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Library Journal Review
This encyclopedic reference responds to the need for limited, authoritative work on aging from a strictly medical/social perspective. Unlike George L. Maddox & others' Encyclopedia of Aging ( LJ 4/15/87), which combines diverse contributions from over 200 scholars in the areas of biology, biomedicine, behavioral science, social planning, and social practice, this book is limited to the contributions of the two authors, who represent the fields of medicine and gerontology. Maddox's text truly represents a gerontological focus--holistic coverage from a multidisciplinary perspective. In contrast, The Encyclopedia of Aging and the Elderly appears to focus primarily on geriatric medicine, comprehensively listing and describing in a detailed manner numerous illnesses specific to this population. Such relevant and pertinent topics as mental health status or physical functioning are not directly addressed as individual entries. Unless a reader is familiar with geriatric terminology and has some familiarity with the method of entry used here, particular aging concerns may not be easy to locate. However, cross references are provided at the end of many entries, increasing the usefulness of information for readers. Also included are appendixes consisting of a directory of related organizations, a listing of state units on aging, and 47 tables, charts, and graphs that cover various social, demographic, and medical topics such as age and chronic health problems, crime statistics, life expectancy, and retirement areas. A useful feature appearing in the Maddox work but absent from this text is an alphabetical listing in the front enabling readers to scan for possible topics at a glance. The bibliography, listing over 200 references to sources cited in the text, appears to be lacking in pertinent authorities, mainly in the social arena. While The Encyclopedia of Aging and the Elderly is a reasonablly priced reference book that provides information on aging from a specific perspective, libraries needing more comprehensive coverage should have Maddox's book.-- Linda Malone, Univ. of Virginia Health Sciences Ctr., Charlottesville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
In this curious volume, Roy (associate clinical professor of medicine) and Russell (gerontologist) provide brief descriptions of a wide variety of medical, psychological, and social topics related to aging. The descriptions, arranged alphabetically and ranging from a paragraph to four pages, include citations to books and articles published mainly in the 1980s. The volume also contains 28 tables and 4 graphs, a list of national organizations and state units related directly and indirectly to aging, a bibliography, and a subject index. Both the selection of topics and their coverage are odd. The large number of medical topics go from general terms such as "oral hygiene" to specialized terms such as "ectropion" (outward turning eyelid), "sinus tachycardia," and the diet of Yanomamo Indians. The social and psychological topics are largely general ones. Tables include housing costs in the Sunbelt and the pharmacologic properties of laxatives. Both Diana K. Harris's Dictionary of Gerontology (CH, Dec'88) and The Encyclopedia of Aging, ed. by George L. Maddox (CH, Jun'87) provide more useful selections of aging topics and more balanced definitions. Not an essential purchase. C. Dobson; Iowa State University
Booklist Review
Here is another volume in Facts On File's series of encyclopedias on social issues, similar in format to such titles as The Encyclopedia of Drug Abuse [RBB F 15 92] and The Encyclopedia of Alcoholism [RBB N 1 91]. Written by an opthalmologist and a gerontologist, the work covers such topics as estate planning, living with adult children, guardianships, living wills, and the like, as well as social activities, volunteering, TV watching, and coping with taxes. Practical advice is offered on selecting a nursing home and on visiting the homebound elderly. The majority of the alphabetically arranged entries, however, deal with maladies and diseases, especially cancer (nearly nine pages are devoted to this topic), as well as physical problems caused by obesity or incontinence, or psychological ones caused by bereavement, memory loss, hearing loss (listed under presbycusis), and similar problems associated with aging. Every entry ends with a bibliography of one to three items. Its frequent use of medical terminology means that this book will be difficult for some laypeople to use. For example, under the entry Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Dry Eyes) we read "Absence of tears can cause keratinization (loss of moisture and thickening) of the corneal and conjunctival epithelium and can result in blindness." However, the following paragraph does give practical hints on avoiding dry eyes, such as not riding in cars with the windows down and not sitting under air-conditioner vents. There are adequate cross-references in the volume. For example, there is a see reference from Dry Eyes to its technical name. Of great value to students, those who deal with the elderly, and the elderly themselves are the 28 tables and graphs at the end of the book. These cover such things as caloric needs of men and women of different ages, cost of living for adults in selected cities, climatic data by states, median prices of homes in principal U.S. cities, property taxes for retired people by state, and several tables of drugs, showing their beneficial or harmful effects. A 12-page bibliography (not annotated) and a well-designed index conclude the work. Much of the medical information here can be found elsewhere, as can the economic advice, but this work brings together in one handy volume much that the elderly and those who work with them need to know. Most home health handbooks have little or nothing to say about Alzheimer's disease or parkinsonism, both of which are well covered here. This work will prove useful in any public or academic library. (Reviewed Aug. 1992)
