Advancing Aging Policy As The 21st Century Begins

By the end of the current decade, many baby boomers will be senior citizens. What policies should we enact to prepare for an aging society? In the coming decade, we have a unique opportunity to create new and better aging policies. This collection of twenty essays by prominent educators, researchers, and policy analysts in the field of gerontology brings together innovative ideas from the United States, Europe, and Japan. Instead of focusing on utopian dreams, these exciting proposals are based on policy changes that may well be attainable in the next ten years. The vital concerns addressed in Advancing Aging Policy as the 21st Century Begins include work and retirement issues, the aging prison population, long-term care, Latino elders, transportation, death and dying issues, and the aging of the baby boom generation. Advancing Aging Policy as the 21st Century Begins explores: innovative policies and care arrangements around the world the importance of a strong economy that provides opportunities for seniors who seek them and support for those who need it the need for flexible retirement and employment policies for older adults the connections between family policy and aging policy the importance of improving training and compensation for workers in long-term care the special needs of our diverse and rapidly growing population of older people the importance of focusing aging policy on people rather than on programs This forward-looking book on policy and aging in the coming decade puts the experience and insight of leaders in the field from around the world in your hands. Policymakers, educators, and students of gerontology will find it an invaluable resource.

By the end of the current decade, many baby boomers will be senior citizens. What policies should we enact to prepare for an aging society?In the coming decade, we have a unique opportunity to create new and better aging policies. This collection of twenty essays by prominent educators, researchers, and policy analysts in the field of gerontology brings together innovative ideas from the United States, Europe, and Japan. Instead of focusing on utopian dreams, these exciting proposals are based on policy changes that may well be attainable in the next ten years. The vital concerns addressed in Advancing Aging Policy as the 21st Century Begins include work and retirement issues, the aging prison population, long-term care, Latino elders, transportation, death and dying issues, and the aging of the baby boom generation. Advancing Aging Policy as the 21st Century Begins explores: innovative policies and care arrangements around the world the importance of a strong economy that provides opportunities for seniors who seek them and support for those who need it the need for flexible retirement and employment policies for older adults the connections between family policy and aging policy the importance of improving training and compensation for workers in long-term care the special needs of our diverse and rapidly growing population of older people the importance of focusing aging policy on people rather than on programsThis forward-looking book on policy and aging in the coming decade puts the experience and insight of leaders in the field from around the world in your hands. Policymakers, educators, and students of gerontology will find it an invaluable resource.

Explore significant—but often-overlooked—aspects of aging policy! This unique addition to the literature on aging policy will help you understand devolution—the decentralizing of service provision—and the roles that state/local government and private organizations now play in addressing the needs of our aging population. It will show you how to initiate innovations and make positive changes in aging policy through state and local initiatives, collaborations between the federal government and other government agencies, public/private collaboration, and strictly private initiatives. From the editors: “Around the world, the ground rules are being questioned about the role of national governments in addressing domestic needs. During the twentieth century in countries throughout the world, central governments assumed major responsibilities for a wide variety of human needs. Whether the concern was income security, health, housing, or education, interventions were premised upon convictions that a strong public sector role was essential and that major involvement of national governments was needed. More recently, a significant pattern [devolution] has emerged in many countries wherein these responsibilities have shifted away from national governments to regional and local governments as well as from the public to the private sector.” Thoughtfully divided into five sections that illustrate distinctly different forms of devolution, this book first provides an essential overview of devolution and then examines its implications for vital aspects of service provision to the elderly. In the United States in recent years, the single greatest focus for devolution has been the transformation of income security protections for poor families. The federal Aid to Families With Dependent Children program has been replaced by the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. Devolution and Aging Policy examines that change and other important facets of the current climate of devolution, including: Medicaid-financed long-term care state sponsorship of services in retirement communities the implications of the Workforce Investment Act for the access of older workers to training at a state level to upgrade their work skills public/private sector collaboration in long-term care insurance long-term care ombudsman programs what state governments can do to help elders make use of information technology property tax credits for seniors that are given in exchange for volunteering on the municipal level how an HMO can encourage and stimulate service coordination and more!

Who pays for long-term care? Discover the unique approaches of seven countries around the Pacific Rim! Long-Term Care in the Twenty-First Century discusses policies and programs for long-term care in seven countries around the Asia-Pacific Rim: the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Each country is covered in two chapters, one to examine the philosophy and values that underlie its approaches to long-term care, the second to discuss its systems of service delivery. These thoughtful analyses, backed up with facts and figures, explain program successes and failures in the context of demographic and social trends and with reference to the differing political systems across the region. Its breadth of perspective and insightful examination of cultural differences make Long-Term Care in the Twenty-First Century an important contribution to the international comparative study of aging. The programs in the United States, Australia, and Canada offer a fascinating contrast with the longer-established and very different programs in the Asian countries, including Japan, the world’s oldest country. Long-Term Care in the Twenty-First Century provides practical information on essential gerontological issues for each country, including: financing arrangements development of client classification systems case management in both residential and community-based systems key source documents, references, and Web sites political and cultural influences home-based and family caregiving This valuable book provides a critical record of developments in the current transition period. This multicultural perspective contributes a chance for all countries to learn from the experience of others in dealing with a problem that is increasingly important as the world population ages. Long-Term Care in the Twenty-First Century is an essential resource for scholars, service providers, policymakers, and anyone concerned with care of the aged, not only in Pacific Rim countries but around the world.

Learn how public policies can help families provide the care their elderly relatives need Family and Aging Policy examines how public initiatives to assist the elderly in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Denmark, and Sweden can impact families who provide them with long-term care. For the majority of older people, the aging experience involves their families directly and indirectly, affecting income security, housing, and health care. This unique book addresses the aging issues that matter most to families struggling to deal with the demands of care giving and provides answers on how the public sector can help. As the traditional nuclear family becomes a memory and the notion of extended family disappears, the need for public interventions to help the elderly increases. A significant number of people grow old without families they can depend on. Others have families who want to help, but lack the financial means or the housing needed to provide care. Family and Aging Policy offers options on how families and formal services can share responsibilities, including how families can juggle jobs and care giving, the effects of the Family and Medical Leave Act, consumer-directed service options, community-based care programs, accessory dwelling units and zoning ordinances, and provisions for caregiver support in each of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Family and Aging Policy examines: extensive welfare programs in Sweden publicly funded home care programs in Denmark family-oriented social policies in Singapore shared responsibilities of families and formal services in Canada the Administration on Aging’s National Family Caregiver Support program in the United States California Caregiver Resource Centers and much more! Family and Aging Policy is an invaluable tool for researchers and policy analysts working in family policy issues and as an essential supplemental text for course work in gerontology, sociology, family relations, and social work.

Explore Indian policy and practice on aging from a variety of perspectives! This pathbreaking collection provides something that has been missing in the literature on aging in India, especially for non-Indian audiences: studies of various aspects of aging in India combined with analyses of current policies, policy trends and recommendations. You'll examine aging issues from a variety of perspectives—demographic foundations, social and family relations, economics, health and disability, current interventions, and advocacy and policy. An Aging India also provides you with up-to-date references, explanations of differences and similarities within India's diverse population, examples of programs in various settings including a geriatric hospital, a major NGO, and old-age homes, and an overview of the development of India's national policy on aging. Where appropriate, comparisons with U.S. policy approaches are noted. An Aging India: Perspectives, Prospects, and Policies examines: the demography of aging in India the current state of research on aging, and the pitfalls associated with that research income, poverty, and the problems created by the lack of any widespread retirement income system in India the health status of Indian elders and what their healthcare prospects are the situation for the disabled elderly in India elder abuse in the Indian context social networks and grassroots organizations for seniors in India the role of Indian geriatric hospitals and old-age homes The insights of the top researchers and practitioners who contributed to An Aging India: Perspectives, Prospects, and Policies will strike home with their counterparts around the world. Make this book a part of your professional/teaching collection today!

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.