The Berlin Aging Study: Aging from 70 to 100

by Edited by Paul B. Baltes , Karl Ulrich Mayer

• ISBN13: 9780521000031
• ISBN10: 0521000033
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-19
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The present and future of our society are shaped by an ever-increasing proportion of old and very old people. The Berlin Aging Study is one of the largest interdisciplinary efforts to explore old age and aging. Unique aspects of the Berlin Aging Study are the spectrum of scientific disciplines involved, the range of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary research topics, the focus on very old age (70 to over 100 years), and the empirical reference to a representative heterogenous urban population. The study's first cross-sectional findings on intellectual abilities, self and personality, social relationships, physical health, functional capacity, medical treatment, mental disorders such as depression and dementia, socioeconomic conditions, activities, everyday competence, subjective well-being, and gender differences are reported in depth in this book. The study was carried out in the context of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences study group on 'Aging and Social Development'. The authors primarily conduct their research at the Berlin Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Free University of Berlin, and the Humboldt University, Berlin.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(14)
Part A Theoretical Orientations and Methods
The Berlin Aging Study (BASE): Sample, Design, and Overview of Measures	15	(41)
P. B. Baltes
K. U. Mayer
H. Helmchen
E. Steinhagen-Thiessen
Sample Selectivity and Generalizability of the Results of the Berlin Aging Study	56	(27)
U. Lindeberger
R. Gilberg
T. D. Little
R. Nuthmann
U. Potter
P. B. Baltes
Generational Experiences of Old People in Berlin	83	(28)
I. Maas
M. Borchelt
K. U. Mayer
Six individual Biographies from the Berlin Aging Study	111	(20)
Y. Schutze
C. Tesch-Romer
C. Borchers
Part B Major Results from the Four Research Units
Morbidity, Medication, and Functional Limitations in Very Old Age	131	(36)
E Steinhagen-Thiessen
M. Borchelt
Psychiatric Illnesses in Old Age	167	(30)
H. Helmchen
M. M. Baltes
B. Geiselmann
S. Kanowski
M. Linden
F. M. Wagner
T. Wernicke
H.-u. Wilms
Trends and Profiles of Psychological Functioning in Very Old Age	197	(30)
J. Smith
P. B. Baltes
Socioeconomic Conditions and Social Inequalities in Old Age	227	(32)
K. U. Mayer
I. Mass
M. Wagner
Part C Interdisciplinary Findings
Men and Women in the Berlin Aging Study	259	(23)
M. M. Baltes
A. M. Freund
A. L. Horgas
Social Relationships in Old Age	282	(20)
M. Wagner
Y. Schutze
F. R. Lang
Self, Personality, and Life Regulation: Facets of Psychological Resilience in Old Age	302	(27)
U. M. Staudinger
A. M. Freund
M. Linden
I. Mass
Limits and Potentials of Intellectual Functioning in Old Age	329	(31)
U. Lindenberger
F. M. Reischies
Sensory Systems in Old Age	360	(24)
M. Marsiske
J. Delius
I. Mass
U. Linderberger
H. Scherer
C. Tesch-Romer
Everyday Competence in Old and Very Old Age: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Findings	384	(19)
M. M. Baltes
I. Maas
H.-U. Wilms
M. Borchelt
T. D. Little
On the Significance of Morbidity and Disability in Old Age	403	(27)
M. Borchelt
R. Gilberg
A. L. Horgas
B. Geiselmann
The Utilization of Medical and Nursing Care in Old Age	430	(20)
M. Linden
A. L. Horgas
R. Gilberg
E. Steinhagen-Thiessen
Sources of Well-Being in Very Old Age	450	(25)
J. Smith
W. Fleeson
B. Geiselmann
R. A. Settersten Jr.
U. Kunzmann
Part D Overview and Outlook
What Do We Know about Old Age and Aging? Conclusions from the Berlin Aging Study	475	(46)
K. U. Mayer
P. B. Baltes
M. M. Baltes
M. Borchelt
J. Delius
H. Helmchen
M. Linden
J. Smith
U. M. Staudinger
E. Steinhagen-Thiessen
M. Wagner
Notes on Contributors	521	(6)
Abbreviations	527	(2)
Author Index	529	(16)
Subject Index	545