Health and Cognition in Old Age: From Biomedical and Life Course Factors to Policy and Practice (International Perspectives on Aging Book 10)

In recent years, the aim of research on aging has shifted from prolonging life to fostering healthy and cognitively robust old age. In order to improve the quality of life of older people, we need to better understand cognitive aging as well as bodily aging. __Health and Cognition in Old Age__ assembles the cream of research across varied medical, mental health, and social disciplines, and demonstrates how this knowledge can lead to improved outcomes for older people. The first half of this expert volume discusses biomedical and life course factors in aging, particularly as they affect cognition and well-being in later life. From there, effective solutions are the focus: interventions and care programs to improve mental functioning and general quality of life, and current policy and practice ideas in promoting healthy, active, and cognitively robust aging. Together, these diverse chapters offer a multi-faceted approach to understanding and modifying what was formerly the inevitable course of growing old. A sampling of the coverage: * How the aging process affects the immune system. * Occupational gerontology – work-related determinants of old age health and functioning. * Social, behavioral, and contextual influences on cognitive function and decline. * Lifestyle factors in the prevention of dementia. * Understanding long-term care outcomes: conventional and behavioral economics. * Social capital, mental well-being, and loneliness in older people. For gerontologists, sociologists, social workers, health psychologists, and others working to improve older people’s lives, __Health and Cognition in Old Age__ brings expertise, versatility, and confidence to the table. Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Perspectives on Health and Cognition in Old Age: Why We Need Multidisciplinary Investigations....Pages 1-7 Front Matter....Pages 9-9 Vascular Aging: Revealing the Role and Clinical Perspectives of the Urokinase System....Pages 11-24 Impact of Metabolic Control on Cognitive Function and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Diabetics....Pages 25-40 Understanding the Mechanisms of Immune System Aging: Immune System Cell Development and Antibody Repertoires....Pages 41-53 How the Aging Process Affects Our Immune System: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Perspectives for Intervention....Pages 55-69 A Conflict of Interpretations in Gerontology....Pages 71-86 Front Matter....Pages 87-87 Occupational Gerontology: Work-Related Determinants of Old Age Health and Functioning....Pages 89-104 Social, Behavioral, and Contextual Influences on Cognitive Function and Decline over the Life Course....Pages 105-122 Obesity, Cognitive Ageing, and Dementia: The Usefulness of Longitudinal Studies to Understand the Obesity Paradox....Pages 123-140 Models for Predicting Risk of Dementia: Predictive Accuracy and Model Complexity....Pages 141-159 Lifestyle Factors in the Prevention of Dementia: A Life Course Perspective....Pages 161-175 Front Matter....Pages 177-177 Understanding Long-Term Care Outcomes: The Contribution of Conventional and Behavioral Economics....Pages 179-199 Alzheimer’s Disease, Patients, and Informal Caregivers: Patterns of Care in France, Sweden, and Greece....Pages 201-217 Implementation of a Complex Improvement Program in Aged Care....Pages 219-231 Can Executive Functions Be Trained in Healthy Older Adults and in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment?....Pages 233-243 Front Matter....Pages 245-245 A Master’s Degree in One’s Fifties: A Way to Stay Active Beyond the Retirement Age....Pages 247-258 Perspectives on Dynamic Retirement and Active Ageing....Pages 259-276 Social Capital, Mental Well-Being, and Loneliness in Older People....Pages 277-290 Reading Metres: Vision, Instrumentation and Evaluation in Voluntary Post-licence Training for Older Drivers....Pages 291-304 Social Policies for Old Age: A Story of Shifting Images and Time Lag....Pages 305-320 Back Matter....Pages 321-329 "In recent years, the aim of research on aging has shifted from prolonging life to fostering healthy and cognitively robust old age. In order to improve the quality of life of older people, we need to better understand cognitive aging as well as bodily aging. Health and Cognition in Old Age assembles the cream of research across varied medical, mental health, and social disciplines, and demonstrates how this knowledge can lead to improved outcomes for older people. The first half of this expert volume discusses biomedical and life course factors in aging, particularly as they affect cognition and well-being in later life. From there, effective solutions are the focus: interventions and care programs to improve mental functioning and general quality of life, and current policy and practice ideas in promoting healthy, active, and cognitively robust aging. Together, these diverse chapters offer a multi-faceted approach to understanding and modifying what was formerly the inevitable course of growing old. A sampling of the coverage: How the aging process affects the immune system. Occupational gerontology - work-related determinants of old age health and functioning. Social, behavioral, and contextual influences on cognitive function and decline. Lifestyle factors in the prevention of dementia. Understanding long-term care outcomes: conventional and behavioral economics. Social capital, mental well-being, and loneliness in older people. For gerontologists, sociologists, social workers, health psychologists, and others working to improve older people's lives, Health and Cognition in Old Age brings expertise, versatility, and confidence to the table"--Provided by publisher