Social Structures: Demographic Changes and the Well-Being of Older Persons

Significant demographic changes are altering the structure of the American population. Larger numbers of immigrants are entering the work force, will become part of our aging population, and increasingly, are providing care for the elderly. Family structures and communities are evolving as marriage, childbearing, divorce, and cohabitation trends are changing. The working population that supports the elderly, physically and economically, is also changing and will most likely become smaller and less able to support this growing population. What does this mean for the well-being of our aging population and our efforts to ensure the quality of life for our elderly now and that we will want to enjoy ourselves as we become part of this older population? In this volume Drs. Schaie and Uhlenberg and a host of leading scholars look at the current structure of the American population in an effort to determine the impact it will have on the lives of the elderly and those growing older with disabilities and chronic illness. They examine the effects of the aging baby boomers on health care, migration and immigration and how it can support or tax health care networks, cultural issues regarding access to health care, and changing cultural attitudes towards marriage and family that are affecting the relationships between the elderly and their communities.