Empowering Older People

Empowerment refers to the ability to make informed choices, exercise influence, make continuing contributions to society, and take advantage of services. These privileges are taken for granted by most working-age adults, but often are not available to older persons for a variety of reasons, including poverty, poor health, low educational levels, lack of transportation and access to services, negative stereotypes about aging, and overt or subtle age discrimination. Yet empowerment is vital to the quality of life of older persons and the health of society on the whole if seniors are engaged and involved members of it. This book takes an international approach by presenting the work of 17 experts in aging. Countries represented by the contributors include Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, India, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While many works address the issue of empowerment, the aging perspective is relatively rare and the international perspective entirely lacking until now. Empowering Older People presents views and research written by experts in aging from around the world. Contributions look at the need to ensure older people have control over their own lives and discuss any positive measures which are being taken to provide real opportunities and resources for the older populations. Empowerment is vital to older people's quality of life and to the health of any society, and an international perspective on the issue will inform all who work with older people. In this edited volume, the countries represented by contributors include Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, India, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.