Communication for Successful Aging: Empowering Individuals Across the Lifespan

Communication plays a crucial role in the aging process, varying across social groups and cultural communities. This volume explores how communication can empower individuals and discusses the need to avoid negative language, embrace the lifespan as an evolving adventure, and introduce the communication ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA). It covers key topics such as age stereotypes, age identities, ageism, culture, gender, ethnicity, and intergenerational communication, as well as the media's portrayal of aging and youth.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 150 pages
Publication date: 23 November 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume delves into the profound impact of communication on the aging process, highlighting the diverse ways in which it manifests across different social groups and cultural communities. It unveils the empowering role of communication in the journey of aging, emphasizing the critical significance of how we communicate about age in achieving successful aging.

In their groundbreaking work, Giles et al. address the prevailing uncertainty and negativity surrounding aging, a universal experience that we all confront. By placing communication at the center of the aging process, they skillfully challenge the prevailing narratives and offer a fresh perspective. They address the importance of avoiding negative language, recognizing the lifespan as an evolving adventure, and introducing a novel theory of successful aging—the communication ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA).

Through extensive research on key topics such as age stereotypes, age identities, and messages of ageism; the influence of culture, gender, ethnicity, and marginalized groups; the dynamics of intergenerational communication; the portrayal of aging and youth in the media; and the significance of discussing death and dying in promoting control over life's demands, Giles et al. shed light on the complex interplay of factors that shape communication in the aging context.

Communication for Successful Aging is a must-read for graduate students in psychology, human development, gerontology, and communication, as well as scholars in the social sciences. It provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the role of communication in the aging process, offering valuable insights and perspectives that will resonate with individuals and communities alike.

Weight: 268g
Dimension: 151 x 226 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367353261