This book provides a comprehensive overview of intersectionality of aging, place, and health for students studying in gerontological rehabilitation field. It is intended for use by students and practitioners working in senior living facilities, and by researchers focusing on aging topics from interdisciplinary perspectives. The book applies an ecological model to elucidate gerontology rehabilitation needs resources across the life courses, and employs the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (WHO; ICF). The book is organized into four sections: (1) Background, (2) Aging, Health, and Function, (3) Conduct and Analysis, and (4) Translation and Future Directions.
The Background section entails three chapters aimed to introduce the significance of an ecological approach in understanding the aging process and related rehabilitation support needs. It communicates the trends of aging and research focused on chronological age, place people living in, and consequential health status. The authors further illustrate the importance of the life-course theory in comprehending aging and cite examples from environmental, biological, and demographical factors that contribute to the health status in later year life.
The Aging, Health, and Function section consists of eight chapters including survival and mortality, late-life mobility, cognitive functioning, depression, comorbidity, frailty and geriatric syndromes, falls, and traffic-related injuries and death. Each chapter begins with either a report of updated statistics or a demonstration of current developments in the fields. Information is well delivered via subgrouping titles from definitions to examples, and then to conclusions.
The Conduct and Analysis and Translational research sections comprise five chapters about research methodology and relevant statistical models, social and behavioural interventions, and current and future implication directions. The two sections apply the ecological model applied in the book to the gerontology-related topics studied, making this book a handy reference tool for researchers when conducting aging research.
This book utilizes a variety of instructional features such a highlight boxes (named Pearls) to surprise the readers with heuristic comments, quotations, discussions, or questions. This book also makes good use of tables, charts, graphics, and figures to facilitate understanding of the materials presented. It also exploits an analogy between the process of suitable statistical model selection and navigation with a roadmap.
The breadth or coverage of this book is excellent, especially for a volume of less than 400 pages, which includes theoretical framework, aging-related facts and knowledge, and methodological suggestions for research. The major omission is a chapter on aging and disability. This book addresses aging and disabilities in a scattered way without an individual chapter committed to the aging population with disabilities, despite the fact that the aging population is 2–5 times more likely to experience disabilities compared to younger adults.
As a teaching resource, this book supplies comprehensive information regarding all the topics it covers. Students in senior-level undergraduate studies report enjoyable reading experience and ease of completing class research projects by applying the research methodologies proposed in this book. Practitioners in the aging field would also appreciate the facts and statistics presented in this book as those materials are reflecting the most current developments and health support intervention strategies for the aging population.
