This is the ideal resource for rehabilitation professionals who are working with or preparing to work with older adults! It describes the normal aging process, illustrates how health and social factors can impede an aging person's abilities, and demonstrates how to develop mechanisms for maximizing the well-being of older adults.This resource incorporates terminology and concepts that reflect the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, adopted in May 2002 by the American Occupational Therapy Association Representative Assembly. It provides a broad context in which to understand the client from a historical, cultural, biological, and social perspective. It uses an interdisciplinary approach, with contributions from occupational, physical, and speech therapists; social workers; psychologists; and anthropologists. It reviews assessment and intervention strategies to enable older adults to sustain meaningful engagement in valued life activities.It discusses technological advances, public policy, family, and inter-professional factors. It addresses self-care, work, and leisure from the perspective of aging - topics rarely discussed in gerontology textbooks. It contains chapters on sexuality, wellness, community-based care, driving, and theories of aging. It includes pedagogical features, such as chapter objectives, chapter review questions, and a comprehensive glossary.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction; Growing Old in Today's World; Theories of Aging; Meaningful Occupation in Later Life; II. Impact of Normal Aging and Interruptions in Function; Section 1. Impact of Normal Aging; Cardiovascular and Pulmonary; Function; Sensory Function; Neuromusculoskeletal and Movement Function; Mental Function; Section 2. Interruptions in Function; Falls; Dementia; Depression; Section 3 Activities and Participation; Self-care; Leisure; Work and Retirement; Community Mobility; Interactions and Relationships; Sexuality; Section 4. Service Delivery; Evaluation; Wellness and Health Promotion; Community-based Care; Home Health; Rehabilitation; Long-term Care; III. Context; Culture and Aging; Products and Technology; Elder Abuse; End of Life; Glossary.