Getting Wise about Getting Old: Debunking Myths about Aging

Researchers in a wide range of social and medical sciences, most of them in Quebec but writing here in English, present short essays for general readers on portrayals and realities of aging, living environments, different aging experiences, social roles, death and bereavement, and caregiver support. Among their topics are living on Easy Street: the myth of the affluent senior, whether penitentiaries are suitable places for older inmates, living longer: years of retirement or years of work, how older adults experience bereavement: whether greater frequency makes death easier to bear, and care provision to older immigrants by their families when discrimination creates barriers to services. Annotation ©2020 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
As the world&;s population ages, our economies are doomed&;doomed to higher retirement and medical costs, lower productivity, and lower economic growth. Or so you would think from the tone of media coverage of aging. Getting Wise about Getting Old debunks that myth and many more, in the process painting a far more accurate and nuanced portrait of old age. In this book, experts address persistent stereotypes about aging on a broad array of social issues&;from retirement (attacking the myth that seniors are low-performance workers) to housing (clarifying the misconception that most older adults live in long-term care accommodation), and sexuality (showing that senior women remain at risk of sexual assault) to social participation (arguing against beliefs that seniors are conservative and resistant to change)&;deconstructing and countering them with the latest social science findings. Built on short, accessible chapters, this vitally important book will contribute to a better understanding of the social challenges, as well as the advantages, of an aging society.