Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

This book will provide readers with an overview of the core knowledge and issues in public mental health, and a guide for students and practitioners on the evidence and tools available to help them develop Public Mental Health programs that work in practice.

The Machine Age of Customer Insight demonstrates the impact of machine learning and data analytics, combining an academic state-of-the-art overview of machine learning with cases from well-known companies. These cases show the opportunities and challenges of the transformation process for business and for customer insights more specifically.

The WHO World report on ageing and health is not for the book shelf it is a living breathing testament to all older people who have fought for their voice to be heard at all levels of government across disciplines and sectors. - Mr Bjarne Hastrup President International Federation on Ageing and CEO DaneAge This report outlines a framework for action to foster Healthy Ageing built around the new concept of functional ability. This will require a transformation of health systems away from disease based curative models and towards the provision of older-person-centred and integrated care. It will require the development sometimes from nothing of comprehensive systems of long term care. It will require a coordinated response from many other sectors and multiple levels of government. And it will need to draw on better ways of measuring and monitoring the health and functioning of older populations. These actions are likely to be a sound investment in society's future. A future that gives older people the freedom to live lives that previous generations might never have imagined. The World report on ageing and health responds to these challenges by recommending equally profound changes in the way health policies for ageing populations are formulated and services are provided. As the foundation for its recommendations the report looks at what the latest evidence has to say about the ageing process noting that many common perceptions and assumptions about older people are based on outdated stereotypes. The report's recommendations are anchored in the evidence comprehensive and forward-looking yet eminently practical. Throughout examples of experiences from different countries are used to illustrate how specific problems can be addressed through innovation solutions. Topics explored range from strategies to deliver comprehensive and person-centred services to older populations to policies that enable older people to live in comfort and safety to ways to correct the problems and injustices inherent in current systems for long-term care.

Age is an important number, but it can also be deceiving. After 40, most people say they feel younger than their years, some lie about their age, and many attempt to hide the signs of growing old. Better with Age addresses the many myths and paradoxes about the aging process. Although most people think of their later years in terms of decline, they can be one of the best times in life. This book presents the latest scientific research about the psychology of aging, coupled with insights from those who have succeeded in doing it well, such as Maya Angelou, Bob Newhart, Jared Diamond, John Glenn, and John Wooden. We are all aging, and many people are concerned about what to expect with advancing years. Retirement, happiness, and brain health are some of the many topics covered in this book. Better with Age shows what we can do now, at any stage in life, to make sure we enjoy old age.

Along with advances in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of diseases, major health problems of the 21st century need to incorporate the point of view of those affected. Exploring, describing, and understanding the experiences of patients and populations is key to implementing health programs. Advancing public health involves training and involving and empowering vulnerable communities and populations.

The fourth edition of Teaching Culture and Psychology (previously Cross-Cultural Explorations) provides an array of carefully designed instructor resources and student activities that support the construction and implementation of courses on culture and psychology. Revised and expanded from previous editions, the book enables instructors to use selected activities appropriate for their course structure. Part One explores a variety of pedagogical challenges involved in teaching about culture and psychology and details specific strategies for addressing these challenges. Part Two (instructor resources) and Part Three (student handouts) center around 90 activities designed to encourage students to think critically about the role of culture in a wide range of psychology content areas. These activities are based on current and classic cross-cultural research and take the form of case studies, self-administered scales, mini-experiments, database search assignments, and the collection of content-analytic, observational, and interview data. For each activity, instructors are provided with a lecture/discussion module as well as suggestions for variations and expanded writing assignments. Student handouts are available in this text as well as on the Routledge website as fillable forms. Contributing to the inclusion of cultural perspectives in the psychology curriculum, this wide-ranging book enables instructors to provide students with hands-on experiences that facilitate the understanding and application of major concepts and principles in the study of culture and psychology, making it ideal for cultural psychology, anthropology, sociology, and related courses.