Aging: Demographics, Health, and Health Services

The "graying of America" is perhaps the most significant demographic event of recent times. Health care and nutrition have improved, and baby boomers reaching middle age and retirement will influence American society both now and in the years to come. Vierck and Hodges present vital statistics on aging Americans in a readable and interesting format, describing trends, offering insights, and providing a framework for understanding the data. More than 250 tables, graphs, and charts provide carefully selected and presented information on: - The size and growth of the older population - Life expectancy - Health risks and practices - Nutrition - Chronic conditions and common health problems among the aged - Mental health - Prescription and over-the-counter drugs - Long-term care (both home and nursing home) - Hospice care - Death - Paying for health care This book includes many previously unpublished data sources, and Vierck and Hodges offer analytical support to clarify the vast amount of information. Comprehensive analyses, for example, were conducted on newly available nursing home, home health care, and hospice care data, and an extensive interpretation of nutrition data by Kris Hodges provides new perspectives on the nutritional status of the elderly. The book, divided into 16 chapters on different aspects of aging and health, will be useful to gerontologists, geriatricians, health policy analysts, researchers, librarians and information specialists, marketing professionals, journalists, students, and others doing research on aging, health, and health services.Kris Hodges is the author of 'Aging: Demographics, Health, and Health Services', published 2003 under ISBN 9781573565479 and ISBN 1573565474.