Controversial Issues in Aging

This assembly of debates addresses 20 controversial issues that arise from the changing context of aging in the United States. Each debate includes position statements for and against the given proposition, and rebuttals to those position statements. The book is divided into six sections: policy and program issues, age-based politics, health and quality of life issues, family issues, the field of gerontology, and aging in the future. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Part of the Controversial Issues series, this text presents a series of clear and lively debates on current issues in gerontology, authored by leading academic authorities in the field. The text presents a broad overview of issues and questions facing the field, including areas of policy/programs, health, social services, professional and family life, and more. The debates are current and very readable; the text is "user-friendly," and was designed to stimulate student discussion, debate, as well as critical thinking. The text is a "must" for students considering careers in the field of gerontology. The non-technical, brief and lively format of the debates makes them accessible to all students. Issues covered include whether or not to legalize suicide; whether to reduce Social Security benefits; whether to institute means-testing for Medicare; whether affirmative action programs should be instituted for older persons; and the potential dismantling of the aging services network.

Preface		xi
About the Editors		ix
Contents of This Book		xiii
I Policy and Program Issues
Should Social Security Benefits Be Reduced for High-Income Individuals?		1	(12)
Martha H. Phillips
Teresa Ghilarducci
Should Eligibility for Medicare Be Means-Tested?		13	(9)
William A. Niskanen
Marilyn Moon
Should the Aging Network Be Dismantled?		22	(12)
Elias S. Cohen
Donna L. Wagner
Should There Be an Affirmative Action Policy for Hiring Older Persons?		34	(11)
Anthony A. Sterns
Harvey L. Sterns
Phillip Longman
Are Private Sector Solutions to Long-Term Care Financing Preferable to Expansion of Public Long-Term Care Programs?		45	(13)
Stanley S. Wallack
Joshua M. Wiener
Should Age Be Abandoned as a Basis for Program and Service Eligibility?		58	(11)
John H. Skinner
Elizabeth A. Kutza
II Age-Based Politics
Are the Elderly Benefiting at the Expense of Younger Americans?		69	(12)
Paul S. Hewitt
Jill Quadagno
Do the Elderly Really Have Political Clout?		81	(11)
Henry J. Pratt
Robert H. Binstock
III Health and Quality-of-Life Issues
Should Older Persons Have the Right to Commit Suicide?		92	(11)
Margaret Pabst Battin
Lois Snyder
Should Health Care Be Rationed by Age?		103	(11)
Eric Rakowski
Stephen G. Post
Is Managed Care Good for Older Persons?		114	(11)
Jannie Chin Hansen
Marty Lynch
Carroll L. Estes
Is Aging More Problematic for Women Than Men?		125	(11)
Nancy R. Hooyman
Robert L. Rubinstein
IV Family Issues
Does the Provision of Formal Services Lead to Families Relinquishing Their Caregiving for Relatives?		136	(12)
Vernon L. Greene
Sharon L. Tennstedt
Should Family Members Be Paid to Provide Care to Elderly Persons?		148	(12)
Sharon M. Keigher
Nathan L. Linsk
John Amson Capitman
Donna L. Yee
Should Older Persons Be Able to Give Assets to Family Members without Affecting Medicaid Eligibility?		160	(13)
Allan D. Bogutz
Marshall B. Kapp
Should Grandparents Assume Full Parental Responsibility?		173	(12)
Joan F. Robertson
Colleen L. Johnson
V The Field of Gerontology
Is Gerontology Biased toward a Negative View of the Aging Process and Old Age?		185	(12)
Robert C. Atchley
M. Powell Lawton
Should Gerontology Be Considered a Separate Profession?		197	(12)
Pamela Francisco Wendt
David A. Peterson
Jordan I. Kosberg
VI Aging in the Future
Will Future Elderly Persons Experience More Years of Disability?		209	(12)
Edward L. Schneider
James F. Fries
Will Tomorrow's Elderly Be Better Off?		221
Neal E. Cutler
Paul C. Light