Resilience in Aging

"Resilience is a topic in the aging literature that has for the most part been overlooked, as it has been discussed mainly in relationship to child and young adult development. Resilience is also a difficult theoretical construct to define, measure, and apply, which can limit its scientific use. Yet, geriatric practitioners everyday see clinical evidence of the resilience process , as they work with older adults, who are dealing with chronic physical health care problems, dementia, loss of meaningful relationships, and changes in activities of daily living. This book is the first collective comprehensive effort to apply the concept of resilience to older adults and such a scientific endeavor is long overdue. It examines resilience from theoretical, physiological, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual, and cultural perspectives in a variety of different contexts, and examines interventions to support and nurture resilience in older adults. It reminds us that the resilience of the human spirit, the human capacity to adapt and survive in the face of adversity, is possible at any age." (Phyllis Braudy Harris, Ph.D., Professor & Chair, Department of Sociology, and Director of the Aging Studies Program, John Carroll University; Co-editor Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research & Practice)

This is the first book to focus exclusively on resilience and the aging process. Its purpose is to provide the current scientific theory, clinical guidelines, and real-world interventions with regard to resilience as a clinical tool.

The many significant technological and medical advances of the 21^st century cannot overcome the escalating risk posed to older adults by such stressors as pain, weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory and other cognitive deficits, hearing loss, visual impairment, isolation, marginalization, and physical and mental illness. In order to overcome these and other challenges, and to maintain as high a quality of life as possible, older adults and the professionals who treat them need to promote and develop the capacity for resilience, which is innate in all of us to some degree. The purpose of this book is to provide the current scientific theory, clinical guidelines, and real-world interventions with regard to resilience as a clinical tool. To that end, the book addresses such issues as concepts and operationalization of resilience; relevance of resilience to successful aging; impact of personality and genetics on resilience; relationship between resilience and motivation; relationship between resilience and survival; promoting resilience in long-term care; and the lifespan approach to resilience.

By addressing ways in which the hypothetical and theoretical concepts of resilience can be applied in geriatric practice, Resilience in Aging provides inroads to the current knowledge and practice of resilience from the perspectives of physiology, psychology, culture, creativity, and economics. In addition, the book considers the impact of resilience on critical aspects of life for older adults such as policy issues (e.g., nursing home policies, Medicare guidelines), health and wellness, motivation, spirituality, and survival. Following these discussions, the book focuses on interventions that increase resilience. The intervention chapters include case studies and are intended to be useful at the clinical level. The book concludes with a discussion of future directions in optimizing resilience in the elderly and the importance of a lifespanapproach to aging.