Abstract
The Short Guide to Aging and Gerontology is an excellent book for students, emerging professionals, and the general public who are interested in key areas of gerontology. It is designed for professionals and nonprofessionals alike.
The Short Guide is divided into nine chapters. The book begins with a preface, where the author describes her experiences as a student studying gerontology and having difficulty finding her place among traditional disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, epidemiology, or policy (de Medeiros, 2017). Her personal narrative was compelling, particularly to this reviewer as I have had a similar experience in my professional life—where do I fit, given that few of my colleagues (marriage and family therapists) work with aging individuals, let alone understand the issues that many older adults face? I was intrigued by the evolution of her professional development and how it culminated into her writing The Short Guide.
The author describes the book as a “concise overview of the field of gerontology” and it achieves this purpose (de Medeiros, 2017, p. x). The book is addressing, most, if not all, of the topics relevant to gerontology. The author acknowledges that given the nature of a Short Guide, many areas are beyond the scope of this particular type of book; however, I felt this volume was effective in covering considerable ground in gerontology.
The first chapter focuses on age and aging as concepts and the subparts within them. The author explains that these concepts are experienced on a very individual basis and within many contexts, including “personal, political, cultural, geographic, historical, societal and economic” (de Medeiros, 2017, p. 1). This chapter was an excellent introduction to topics encompassing chronological and functional age, stages of life, and differences between ideas such as successful, active, and productive aging.
Chapter two provides an overview of the history of gerontology. The author covers topics such as “old age,” the evolution of social change, and gerontology, as well as key people and perspectives in gerontology. In particular, Table 2.1 is helpful at illustrating the major perspectives and authors connected with them. The table is laid out well and covers 21 different views. These views are mentioned throughout the rest of the book as the author explains different concepts and their development.
In chapter three, the author includes five key myths and assumptions that are common surrounding aging. This section was particularly interesting given that more than one of these myths is commonly believed by the clients with whom I work. I now have information with which to challenge myself and others to understand the ever-evolving landscape of aging. One particular piece that I liked was about the differences between “life expectancy” and “life span.” I made use of this information during a conversation later that day upon reading the book.
The fourth chapter details health and functional abilities related to aging and later life. The author discusses the idea of “aging well” and how we have come to think about concepts such as health and well-being. She also distinguishes between “normal” and “pathological” aging, as well as different types of disease—acute versus chronic and communicable versus noncommunicable diseases. These are useful distinctions as one could argue that we have conflated aging with disease inappropriately. Also in this chapter, the author goes on to explain well-being, happiness, depression, and memory loss issues. While these sections are brief, she explains the individual as well as social components within those issues, which provides useful context.
In chapter five, the author explains how we have come to rethink family and family structures. I was particularly interested in the content of this chapter, given my daily work with families and caregivers. The author covers different types of family relationships, ranging from siblings to adult children to grandparents. Citing Thompson (1999), the author challenges current understandings of family and the myths surrounding them, given that the concept of a “declining family” may be due to “misuse or misunderstanding of data” (de Medeiros, 2017, p. 107). This is important because according to 1960s information from historical demographers, “ . . . nuclear families had been dominant since the Middle Ages” (de Medeiros, 2017, p. 106). In other words, the commonly held belief that nuclear family structures are a modern development is actually untrue. We can see this misconception play out in real life through feelings of obligation or guilt surrounding care of our elders in managed care facilities rather than our own homes. I was, however, disappointed to find the section on caregiving to be 1.5 pages in length, and rather thin in its content, compared to other topics throughout the book. Although the purpose of The Short Guide is to provide an overview of many topics related to aging and gerontology, I believe that caregiving is of central concern to gerontology. I was hoping for a more robust section on the realities of caregivers themselves, as well as some of the psychosocial experiences of being a care recipient. The author does note at the end of the section that there is much literature that exists on caregiving itself, and that perspectives of care recipients is lacking, which is an important note and gives us an opportunity to expand the literature and knowledge in this area.
Chapter six addresses death, grief, loss, and loneliness. The author explains that it is not necessarily the idea of death itself that is a problem, “ . . . rather the timing of the death” (de Medeiros, 2017, p. 123). This can influence the grief and mourning process for family and friends. Citing Vincent (2003), the author explains that pro-longevity movements and the idea of postponement of death have influenced the meaning of “old age” and its ties to illness and decline (de Medeiros, 2017). She goes on to explain the concept of generativity and finding meaning from one’s life as a way to maintain a sense of permanence. The author briefly describes elder suicide and end-of-life care, as she explains that it is covered more fully in further research literature. This is another area where I would have appreciated a bit more content on these topics.
Chapters seven through nine further address social issues such as location, place, financing older age, as well as narrative and creativity. The author discusses social stratification and its influence on the experience of the aging person as well as the society around them. In chapter eight which focuses on finances, the author provides in-depth information on work and employment, as well as retirement. I found this chapter to be unnecessarily lengthy as it integrated detail from many other countries, which was challenging to put into context and make meaning of. Finally, in chapter nine, the author outlines concepts of creativity and narrative related to aging. It is clear that this is the author’s passion as she offers in-depth detail on creative interventions and cites her previous research contributions. I can appreciate her level of passion in this area and interest to bring it to the fore, given that is in an emerging concept. However, I am not sure that the level of detail in this particular chapter is consistent with the remainder of the book, given how other, more pressing issues were not covered in this level of detail. It is, however, a positive note on which to end the book.
This is a much-needed contribution to the literature for individuals who seek to understand key topics related to aging but who are not interested in a daunting task such as reading an entire textbook or peer-reviewed journal articles. This book is separated into topics for easy, focused reading, especially, if one is interested in a particular topic for reference purposes. Much like a textbook or encyclopedia, The Short Guide to Aging and Gerontology offers robust sections of citations and further reading at the end of each chapter. This provides a user-friendly way for readers to pursue topics that are of interest to them that might have otherwise been addressed only briefly in the chapter itself. The author acknowledges in each section that further research is necessary, although one could argue that this is necessary in almost every discipline. The author also acknowledges at the beginning of the book and throughout that given its scope (a short guide), the ability to explore topics in-depth will be limited.
The author acknowledges that the book is written with a Western focus, which she considers a limitation. However, throughout the book she includes many references to countries around the world and their populations’ experiences of aging. Given the overview on the back side of the book, and this note about a Western focus in the introduction, I was not expecting as much information about aging in other areas of the world as was included. Overall, it was an asset to the book.
Although there were areas where I would have appreciated more content, I did find the book useful and approachable. I intend to suggest this book to my clients as well as community members who are interested in aging and gerontology and who would like a focused, limited exploration of many topics. I will encourage them to seek further resources as interested, making use of the robust citations and further reading sections at the end of each chapter. I am excited to see a book of this style and quality available in the literature, especially for individuals who might otherwise not receive this information in such an organized, comprehensive fashion.