Somehow I have stumbled into being a subject under study. I am now an ‘older person’, officially ‘in later life’ and the subject of this collection of papers edited by Mima Cattan. Attendants at the box office no longer ask if I want a concessionary ticket – they just give me one – and I feel the indignity when a couple of people recently offered me their seat on a crowded bus. I am officially old and have become very interested to read what can be done to maintain my mental health and wellbeing over the next few years. I should also declare other interests in the subject matter of this book as I have worked as an NHS doctor for almost 40 years, often attempting to help people understand the changes in their mental and physical health as they get older. The collection of papers assembled by Cattan is, of course, not intended to be a self-help manual and I do not expect practical advice from this source, but neither did I expect to feel personally under such scrutiny. This collection seems to consider older people as ‘them’ and most of the papers take a detached and, dare I say it, formulaic route in an attempt to craft a response to some very real and human challenges. Yes, how can we all have a more meaningful and interesting time as we get older? I suspect that the answer is exactly the same for people at every stage in their lifecourse, in every social class and in every country throughout the world. Just because I am getting older I do not need anything different from the times when I was younger. Good health, sufficient money, lots of social interactions, physical and mental exercise – that sort of thing.

The book is organised so that readers can focus on those specific aspects of mental health promotion in old age that particularly interest them. After an Introduction by Mima Cattan, Gill Windle addresses the question, ‘What is mental health and mental well being?’ Further matters concerning theoretical and policy issues are discussed in chapters by Sylvia Tilford, Jill Manthorpe and Steve Iliffe. The next three chapters by Suzanne Moffatt, Denise Forte, Angela Clow and Liz Aitchison look at specific issues that may challenge mental health and stability in later life, namely work, retirement and money, relationships and keeping active. A final substantive chapter by Maureen Mickus and Tom Owen looks at ‘Coping, choice and control’ before a concluding chapter by Mima Cattan reviews all the issues raised in the preceding chapters.

So should ‘older people’ as a category be singled out as the subject of study and academic discourse? Are we really a different category that needs to be observed through the eyes of gerontologists, health promoters and sociologists? I expect that the answer the authors of this collection want to hear is ‘yes’, but does the format and content of this collection of papers add anything to the sum of knowledge about the subjects they have chosen for study. This collection relies on reviews and summaries of other people's research. Each chapter attempts to summarise the current state of knowledge about rather predictable topics such as ‘relationships’, ‘keeping active’ and so on, and most contributors are able to set these concerns in an environmental and policy context. The outcome from reading each chapter, and from the totality of the collected papers, is one of comprehensiveness rather than comprehension or any particularly new insights or challenges to the currently accepted norm. Of course local and national policy has to be adjusted to meet the requirements of the changing demographic, and of course older people need to be part of the planning for our own lives and involved in every aspect of contemporary society. Moreover, we certainly need to keep active and in contact with as many networks as possible. The formula within each of the chapters seems to arrive at conclusions that are as obvious as this while opportunities are missed to study in more detail those philosophical questions relating to the fundamental nature of ageing or indeed mental health.

The collected papers are resolutely upbeat and there is virtually no discussion of some of the challenges that do, statistically at least, happen increasingly with passing years. Yes, what about mental health and wellbeing when you or your partner has a long-term illness? Does nutrition have a role in the way our brains function as we get older? Should the problems associated with cognitive decline be so studiously ignored as in this collection? I believe that there are other serious omissions. First, there does not appear to be any discussion about keeping mentally healthy when actually faced with major mental health stressors such as loss and grief that are, unfortunately, a feature of later life for so many people. Also new, technological approaches to some of the identified problems remained unmentioned. Can electronic forms of communication help people who would otherwise be lonely and isolated? Are there technical fixes for some of the problems associated with getting older? In particular, is there any evidence that the brain can be trained by use of computer software to remain flexible and thereby improve mental health in later life? Does neuroscience have anything to tell us about maintaining mental health and wellbeing as the years tick by? Throughout the book I was waiting for some discussion about caring and being cared for, and about the impact that either or both might have on mental health and wellbeing. From an academic point of view, I would also have appreciated some detailed discussion about researching the subject of mental health and wellbeing in later life. Were there really no problems with the research papers discussed and referenced throughout the collection? What research would be necessary to find out more about the issues under discussion? I am afraid the book leaves all these questions largely unanswered.