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As the world experiences a rapid increase in the aging population, it is essential to address the challenges and opportunities that arise as a result. This book explores the significant impact of aging on individual well-being, societal welfare systems, and the global economy. By examining the multifaceted aspects of aging, demography and welfare, the book aims to provide a comprehensive and critical narrative to navigating these challenges and achieving better outcomes for both older individuals and society as a whole. The book has a critical approach running through it; despite this, there is a need to do something with the critical questions and focus on sustainable solutions to problems and issues an aging population poses to researchers, policy makers and older people themselves. In essence, the primary purpose of this book is to shed light on the complexities surrounding aging, demography and its intersection with welfare systems. By delving into various perspectives, such as social, economic, and healthcare considerations, this book highlights the holistic understanding needed to address the challenges associated with an aging population effectively.

"This book analyses contemporary health, care and aging developments in the western world through a conceptual lens that is utilised by innovative postmodern tools and differential theories. In the current socio-economic climate in the UK, for example, health and social care are at a crossroads with implications for how service users needs are being met or not, how assessment encroaches on power and surveillance and the extent to which service users 'voice' is being translated into the health and social care policy and practices. This book is one of the first to develop new perspectives deriving from postmodernism in the application of health and social care policy, theory and practice. The book draws heavily on novel insights from social gerontology as it is older people predominantly who access health and care services; adding a postmodern perspective to understanding health and care."

Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- Chapter 1: Introduction: What Is Aging? -- 1.1 Populational Aging -- 1.2 The Biomedical Model: Biological and Psychological Aging-Science of Aging? -- 1.3 The Dark Side of Biomedical Assumptions: A Critical Analysis -- 1.4 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 2: Social Constructions of Aging: Theoretical Excursions -- 2.1 The Gaze of Functionalist Gerontology -- 2.2 Disengagement Theory -- 2.3 Activity Theory -- 2.4 Political Economy of Old Age -- 2.5 Feminist Interpretations of Aging and Gender -- 2.6 "Race" and Aging -- 2.7 Sexuality and Aging -- References -- Chapter 3: Risk and Aging -- 3.1 Risk, Work, and Pensions: A Recalibration -- 3.2 Population Aging and Risk -- 3.3 Extending Working Lives -- 3.4 Conclusion: Aging, Welfare, and Risk-Lessons for Critical Understanding -- References -- Chapter 4: Postmodern Sociology and Aging -- 4.1 The Development of Postmodern Social Theory -- 4.2 Theorizing the Aging Body -- 4.3 Popular Culture and the Aging Body -- 4.4 The Gendered Aging Body -- 4.5 Biotechnology and the Body: Reinventing Aging? -- 4.6 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 5: The Management of Aging in the Dark Side of Modernity -- 5.1 Problematizing Aging -- 5.2 Why Foucault? -- 5.3 The "Gaze" of Medical Power -- 5.4 "Surveillance" and the "Mixed Economy of Welfare" -- 5.5 Normalization and the Probe of Assessment -- 5.6 Resisting Domination? -- 5.7 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6: "It Could Happen to Me": Victimization and Aging -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Connecting "Old Age," Victimology, and Crime -- 6.3 Victimization and Old Age: An Overview of the Literature -- References -- Chapter 7: Elder Abuse and Aging -- 7.1 What Is Elder Abuse? -- 7.2 The Modern "Discovery" of Elder Abuse -- 7.3 Foucault and Relevance to Elder Abuse -- 7.4 Care Management -- 7.5 Panopticism -- 7.6 Conclusion.

This book presents a critical analysis and examination of the major theories and social issues in the social construction of aging and death. It is concerned with the impact of death and places how our experiences of death are transformed by the roles that truth and discourse about aging play in everyday life. A major element of the book is an examination of the way in which groups and individuals employ specific representations of mortality in order to construct meaning and purpose for life and death. To accentuate this, the book provides an investigation into the social construction of death practices across time and space. Special attention is given to the notion of death as a socially accomplished phenomenon grounded in a unique sociological introduction to the meaning of death throughout history to the present. The purpose of this book is to critically inform debates concerning the abstract and empirical features of death examined through the lens of sociological perspectives. This book explores the emergent biomedical dominance relating to ageing and death. An alternative is advocated which re-interprets ageing for Graduate schools. This innovative book explores the concept, history and theory of aging and its relationship to death. Traditionally, many books have focused on older people dying of 'natural causes', a biomedical explanatory framework. This book looks at alternative social theories and experiences with aging and relate to death in different countries, victims, crime, imprisonment and institutional care. Are these deaths avoidable? If so, what are the solutions the book addresses. This is one of the first books that re-interprets aging and its relationship of examples of death. It will be of essential reading for graduate students and researchers in understanding these different examples of aging and death across the globe.

Intro -- Foucault and Modern Society -- Foucault and Modern Society -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Introduction: The Relevance of Michel Foucault -- Chapter 2 -- Foucault and Social Science -- Introduction -- Tools for Thinking -- Archaeology -- Genealogy -- The Making of the Modern Subject -- Classification Practices -- Dividing Practices -- Self-Subjectification Practices -- Subjectivity: Three Domains -- The Body -- The Population -- The Individual -- Chapter 3 -- Foucault, Governmentality and Helping Professions -- The Power of Michel Foucault -- Modern Social Work in England -- Social Work and Surveillance -- Social Work, Power and Discretion -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4 -- Foucault's Impact: Butler, Performance and Social Work -- Introduction -- Performance in Social Relations -- Rethinking Power and Resistance -- Performativity and Professionalisation -- 'A Professional Performance': Social Work, Knowledge and Subjection -- Chapter 5 -- Foucault and Surveillance -- Foucauldian Studies -- Re-Applying Foucault to Power/Knowledge Manifestations -- Power -- Prisons, Risk and Consumerism -- Surveillance and Old Age -- Normalising Aging -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6 -- Conclusion -- Summary -- References -- Author's Contact Information -- Index -- Blank Page.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Introduction: The New Sociology of Aging -- The Gaze of Functionalist Gerontology -- Disengagement Theory -- Activity Theory -- Political Economy of Old Age and the Politics of Distribution -- Feminist Interpretations of Aging and Gender -- Gender and Marginality in Old Age -- Race and Aging -- Sexuality and Aging -- Concluding Comments to Introduction -- The Sociology of Risky Aging -- Risk, Work and Pensions: A Recalibration -- Population Ageing and Risk -- Extending Working Lives -- Conclusion: Ageing, Welfare and Risk - Lessons for Critical Understanding -- Postmodern Sociology and Aging -- The Development of Postmodern Social Theory -- Theorizing the Aging Body -- Popular Culture and the Aging Body -- The Gendered Aging Body -- Biotechnology and the Body: Reinventing Aging? -- Conclusion -- Towards A Social Methodology in Sociological Gerontology -- Neoliberalism, Aging, and the Family -- Social Democracy, Aging, and the Family -- "Grand-Parenting" Policy -- Sociology of Aging and Personalisation -- Introduction -- The Rise of Personalisation and Care -- Surveillance, Personalisation and Care -- The Technologies of Care Management to facilitate Personalisation? -- The Panoptic Culture -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Demographics, Poverty and Ageism -- Demographics -- Poverty -- Ageism -- The Analytical Framework of Governmentality -- Policy Constructs -- Integrating Health and Social Services: Policy and Older People -- References -- About the Author -- Index -- Blank Page.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Introduction -- Chapter 2 -- Globalization and Inequality -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Global Poverty and Inequality -- Globalization and Reformulation of Economic Power -- Globalization and the Social Contract -- Corollaries of Public Policy: Making Sense of Social Welfare in Global Arena -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3 -- Globalization and Aging -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Aging Populations in the Americas -- Aging in Asia -- The Populational Structure of Europe -- Populational Aging in Africa -- The Social and Economic Challenges of Global Aging -- Chapter 4 -- Global Issues of Aging in China -- Abstract -- From "Global Aging" to "Aging in China" -- Where Does the Ambivalence to Aging Come From? -- Bio-Medicine, Family Care, and Aging: Implications for China -- Declining to Decline-Active Aging? -- Conclusion -- Chapter 5 -- The State, Trust and Aging in China -- Abstract -- Introduction -- What Is Trust? -- Trust and China: An Historiography -- Trust and Aging in Contemporary China -- Governmentality, Trust and Self-Actualization -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6 -- The Biomedicalization of Aging in China? -- Where Does the Ambivalence to Aging Come from? -- Bio-Medicine, Family Care, and Aging: Implications for China -- Declining to Decline-Active Aging? -- Conclusion -- Conclusion: Directions for Older Populations -- Americas -- Asia -- Europe -- Africa -- References -- Index -- Blank Page

Intro -- Contents -- Chapter 1 -- Introduction: The Dominance of Biomedicine and Colonisisation of Life Course -- The Bio-Medical Model: Biological and Psychological Aging - Science of Aging? -- The Dark Side of Bio-Medical Assumptions -- Conclusion -- Chapter 2 -- The Global Context of Aging -- Introduction -- Global Aging -- Americas -- Europe -- Africa -- Chapter 3 -- Age, Professional Power and Social Policy in the United Kingdom -- The Disciplinary Focus of Old Age -- Functionalist Analysis of Old Age -- Political Economy of Old Age -- Feminization of Old Age -- Foucault and Old Age: A New Domain of Theorizing Aging -- Introducing Foucauldian Gerontology -- A History of the Present: The Rise of Social Work with Older People -- From Social Work to Care Management -- Social Policy for Older People in the United Kingdom -- A Foucauldian Analysis of Social Policy for Older People: The Case of the NHS and Community Care Act -- The Foucauldian Notion of Governmentality -- Examples of Implementing Policy and Practice for Older People -- Chapter 4 -- Aging, Foucault and the Life Course -- Introduction -- The Power of Michel Foucault -- Modern Social Work in England -- Social Work and Surveillance -- Social Work, Power and Discretion -- Conclusion -- Chapter 5 -- Trust, the Life Course and Social Relations -- Navigating the Conceptual Complexity of Trust -- Trust: Individuals, Organisations, Community and Systems -- Implications of Trust in Health and Social Care -- Linking Professional Authority with Trust and Governmentality -- Constructing Professional Authority Through Governmentality -- Conclusion -- Neoliberalism, Aging, and the Family -- Social Democracy, Aging, and the Family -- "Grand-Parenting" Policy -- Towards Diverse Narrative Streams? -- Conclusion -- References -- Author's Contact Information -- Index -- Blank Page

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Introduction: The Social Construction of Aging and Old Age -- The Gaze of Functionalist Gerontology -- Disengagement Theory -- Activity Theory -- Political Economy of Old Age and the Politics of Distribution -- Feminist Interpretations of Aging and Gender -- Gender and Marginality in Old Age -- Chapter 2 -- Race and Aging -- Sexuality and Aging -- Conclusion: Deconstructing Modernist Theories of Aging -- Risk, Work and Pensions: A Recalibration -- Population Aging and Risk -- Extending Working Lives -- Conclusion: Aging, Welfare and Risk - Lessons for Critical Understanding -- Chapter 3 -- Theorizing Embodiment, Postmodernism and Aging -- The Development of Postmodern Social Theory -- Theorizing the Aging Body -- Popular Culture and the Aging Body -- The Gendered Aging Body -- Biotechnology and the Body: Reinventing Aging? -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4 -- Towards a Narrative Gerontology -- Neoliberalism, Aging, and the Family -- Social Democracy, Aging, and the Family -- "Grand-Parenting" Policy -- Towards Diverse Narrative Streams? -- Chapter 5 -- Aging, Personalisation and Power Relations -- Introduction -- The Rise of Personalisation and Care -- 'Taking Aim' at Personalisation -- Surveillance, Personalisation and Care -- The Technologies of Care Management to Facilitate Personalisation? -- The Panoptic Culture -- Conclusion -- References -- Author's Contact Information -- Index -- Blank Page

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction - What Is Aging? -- What Is Aging? -- The Bio-Medical Model: Biological and Psychological Aging - Science of Ageing? -- The Dark Side of Bio-Medical Assumptions: A Critical Analysis -- Conclusion -- The Management of Aging in the Dark Side of Modernity -- Problematizing Ageing -- Why Foucault? -- The 'Gaze' of Medical Power -- 'Surveillance' and the 'Mixed Economy of Welfare' -- Normalisation and the Probe of Assessment -- Resisting Domination? -- Post-Millennium - A Road to Nowhere? -- Victimisation and Aging -- Introduction -- Connecting 'Old Age', Victimology and the Fear of Crime -- Victimisation and Old Age: An Overview of the Literature -- Concluding Remarks -- Elder Abuse and Aging -- Introduction -- The Rise of Personalisation -- 'Taking Aim' at Personalization -- Foucault and Surveillance -- The Technologies of Care Management to Facilitate Personalisation? -- The Panoptic Culture -- Conclusion -- Death, Culture and Aging -- Introduction -- Understanding Michel Foucault -- Archaeology and Death -- Genealogy and Death -- Conclusion -- References -- Author's Contact Information -- Index -- Blank Page