Handbook of Gerontological Services

By Monka and Abraham Monk

Gerontological and geriatric specializations are emerging in practically all human service professions, which is not surprising when we consider that American society is undergoing what Cowgill (1977) termed a "revolution of age," an unprecedented decline of mortality and fertility rates. The net effects are obvious: as few children are born and more adults survive into advanced senescence, the elderly are becoming a proportionally larger segment of society. Moreover, the average life expectancy is inching up relentlessly toward the ninth decade of life, and it is no longer uncommon to find two generations in retirement within the same family lineage. Retirement itself is a novel institution. It has created a life-style based upon economically non-producing leisure roles that may eventually encompass a good third of a person's life span.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231069022
• ISBN13: 9780231069021
• Release Date: April 1990
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 696 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher