The aging of America will reshape how we live and will transform nearly every aspect of contemporary society. Renowned life course sociologist Deborah Carr provides a lively, nuanced, and timely portrait of aging in the United States. The US population is older than ever before, raising new challenges for families, caregivers, health care systems, and social programs like Social Security and Medicare.
 
Organized in seven chapters, Aging in America covers these topics:

• the history of aging and the development of theoretical approaches
• how cultural changes shape our views on aging
• the demographic characteristics of older adults today
• older adults’ family lives and social relationships
• the health of older adults and social disparities in who gets sick
• how public policies affect the well-being of older adults and their families
• how baby boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials will experience old age

Drawing on state-of-the-art data, current events, and pop culture, this portrait of an aging population challenges outdated myths and vividly shows how future cohorts of older adults will differ from the generations before them.

Table of Content

Contents

List of Illustrations 
Acknowledgments 

Introduction: Aging in America 
1. Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Aging 
2. Who Are Older Adults Today?: A Contemporary Snapshot 
3. Family and Social Relationships 
4. Health and Well-Being
5. Aging Policy Issues: Domestic and International Perspectives 
Conclusion 

Notes 
References 
Index 

About the author

Deborah Carr is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science at Boston University. She is the author of several books, including the award-winning Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life. Her research on aging has been featured in the New York Times, ABC World News, the Wall Street Journal, and other media.