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Ageing and Health
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Ageing and Health

Abstract

Geographical studies of aging and health constitute a diverse and long-standing field of research that crosscuts many subdisciplines of human geography, as well as subfields of social gerontology and the health sciences. Studies that map the distributional features of older populations and their health have long been, and continue to be, an important strand of this research. With roots in 1970s environmental psychology, other research in this field considers older peoples’ negotiation of their local environments at various scales. Most recently, drawing on social theory, an emerging critical tradition articulates the dynamics between older people and the places in which they live and are cared for. These might involve a complexity of attachments, identities, and negotiations. Research also emphasizes healthy aging and highlights the diversity and richness of older peoples’ social and cultural lives. Commentators recognize that the future challenges for this field of research involve addressing the needs, and articulating the character, of expanding and increasingly diverse older populations.

Authors

Andrews GJ

Book title

International Encyclopedia of Human Geography

Pagination

pp. 31-35

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Date

January 1, 2009

DOI

10.1016/b978-008044910-4.00324-2

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