Aging Families and Caregiving

With the field of geriatric mental health growing rapidly in the next decade as the Baby Boomers age, this timely guide brings together a notable team of international contributors to provide guidance for caregivers, families, and those who counsel them on managing caregiving challenges for aging family members. Aging Families and Caregiving helps mental health professionals guide families and other caregivers as they adjust to the demands of caring for aging family members and provides essential guidelines for the professionals treating this special-needs population.

Sarah.Qualls, PhD, is a clinical psychology faculty member at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She has twenty years of academic, clinical, and continuing education training experience and is the co-chair of the Adult Development and Aging Division of the American Psychological Association.

Steven H. Zarit, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is a clinical psychologist whose research and practice have centered for more than a decade on stress in family caregivers of dementia patients.

Contributors.Preface.1. Who Are the Aging Families? (Rosemary Blieszner).2. Functions Families Serve in Old Age (Karen L. Fingerman, Laura M. Miller, and Amber J. Seidel).3. The Cultural Context of Clinical Work with Aging Caregivers (Martha Crowther and Audrey Austin).4. All in the Family: Providing Care to Chronically Ill and Disabled Older Adults (Mary Ann Parris Stephens and Melissa M. Franks).5. Impact of Dementia Caregiving: Risks, Strains, and Growth (Weiling Liu and Dolores Gallagher-Thompson).6. Assessment and Intervention with Family Caregivers (Judy Zarit).7. Empirically Supported Treatment for Family Caregivers (Steven H. Zarit, PhD).8. Caregiver Family Therapy for Conflicted Families (Sara Honn Qualls and Tara L. Noecker).9. Integrating Families into Long-Term-Care Psychology Services: Orchestrating Cacophonies and Symphonies (Margaret P. Norris).10. Family Caregiving and U.S. Federal Policy (Diane L. Elmore and Ronda C. Talley).11. Family Care Planning Services (Patti Auxier).12. Caregiver Services: Resources, Trends, and Best Practices (Nancy Giunta and Andrew Scharlach).13. A Platform for Intervention and Research on Family Communication in Elder Care (Michael Williams and Clayton Lewis).14. Personal Health Records for Older Adults with Chronic Conditions and Their Informal Caregivers (Elaine A. Blechman).Epilogue Future Directions in Family Caregiving: Clinical, Policy, and Research Initiatives (Steven H. Zarit).Author Index.Subject Index.