Book reviews / Comptes rendus

Abstract

Although it is readily apparent that health and aging are closely interrelated, the precise nature of this relationship is not adequately understood. The purpose of this edited collection of papers is to explore the linkage between health and aging. An attempt is made to examine both: (1) the healthrelated changes which accompany aging; and (2) the implications of population aging for the development of policies and services to address the changing health patterns and assistance needs of older persons. The editors adopt an explicit sociological focus in their exploration of health in aging. The importance of biological aspects of aging and psychological issues associated with life course changes are acknowledged, but are omitted from this volume. The analysis focusses on age as a social construct and aging as a social process. It is argued that an awareness of social contextual factors is vital to an understanding of both health and aging. This volume is characterized by a broad sociological perspective which encompasses both the social psychological and structural dimensions of health and aging. The editors recognize the equal importance of understanding factors that shape individual responses to health and illness in an aging society, as well as organized societal responses to the health needs of its members. Consequently, this collection of papers reflects individual, organizational and societal levels of analysis in the exploration of health in later life. This edited book grew out of a conference sponsored by the Department of Sociology at the State University of New York at Albany in 1986. The conference brought together a group of research scholars from Canada and the United States who are involved in gerontological health research. The goals of the conference were to discuss work in progress and to attempt to bridge the gap between empirical research and social policy on health in aging. This volume contains a total of 11 papers. These papers are divided into four parts: Part One Age-Related Health Patterns; Part Two Dimensions of Informal and Formal Health Care; Part Three Issues in Long-Term Care; and Part Four Implications for the Future. Part One illustrates the heterogeneity of aging and concentrates on patterns of morbidity, disabil-