This second edition employs a communication perspective to examine the aging process and the ability of individuals
to adapt successfully to aging. It continues the groundbreaking work of the first edition, emphasizing a life-span
approach toward understanding the social interaction that occurs during later life. The edition provides a comprehensive
update on the existing and emerging research within communication and aging studies, and considers such topics
as notions of successful aging, positive and negative stereotypes toward older adults, and health communication
issues. It raises awareness of the barriers facing elderly people in conversation and the importance such conversations
have in elderly people's lives. The impact of non-relational processes, such as hearing loss, are considered as
they impact relationships with others and affect the ability to age successfully.
The book is organized into 14 chapters. Each chapter is written so that the reader is presented with an exhaustive
review of the pertinent and recent literature from the social sciences. As in the first edition, when the literature
is empirically based, the communicative ramifications are then discussed. Readers of this volume will gain greater
understanding of the importance of their communicative relationships and how significant they remain across the
life span. Developed for students in communication, psychology, nursing, social gerontology, sociology, and related
areas, Communication and Aging provides important insights on communication to all who are affected by the aging
process.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Communication and Aging: Pragmatic and Theoretical Considerations.
Attitudes and Ageism.
Relational Considerations.
Mass Media Use and Aging.
Mass Communication Theory and Media Portrayals of Elderly People.
Work, Leisure, and Retirement.
Aging and the Family: Marital Relationships.
Aging and the Family: Relational Lifestyle Changes.
Aging and the Family: Parents, Grandparents, and Siblings.
Friendship and Aging.
Barriers to Conversation Facing Elderly People.
Health, Communication, and Aging.
Death and Dying.
Successful Aging.
