The Futures of Old Age

am currently working on 'anti-ageing medicine', death and immortality and the insights they provide for the cultural construction of old age . These studies identify a crisis in understanding 'old age' which stems from significant advances in the control and manipulation of biological ageing. Claims to the technical ability to control the human ageing process are far from new but challenging issues about the meaning of old age arise with the prospect of significantly enhanced longevity claimed by contemporary bio-gerontology. I have written journal articles, chapters and given seminars on the significance of the biologisation of old age many of which can be accessed from this page. Chris Phillipson is Professor of Applied Social Studies and Social Gerontology at Keele University.

Introduction PART ONE: THE FUTURE OF THE LIFE COURSE Visions of Later Life - Andrew Blaikie Golden Cohort to Generation Z Future `Conflicts' across Generations and Cohorts? - Vern L Bengtson and Norella M Putney Developments in the Life Course - Dale Dannefer and Casey Miklowski PART TWO: THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION Ageing and Social Class - Alan Walker and Liam Foster An Enduring Relationship Gender and Later Life - Sara Arber Change, Choice and Constraints Ethnicity and Old Age - James Nazroo PART THREE: THE FUTURE OF RETIREMENT AND PENSIONS The Future of Inequalities in Retirement Income - Debora Price and Jay Ginn Will the Baby-Boomers be Better off than Their Parents in Retirement? - Maria Evandrou and Jane Falkingham The Future of Stock Market Pensions - Richard Minns PART FOUR: THE FUTURE FOR `SELF' IN OLD AGE Ageing Selves and Others - Simon Biggs Distinctiveness and Uniformity in the Struggle for Intergenerational Solidarity Biographical Work and the Future of the Ageing Self - Jaber F Gubrium and James A Holstein Ageing and Belief - Between Tradition and Change - Peter G Coleman, Marie A Mills and Peter Speck PART FIVE: THE FUTURE FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN OLD AGE Will Our Old Age be Healthier? - Christina Victor Is there a Better Future for People with Dementia and their Families? - Murna Downs and Errollyn Bruce The Future of Well-Being - John Bond and Lynne Corner Quality of Life of Older People in the 21st Century PART SIX: THE FUTURE OF FAMILY AND LIVING ARRANGEMENTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE The Ageing of Family Life Transitions - Sarah Harper Flying Solo in Old Age - Kate Davidson Widowed and Divorced Men and Women in Later Life Housing and Future Living Arrangements - Sheila Peace PART SEVEN: GLOBALIZATION AND THE FUTURE OF OLD AGE Anti-Ageing Science and the Future of Old Age - John Vincent Ageing and Globalization - Chris Phillipson The Future Life Course, Migration and Old Age - Tony Warnes

`The greatest strengths of this book are it's breadth of aging-related topics and its ability to provoke thought in the reader. The presentation of both British and American perspectives on elder issues will aid researchers in developing broader perspectives for their work and more sophisticated research questions. As lengthening life spans challenge society to extend it's understanding of late-life development, issues of aging are becoming some of the most important for social scientists to examine, and The Futures of Old Age offers a significant contribution to this field of study.' - PsychCritiques