Health in the Later Years

by Armeda F. Ferrini, Rebecca L. Ferrini

"Health in the Later Years" is designed for college students, both undergraduate and graduate, in diverse fields of study, particularly those planning a career in health and human services. The text provides a comprehensive, scientific approach to health related topics affecting elders and those who care for them. Included are chapters that address the major influences on the health of older persons: demography, chronic and acute illnesses, mental health and disorders, medication use, physical activity and nutrition, sexuality, health promotion, medical and long term care, and death and dying, among others. The text takes a "whole person" approach to health including ample attention to cultural differences, psycho-social, economic, and cohort differences.

Genres: Psychology

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Alejandro Teruel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I´ve just finished the second edition from 1993 -the current edition (2012) is the fifth.

This is one of those encyclopedic undergraduate textbooks which covers a lot of ground. Its fourteen chapters cover myths and facts about U.S. elders (ageism, demographic profile of elders, ethnic elders), biological aging theories, age changes, chronic illnesses, acute illnesses and accidents, medication use, mental health and illness, nutrition, physical activity and exercise promotion, sexuality, medical care, long-term care , death, dying and grief. It includes text and photographic insets, and each chapter provides a summary, suggested student activities and a bibliography.

An ambitious undertaking, occasionally a little too brief (some ten therapies for mental illnesses are dispatched in two pages, for example), sometimes it is easy to get lost in the mass of details (do we really need to know about all the kinds of vitamin Bs?), and the on-the-hand and on-the-other-hands of competing theories or recommendations, sometimes there are sterling common-sense recommendations.

I found it an interesting book to dip into at leisure, but if I were a student I would hate to be quizzed on it -however, I would love to research many of the suggested activities.

Since the field of geriatrics and gerontology has mushroomed in the US -not to mention Europe- I would highly recommend any reader to go straight for the most recent edition of the book.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was for my Aspects of Health in Aging class from Concordia, Seward. Health is such an important subject that we too often take for granted until we lose it. And there is much that can be done to improve our health, especially our health in later years. Much of what can be done includes exercise and diet and many of us don't do a good job at that - chief of sinners, that is me! The book gives a complete package of health issues in many different aspects, although it doesn't cover the spiritual side hardly at all. It is not a religious textbook but a secular one and some isssues might be treated differently by a Lutheran. But this is a good book and will be a continuing resource to get more information about health items.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a text book ... so probably not your average fun reading. But this class was all about health things that change with aging. My own parents are in a nursing home, my mother-in-law lives across the street and will be 80 this year, and my husband is disabled. And ... I am almost 60 ... so I myself have experienced many of the things discussed in this book. I found the entire book to be helpful, easy to read and understand, well organized if I wanted to look up a particular thing, and all around enjoyable. The class was great, and I am really glad I got to take this book.