Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 The Body 6
Speak up! I can't hear you! 6
#1 It is best to speak to an older person as you would to a small child - loudly, slowly, and with exaggerated emphasis 7
#2 Hearing aids are beneficial for older adults in just about any situation, but many are just too stubborn to use them 9
You can't be too careful (or ... falling down and crashing cars) 12
#3 Older people worry too much about falling 13
#4 Older people get into more car accidents than younger people 15
Now that you don't have sex anymore... 20
#5 Older people lose interest in sex 20
#6 Older women do not care about their looks 25
#7 Older people need to wear diapers, and how sexy is that? 29
#8 It's always best for older adults to be married rather than single 32
2 The Mind 37
I'm just having a senior moment 37
#9 Brain power declines with age 38
#10 Older adults can't or won't learn new things - like technology. They would rather get a stupid phone than a smart one 42
Did I tell you this already? 46
#11 As people grow older, they get forgetful, and this is always a sign of dementia 46
#12 Alzheimer's disease, dementia - they're one and the same 50
#13 There's no help for Alzheimer's, so don't waste time or money on diagnosis of memory problems 52
Older but wiser 55
#14 Wisdom comes with age, so older adults are wise 56
#15 Older adults are suckers and are easy prey for scam artists 59
#16 Older people are extra cautious when they have to make decisions 63
3 The Self 66
Older people are a disagreeable bunch 66
#17 Older people are hypochondriacs 67
#18 Older people are stingy 71
#19 Older people are grouchy 75
Give me my lunch. Now go away. 78
#20 Older adults prefer to be taken care of - they don't want a lot of responsibilities 78
#21 Older people are introverted and prefer to spend time alone 81
Why try to improve your life if the future is so brief? 85
#22 Older adults have given up any hopes and dreams 85
#23 Older people are set in their ways 87
#24 Growing old is depressing; no wonder older people are more depressed than younger people 90
#25 Older adults do not benefit significantly from therapy 92
4 Living Contexts 98
Growing old can only mean there is more opportunity to enjoy the bliss of
family relationships 98
#26 Older adults would choose living with kids and grandkids rather than living alone 99
#27 Older adults want to spend all their time with grandkids and they never have favorites 102
#28 Sibling relationships are stable throughout life 105
Retirement is for sissies 108
#29 Older workers are inferior to younger workers 109
#30 Older adults hardly ever have trouble getting work 111
#31 Retirement is depressing, so older adults only retire when they are forced to do so 113
#32 Retired older adults are privileged financially 117
#33 After they retire, older folks want to move to where it's warm 122
5 Endings and Loss 124
All the good ones are either gay, married, or dead 124
#34 If older widows date, it's to find a new husband 125
And then you die... 127
#35 A majority of older adults end up in nursing homes and stay there till they die 128
#36 Suicide is more common among adolescents and young adults than it is among older adults 131
#37 Older people have the greatest fear of death of any age group - they are the closest to it, so they should know 135
References 140
Index 161
