Women and positive aging : an international perspective / Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Amanda Dykema-Engblade.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. The psychology of women's aging : Older women and their mental health needs : Women and harmonious aging ; Aging women's resources and mental health ; Women's later-life role transitions ; Social power, empowerment, and coping of older women ; "Mind-body" connection in aging women's mental health ; Societal "messages" of women's positive aging -- Women's resiliency and psychological adaptation to aging : Aging women's social roles and resiliency ; The ecology of women's positive aging ; Generativity and personal growth ; Positive resilience as a learning process within a cultural context ; Positive cultural attitudes and influences ; Gerotranscendance and spirituality ; Educating about personal resiliency strategies -- aging self-acceptance for women : Cultural roles and aging self-acceptance ; Physical aging self-acceptance ; Societal feedback about women's aging ; Personal adjustment, self-forgiveness, and self-acceptance ; Life role transitions ; Positive psychosocial adjustment and self-actualization ; Realistic aging and sense of self -- Aging women and mental aerobics : Older women and mental aerobics ; Self-regulation theory and older women's cognitive engagement ; Mental aerobic interventions with older women ; Mental aerobics as a preventative or rehabilitative factor for aging women ; Later-life health correlates with mental engagement activities for women -- II. Physical health in women's aging : Physical changes and self-perceptions in women's aging : Aging women and their body image ; Psychological mechanisms and cognitive biases that influence self-perceptions ; The "culture" of youth -- Aging women and health longevity : Income ; Social support ; Education ; Healthy choices: smoking and physical activity ; Interventions -- Importance of daily physical activity for older women : Being active is a quality-of-life issue ; The influence of physical activity on the brain ; The influence of physical activity on the body ; Factors that support physical activity ; Barriers to working out ; Recommendations/interventions -- III. Women's diverse aging experiences : Diversity among older women : Diversity and quality-of-life perceptions ; Women's race, culture, and ethnicity factors in getting older ; Generational experiences shaping women's aging ; Societal status for older women ; Changing living situations with aging ; Sexuality and gender identity in later life ; Education access ; Quality-of-life factors -- Expansion of women's roles in later life : Expanded role duration ; Multiple social roles in "balance" ; Within-role task expansion -- The role of social relationships of aging women : The importance of a strong social support system ; Theories about social relationships in aging adults ; The quality and function of social support ; The importance of social support on physical and mental/cognitive health ; Social network interventions -- Women's sexuality in later life : Older women and sexual engagement ; Barriers to older women's sexual activity ; Biology of women's later-life sexual desires ; Positive supports for older women's sexuality -- IV. Aging women's roles in society : Women's economic health and work/retirement in later life : Issues related to retirement ; The psychological function of work ; Positively aging at the workplace ; Advantages of a mature worker ; Stereotypes of the mature worker ; On-the-job factors that influence the aging worker ; Extending career work life expectancy ; Factors to consider ; Remaining updated -- Breaking stereotypes of aging women : Stereotypes impacting positive aging ; Why are stereotypes harmful? ; What can we do to combat these stereotypes? -- Civic engagement and the power of older women : Benefits of older women's civic engagement to aging women ; Empowerment of older women -- Public policies and the next steps in the evolution of women's aging : Changing definition of "quality-of-life" standards for older women across the world ; Evolving definition of "later adulthood" as a public policy concept ; Shifting social image of an "older woman" in different cultures ; Specific issues of public policy supports -- Appendix A. Aging knowledge and attitude surveys -- Appendix B. List of national and international support resources by topic.