purpose; and finally, dealing with imminent death.

This book is suitable for all health professionals who provide clinical services or advice to older adults including physicians (i.e. particularly in the specialties of internal medicine, family medicine, geriatrics, and geriatric psychiatry), nurses, social workers, psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and audiologists.

chapter |3 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|17 pages

Aging and well-being

chapter 3|11 pages

A major challenge to well-being as people age

Retirement

chapter 4|9 pages

A second major challenge to a person’s well-being as they age

The increasing number of deaths of significant others

chapter 5|8 pages

Aging, well-being, and life-regrets

chapter 6|10 pages

Still another challenge

Age-associated memory loss

chapter 7|8 pages

Aging, well-being, and old-old age

chapter 8|13 pages

Three additional threats to a person’s well-being in old-old age

Loneliness, a loss of purpose, and a feeling of mattering less

chapter 9|10 pages

Decline, imminent death, and well-being

chapter 10|12 pages

Summary and synthesis