Quality of Life in Old Age

About this book

This volume brings together leading researchers on quality of life in old age to focus on one of the most important issues in both gerontology and quality of life studies.

Quality of life is a holistic construct and assessed from many different perspectives and by many disciplines. Moreover, the concept of quality of life can be applied to practically all important domains of life. Thus, quality of life research has to include social, environmental, structural, and health related aspects and be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective.

There are very few texts available on this topic and none of an international and multi-disciplinary nature. Quality of life studies have neglected older people and, given the size and growth of this population, it is time to publish a volume on this topic that systematically pursues a comprehensive perspective and includes theoretical approaches and empirical findings with respect to the most important components of quality of life in old age. For these reasons and the high quality of the authors we have assembled, this will be a seminal text for both gerontology and quality of life researchers.

Written for:

Researchers, lecturers, students, practitioners in social and behavioural sciences, gerontology, social indicators and quality of life research, social policy, sociology

Table of contents

Preface, Heidrun Mollenkopf and Alan Walker.-

Section I - Understanding Quality of Life in Old Age.- 1. International and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Quality of Life in Old Age: Conceptual Issues, Alan Walker and Heidrun Mollenkopf.- 2. Quality of Life in Older Age - What Older People Say. Are We Measuring the Right Things?, Ann Bowling.-

Section II - Key Aspects of Quality of Life.- 3. Well-being, Control and Ageing - an Empirical Assessment, Svein Olav Daatland and Thomas Hansen.- 4. Social Resources, Toni C. Antonucci and Kristine J. Ajrouch.- 5. Economic Resources and Subjective Well-Being in Old Age, Manuela Weidekamp-Maicher and Gerhard Naegele.- 6. Quality of Life in Old Age, Inequality and Welfare Sate Reform - an Empirical Comparison between Norway, Germany and England, Andreas Motel-Klingebiel.- 7. Environmental Aspects of Quality of Life in Old Age: Conceptual and Empirical Issues, Hans-Werner Wahl, Heidrun Mollenkopf, Frank Oswald and Christiane Claus. 8. The Environments of Ageing in the Context of the Global Quality of Life Among the Elderly Living in Family Housing, Fermina Rojo-Pérez, Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas, Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez and José-Manuel Rojo-Albuín.- 9. Perceived Environmental Stress, Depression, and Quality of Life In Older, Low Income, Minority Urban Adults Housing, William B. Disch, Jean J. Schensul, Kim E. Radda and Julie T. Robison.- 10. Ageing Scenario and Quality of Life in Asia and Europe - A Comparative Sociological Appraisal., Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi.- 11. Ethnicity and Quality of Life, Neena L. Chappell.- 12. Health and Quality of Life, Dorly Deeg.- 13. Care-related Quality of Life: Concept and Empirical Exploration, Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper and andrew Sixsmith.-

Section III - Conclusions and Outlook.- 14. Quality of Life in Old Age: Synthesis and Future Perspectives, Heidrun Mollenkopf and Alan Walker.