Continuity and adaptation in aging : creating positive experiences /

Atchley (Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado) summarizes more than 20 years of work on a theory of how people adapt to changing circumstances in the later years of life. The author, a well-known and respected gerontologist, developed continuity theory using data from the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Adaptation, which began in 1975. Some 300 individuals completed six versions of this biannual survey. Atchley does a thorough job of presenting data that support his major thesis: despite changes in health, functioning, and social circumstances, most elders show considerable consistency over time in their patterns of thinking, lifestyle, personal goals, and adaptive capacity. These quantitative results form the basis of Atchley's framework and are supplemented by rich case studies that illustrate, on a personal level, the patterns that emerge in the aggregated data. This book is certain to be a classic in the field and should be in every gerontologist's personal library. Graduate students; faculty; professionals. A. M. Kolanowski; Medical College of Georgia