Foreword

Summary

The study of ageing is continuing to increase rapidly across multiple disciplines. Consequently students, academics, professionals and policy makers need texts on the latest research, theory, policy and practice developments in the field. With new areas of interest in mid- and later life opening up, the series bridges the gaps in the literature as well as providing cutting-edge debate on new and traditional areas of ageing within a lifecourse perspective. Taking this approach, the series addresses ‘ageing’ (rather than gerontology or ‘old age’) providing coverage of mid- as well as later life; it promotes a critical perspective and focuses on the social rather than the medical aspects of ageing.

One of the traditional areas of study within gerontology has focused on ‘the family’. In this book Pat Chambers and her colleagues provide a critical analysis of the diverse experiences of family life for older people highlighting family practices and relationships. Different social, class, gender and ethnic-based relationships are discussed, as well as particular family relationships such as longlasting relationships, older sibling relationships, grandparenting and the experience of later-life widowhood. Themes of continuity and change, flexibility, negotiation and complexity flow through the book reflecting the diverse and global nature of the family and providing clues as to the family's endurance across generations and history. The book provides a rich sources of literature on the family lives of older people and is valuable for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in ageing, social policy, sociology, social work and health.