Later Life Families

American families are growing old. That is, as demographers, gerontologists, and sociologists have discovered, more families currently reach the later stages of the family life cycle--specifically, beyond the child-rearing and the child-launching phase--than ever before. Later Life Families is an in-depth look at this relatively recent social phenomenon. After methodically reviewing the research from developmental psychology, social work, gerontology, and many other disciplines, Timothy Brubaker argues that the later life family is "alive and well" in the United States today and that these families, with their histories of long-term interaction and coping, offer an intriguing look at evolving human relationships. Older and younger family members can and do relate to each other. Still, these relationships sometimes need support and assistance, according to Brubaker. And in nontechnical language, he describes how these special family ties can be nurtured. Undergraduate and graduate students-as well as family study scholars, home economists, health-care workers, and other professionals--will find this important new work of interest. Later Life Families includes case studies, chapter summaries, review questions, and suggested research projects to facilitate student involvement. "Looking into the future, Brubaker discusses the continuity traditionally associated with later life families within those relationships. Also discussed are technology and later life families, long-term care of older family members, bureaucracy and the older family, and service delivery to later life families. "This compilation of essays discusses the older person's role within the family from several angles. Topics include long-term marriages, relationships of adult children to their elderly parents, stress in families with dependent elders, and supportive services to older persons and their families. The volume gives an overview of the older person's position as spouse, parent, sibling, and grandparent, and emphasizes the need for additional research in order to understand the complexity of family relationships in later life." --American Family "A succinctly written on book family relationships in later life and is geared to undergraduate students. . . it should be useful to teachers and others wanting to obtain quick entrance into the literature in this area of the family field. . . . A valuable resource for students with little background in later life families. Its organizational outline can serve as a valuable guide in the development of undergraduate courses and readings in family gerontology." --Educational GerontologyBrubaker, Timothy H. is the author of 'Later Life Families' with ISBN 9780803922945 and ISBN 0803922949.