A History of Old Age

A History of Old Age PDF Author: Pat Thane
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Seven contributors examine how the best thinkers and artists of each historical epoch in the West have treated old age. Full of surprising and fascinating facts, this is an uplifting companion for those who, like it or not, are beginning to understand the inevitability of their own aging process.

A History of Old Age

A History of Old Age PDF Author: Pat Thane
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 358

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seven contributors examine how the best thinkers and artists of each historical epoch in the West have treated old age. Full of surprising and fascinating facts, this is an uplifting companion for those who, like it or not, are beginning to understand the inevitability of their own aging process.

History of Suicide

History of Suicide PDF Author: Georges Minois
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
Minois concludes with comments on the most recent turn in this long and complex history--the emotional debate over euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the right to die.

The Long History of Old Age

The Long History of Old Age PDF Author: Pat Thane
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780500251263
Category : Old age
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Here is an absorbing and startlingly original illustrated study of one of the great - and most neglected - themes in all history: the ways in which society has perceived old people throughout the ages. From increased life expectancy and 'grey gap years' to dwindling pensions, the pros and cons of aging is a constant theme, yet much of the debate continues to be based on assumptions and misconceptions about the past. Is it true, for instance, that people were considered 'old' at fifty? How far have our ideas about the average life-span in previous centuries been distorted by infant mortality? Were the old respected and cared for? Did sexuality survive into old age? Here, for the first time, a group of leading historians address these and allied questions, writing vividly about a topic of great contemporary resonance that has for too long been surrounded by taboo. The visual evidence is a vital part of the story, and here the book is equally original. Drawing upon the rich legacy of art through two millennia, with works by a wide range of artists including Whistler, Rembrandt, Rego and Freud, this enthralling human story presents a picture that is sometimes compassionate, sometimes horrifying, but overall unexpectedly reassuring.

Old Age in the New Land

Old Age in the New Land PDF Author: W. Andrew Achenbaum
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421435071
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Originally published in 1978. Drawing on a wide range of sources from social, intellectual, and political history, Old Age in the New Land analyzes the changing fates and fortunes of America's elderly in the course of its history. By providing a historical perspective on society's conceptions of aging—and its effects on human lives—Achenbaum's work offers valuable insights for historians, sociologists, gerontologists, and others interested in the "graying" of America.

Old Age in the Roman World

Old Age in the Roman World PDF Author: Tim G. Parkin
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801871283
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
"Noting that privileges granted to the aged generally took the form of exemptions from duties rather than positive benefits, Tim Parkin argues that the elderly were granted no privileged status or guaranteed social role. At the same time, they were permitted - and expected - to continue to participate actively in society for as long as they were able."--BOOK JACKET.

Old Age in English History

Old Age in English History PDF Author: Pat Thane
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 9780199250240
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 536

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Book Description
At the end of the twentieth century more people are living into their seventies, eighties, nineties, and beyond, a process expected to continue well into the next millennium, This life spancould only have been dreamed of in earlier centuries; now many can expect to survive to old age in reasonably good health and remain active and independent to the end, in contrast to the high death rate, ill health, and destitution which affected all generations in the past. Yes this change is generally greeted not with triumph but with alarm. It is assumed that the longer people live, the longer they are ill and dependent, thus burdening a shrinking younger generation with the cost of pensions and health care. It is also widely believed that 'the past' saw few survivors into old age and thse could be supported by their families without involoving the tax payer. In this first survey of old age throughout English history, these assumptions are challenged. Vivid pictures are givenof the ways in which very large numbers of older people lived oftern vigorous and independent lives over many centuries. The book argues that old people have always been highly visible in English communities, and concludes that as people live longer, due to the benefits of the rise in living standards, far from being burdens they can be valuable contributors to their families and to society.

Old Age, New Science

Old Age, New Science PDF Author: Hyung Wook Park
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 082298136X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
Between 1870 and 1940, life expectancy in the United States skyrocketed while the percentage of senior citizens age sixty-five and older more than doubled—a phenomenon owed largely to innovations in medicine and public health. At the same time, the Great Depression was a major tipping point for age discrimination and poverty in the West: seniors were living longer and retiring earlier, but without adequate means to support themselves and their families. The economic disaster of the 1930s alerted scientists, who were actively researching the processes of aging, to the profound social implications of their work—and by the end of the 1950s, the field of gerontology emerged. Old Age, New Science explores how a group of American and British life scientists contributed to gerontology's development as a multidisciplinary field. It examines the foundational "biosocial visions" they shared, a byproduct of both their research and the social problems they encountered. Hyung Wook Park shows how these visions shaped popular discourses on aging, directly influenced the institutionalization of gerontology, and also reflected the class, gender, and race biases of their founders.

The Transformation of Old Age Security

The Transformation of Old Age Security PDF Author: Jill Quadagno
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226699233
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Why did the United States lag behind Germany, Britain, and Sweden in adopting a national plan for the elderly? When the Social Security Act was finally enacted in 1935, why did it depend on a class-based double standard? Why is old age welfare in the United States still less comprehensive than its European counterparts? In this sophisticated analytical chronicle of one hundred years of American welfare history, Jill Quadagno explores the curious birth of old age assistance in the United States. Grounded in historical research and informed by social science theory, the study reveals how public assistance grew from colonial-era poor laws, locally financed and administered, into a massive federal bureaucracy.

Aging and Old Age

Aging and Old Age PDF Author: Richard A. Posner
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226675688
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
Observing that people change both physically and cognitively as they age, Posner suggests that each of us has, in succession, two separate selves - younger and older - with different abilities, interests, and behaviors, an insight that helps clarify a number of issues concerning the elderly.

A New Deal for Old Age

A New Deal for Old Age PDF Author: Anne L. Alstott
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674545834
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Changes in longevity, marriage, and the workplace have undermined Social Security, making the experience of old age increasingly unequal. Anne Alstott’s pragmatic, progressive revision would permit all Americans to retire between 62 and 76 but would provide generous early retirement benefits for workers with low wages or physically demanding jobs.