Main description:

This book started its life during a symposium we organised on Quality of Life in Old Age at the Fifth Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) in Frankfurt in July 2003. We are extremely grateful to Alex Michalos for sponsoring that session, encouraging us to use the symposium presentations as the basis for a book and for his support during the commissioning and editing process. We are also very grateful to the authors of this volume for the prompt delivery of their manuscripts and responses to our editorial comments. Finally our special thanks to Marg Walker for her expert and efficient preparation of the manuscript for publication. Heidrun Mollenkopf Alan Walker Heidelberg Sheffield ix SECTION I UNDERSTANDING QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLD AGE ALAN WALKER AND HEIDRUN MOLLENKOPF 1. INTERNATIONAL AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLD AGE Conceptual issues Quality of life (QoL) is a multidimensional, holistic construct assessed from many different perspectives and by many disciplines. Moreover, the concept of QoL can be applied to practically all important domains of life. Thus, QoL research has to include social, environmental, structural, and health-related aspects, and be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective. This holds even more when QoL in old age is the focus because ageing itself is a multidimensional process.

Feature:

Comprehensive, covers essential components of quality of life

International and multidisciplinary perspectives

Authors are leading experts in the field

First volume of this kind

Practical and theoretical aspects

Contents:

Preface, Heidrun Mollenkopf and Alan Walker.- Section I - Understanding Quality of Life in Old Age.- 1. International and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Quality of Life in Old Age: Conceptual Issues, Alan Walker and Heidrun Mollenkopf.- 2. Quality of Life in Older Age - What Older People Say. Are We Measuring the Right Things?, Ann Bowling.- Section II - Key Aspects of Quality of Life.- 3. Well-being, Control and Ageing - an Empirical Assessment, Svein Olav Daatland and Thomas Hansen.- 4. Social Resources, Toni C. Antonucci and Kristine J. Ajrouch.- 5. Economic Resources and Subjective Well-Being in Old Age, Manuela Weidekamp-Maicher and Gerhard Naegele.- 6. Quality of Life in Old Age, Inequality and Welfare Sate Reform - an Empirical Comparison between Norway, Germany and England, Andreas Motel-Klingebiel.- 7. Environmental Aspects of Quality of Life in Old Age: Conceptual and Empirical Issues, Hans-Werner Wahl, Heidrun Mollenkopf, Frank Oswald and Christiane Claus. 8. The Environments of Ageing in the Context of the Global Quality of Life Among the Elderly Living in Family Housing, Fermina Rojo-Pérez, Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas, Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez and José-Manuel Rojo-Albuín.- 9. Perceived Environmental Stress, Depression, and Quality of Life In Older, Low Income, Minority Urban Adults Housing, William B. Disch, Jean J. Schensul, Kim E. Radda and Julie T. Robison.- 10. Ageing Scenario and Quality of Life in Asia and Europe - A Comparative Sociological Appraisal., Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi.- 11. Ethnicity and Quality of Life, Neena L. Chappell.- 12. Health and Quality of Life, Dorly Deeg.- 13. Care-related Quality of Life: Concept and Empirical Exploration, Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper and andrew Sixsmith.- Section III - Conclusions and Outlook.- 14. Quality of Life in Old Age: Synthesis and Future Perspectives, Heidrun Mollenkopf and Alan Walker.