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Cover image of Social Integration in the Second Half of Life
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Social Integration in the Second Half of Life

edited by Karl Pillemer, Phyllis Moen, Elaine Wethington, and Nina Glasgow

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Social scientists use the term social integration to refer to individuals' connections with others in their environments. The concept and its consequences have been the subject of considerable study. Many researchers have asserted that meaningful and enduring ties to other persons serve as a buffer against stress, and thereby promote physical and mental health. The results are especially pronounced for older persons.

Social Integration in the Second Half of Life presents integrative reviews of theory and research on this topic. The editors and contributors, all currently or previously...

Social scientists use the term social integration to refer to individuals' connections with others in their environments. The concept and its consequences have been the subject of considerable study. Many researchers have asserted that meaningful and enduring ties to other persons serve as a buffer against stress, and thereby promote physical and mental health. The results are especially pronounced for older persons.

Social Integration in the Second Half of Life presents integrative reviews of theory and research on this topic. The editors and contributors, all currently or previously affiliated with the Cornell Gerontology Research Institute, also present new empirical findings of research done at their center. The first section of the book discusses basic theory and principles of social integration in later life and its implications for health. The second, largest section examines specific issues: retirement, driving, family support, housing, neighbors. The third section addresses interventions to promote social integration: transportation, volunteering, and peer support for dementia caregivers. Throughout, the authors focus on the diverging influences of social integration and its converse, social isolation, in later life.

Reviews

Reviews

Pillemer and colleagues, in their excellent review of social integration at the threshold of the 21st century, document the problems of mid-lifers and elders as they seek social integration, that is, a life with people.

This edited volume contains an excellent collection of contributions that not only take a more careful look at social integration in aging, but consider practical means of enhancing the integration process.

This volume will stand for years to come as a widely cited summary document that pulls together both existing literature and original findings. The scholarship is exemplary and the insights are laudable. Because of the book's intrinsic merit, it will approach the status of 'handbook' on social integration and therefore will be tantamount to required reading in graduate-level social gerontology classes.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
336
ISBN
9780801864544
Illustration Description
19 line drawings
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Contributors
Introduction
Part I: Overview of Major Issues and Approaches
Chapter 1. Social Integration and Aging: Background and Trends
Chapter 2. Multiple Roles, Social Integration, and

Acknowledgments
Contributors
Introduction
Part I: Overview of Major Issues and Approaches
Chapter 1. Social Integration and Aging: Background and Trends
Chapter 2. Multiple Roles, Social Integration, and Health
Part II: Social Integration in Major Domains of Later Life
Chapter 3. A Life-Course Approach to Retirement and Social Integration
Chapter 4. Transportation Transitions and Social Integration of Nonmetropolitan Older Persons
Chapter 5. Social Integration and Family Support: Caregivers to Persons with Alzheimer's Disease
Chapter 6. Future Housing Expectations in Late Midlife: The Role of Retirement, Gender, and Social Integration
Chapter 7. Neighboring as a Form of Social Integration and Support
Chapter 8. Social Integration and the Move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community
Part III: Interventions to Promote Social Integration in Later Life
Chapter 9. An Intervention to Improve Transportation Arrangements
Chapter 10. Fostering Integration: A Case Study of the Cornell Retirees Volunteering in Service (CRVIS) Program
Chapter 11. Peer Support for Alzheimer's Caregivers: Lessons from an Intervention Study
Chapter 12. Closing Thoughts and Future Directions
Author Index
Subject Index

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Karl Pillemer

Karl Pillemer is Professor of Human Development in the Cornell Gerontology Research Institute.
Featured Contributor

Phyllis Moen

Phyllis Moen is Ferris Family Professor of Life Course Studies in the at Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center.
Featured Contributor

Nina Glasgow

Nina Glasgow is Senior Research Associate in the Department of Rural Sociology.