Provides a contemporary approach to the study of aging, emphasizing the life course perspective, particularly in Chapter 3, "Life Course Transitions."
Includes a distinctive chapter, "Caring for the Frail Elderly" (Chapter 10), which examines family and institutional care options.
Incorporates "In Their Own Words" essays in each chapter, adding human interest through vivid first-person accounts of various aspects of the aging experience.
Includes boxed essays in each chapter that provide students with a broad perspective on how aging processes vary by race, ethnicity, gender, and region.