Interviews with institutionalized elderly parents and their middle-aged children question the common stereotype that institutionalization reflects a breakdown in family solidarity. Data suggest that institutional care can serve to enhance family relations, particularly when family ties have been strained by needs of the older member. (Author)

Burawoy (2005) argues that sociology needs to re-establish a public sociology oriented toward society's problems and the practice of its unique knowledge if it is to again be taken seriously by the public, policymakers, and others. Yet, it is unclear how best to achieve these goals. We argue that the relatively young field of social gerontology…

The plight of minority aged has been characterized as one of double jeopardy. Other research has indicated that gaps between minority and majority individuals decline with age. To test these competing hypotheses, a series of health, income, life satisfaction, and social participation variables was examined with data from a large sample. (Author)

Survey and ethnographic data were used to explore attitudes toward death among members of varying social categories defined by race, age, social class, and sex. Analysis by age resulted in substantial differences, with middle-aged respondents (45-54 years) expressing greatest fears of death and the elderly (65-74) reflecting the least. (Author)

With more rigorous and systematic integration of gerontological data with social and social psychological theory, more comprehensive explanations of life course phenomena would result. Moreover, the age variable would be considered by other sociologists as less of a control and more of a relevant variable in its own right. (Author)

To what extent do perceptions of aging vary across social strata? Previous research provides inconsistent findings, although it seems plausible that attitudes toward old age differ with age, social class, and ethnicity of respondents. However, issues of measurement (construct validity; reliability; dimensional equivalency) raise doubts on the…

This research questions the frequent observation that elderly persons in long-term care institutions are isolated from their families, and that institutionalization is the final step in the breakdown of family relations. Data consisted of open-ended interviews with institutionalized elderly parents and with the child most involved with the parent…