Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-05-14

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 0309671035

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Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.


Families Caring for an Aging America

Families Caring for an Aging America

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-11-08

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 0309448093

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Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.


The Psychology of Retirement

The Psychology of Retirement

Author: Doreen Rosenthal

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-09-14

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 1351169866

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How can you make the most of retirement? How should you plan for retirement? What are the challenges of retirement and how can they be dealt with? The Psychology of Retirement looks at this life stage as a journey that involves challenges, opportunities, setbacks, periods of disenchantment and, often, exciting new beginnings. Taking a positive approach, the book explores how retirement provides opportunities to cultivate new friendships, interests and hobbies, consolidate and renegotiate long-held ones, and even re-invent oneself in a post-work environment. It also emphasizes the value of pre-retirement planning, and the importance of establishing new goals and purposes. Retirement can be a period of significant psychological growth and development and The Psychology of Retirement shows how it can herald the beginning of a vibrant and active stage of life.


Aging and the Macroeconomy

Aging and the Macroeconomy

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2013-01-10

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 0309261961

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The United States is in the midst of a major demographic shift. In the coming decades, people aged 65 and over will make up an increasingly large percentage of the population: The ratio of people aged 65+ to people aged 20-64 will rise by 80%. This shift is happening for two reasons: people are living longer, and many couples are choosing to have fewer children and to have those children somewhat later in life. The resulting demographic shift will present the nation with economic challenges, both to absorb the costs and to leverage the benefits of an aging population. Aging and the Macroeconomy: Long-Term Implications of an Older Population presents the fundamental factors driving the aging of the U.S. population, as well as its societal implications and likely long-term macroeconomic effects in a global context. The report finds that, while population aging does not pose an insurmountable challenge to the nation, it is imperative that sensible policies are implemented soon to allow companies and households to respond. It offers four practical approaches for preparing resources to support the future consumption of households and for adapting to the new economic landscape.


Families and Retirement

Families and Retirement

Author: Maximiliane Szinovacz

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 1992-03-10

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1452245754

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What are the long term effects of retirement on family relationships? Do personality characteristics or attitudes of one spouse impinge on the other spouse′s retirement plans and adjustment? What differences exist in the ways males and females adapt to retirement? Leading researchers in the fields of family studies and gerontology present enlightening information on the impact of retirement on family relations. Original essays focus on gender and ethnic differences, the role of children, siblings, and significant others, and the multiple changes retirement creates in marriage. In addition, a variety of theoretical models, existing research, and methodological problems in studying retired families are explored. Families and Retirement is essential reading for graduate students, researchers, and professionals in gerontology, sociology, social work, family psychology, and policy studies. "This is a well-written book. The editors have done a great job in selecting chapter authors whose research is important and directly related to the focus of the book. . . . The book will be an excellent text for sociology classes focusing mainly on retirement. It will also serve well as a supplemental text in gerontology, family studies, economics, and other college and university courses wherein retirement is studied." --Journal of Marriage and the Family "Just when it seems too complex a task to produce a text that addresses retirement from the perspective of the family, a new work appears that does just that. . . . The editors have successfully expanded [the] traditional concern with the individual by choosing studies showing relationships and issues on aspects of retirement and family." --Family Relations


Keys to a Successful Retirement

Keys to a Successful Retirement

Author: Fritz Gilbert

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1646113403

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You're finally retired! Learn how to make these the best years of your life. Congrats on your retirement! But now what will you do with all that free time? With Keys to a Successful Retirement, you'll discover everything you need to know to get your retired years off to a great start. Covering topics like finances, embracing your passions, and dealing with feelings of aimlessness, grief, and depression that may crop up, this in-depth guide to retired living answers all the burning questions you want to ask—as well as those you're afraid to. Take a complete look at your newfound freedom and explore what it really means to have a successful retirement. This in-depth guide includes: Essential basics—Make sure you're retirement ready with advice for managing your savings, dealing with healthcare, staying fit, and more. Handling tough times—Dig into the more challenging aspects of retirement, like how to best handle the effects it can have on your mental health. Be your own boss—Get guidance that teaches you how to decide what you want your retirement to be and how you can lean into the things that you love. An exciting new chapter of your life is starting—get a helping hand ensuring it's the best it can be!


Bridge Employment

Bridge Employment

Author: Carlos-María Alcover

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-04-16

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 113409499X

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With the long-term trend toward earlier retirement slowing, and the majority of older workers remaining in employment up to and beyond statutory retirement age, it is increasingly important that we understand how to react to these changes. Bridge employment patterns and activities have changed greatly over the past decade, yet there is little information about the benefits of the various different forms this can take, both for employees and employers. This comparative international collection provides the first comprehensive summary of the literature on bridge employment, bringing together experiences from Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. It identifies the opportunities, barriers and gaps in knowledge and practice, whilst offering recommendations on how organisations and individuals can cope with future challenges in aging and work. Written by international experts in the field, each chapter also makes substantive and contextualized suggestions for public policy and organizational decision-makers, providing them with a roadmap to implement and integrate bridge employment into policies and practices designed to prolong working life - a priority for workers, organizations and societies in the coming decades. This unique research handbook will be useful to a wide range of readers with an interest in the new concept of bridge employment and the extension of working life, and of interest to researchers and practitioners in organizational behavior, labor market analysis, human resource management, career development/counselling, occupational health, social economy and public policy administration


Retirement Maze

Retirement Maze

Author: Rob Pascale

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-02

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1442216190

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Millions of baby boomers are just beginning to retire, and in doing so many are likely to run into adjustment problems, such as loss of identity, deterioration of marriage and social life, and feelings of disconnectedness to the world. Studies have found that as many as 40% of retirees have difficulty adjusting, and even those who claim to enjoy retirement may experience some uneasiness as they adapt to a life lacking in structure and direction. This book investigates the struggles faced by retirees in building a new life outside of the workforce. It provides an honest assessment of retirement, based on the not-always-acknowledged fact that it is a difficult transition with pitfalls and obstacles to be overcome. But along with uncovering problems, the authors also propose solutions to enable both current and future retirees to be better prepared, allowing them to avoid being blind-sided by unexpected situations. By reading about the experiences of their peers, current and future retirees will come to understand that others share their difficulties adjusting, and that tactics are available to improve their comfort level in retirement as well as their overall well-being. Retirees and those planning for retirement will find in these pages what they need to make retirement successful and enjoyable.