Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood

Interdisciplinary Theory and Research

"This book is particularly relevant now as the baby-boomer generation is aging and a greater proportion of the world's population is growing older. Interpersonal communication is clearly the most critical process for promoting social integration and adaptation of older adults within society. Yet understanding of the complex dynamics of interpersonal communication with the elderly is severely limited and the aged are often stigmatized, stereotyped, and isolated. This book will help clarify the role of communication in effective social integration and adaptation of the aged by providing comprehensive and in-depth analyses of relevant research and theory. The book integrates information on the most important issues and contexts influencing interpersonal communication and aging and the individual chapters are written by an excellent group of authors who have demonstrated expertise on their topics. The book is well organized, clearly written, and comprehensive. The major topics are logically organized and compelling. I highly recommend this book!" --Gary L. Kreps, Northern Illinois University "Aging obviously occurs at many levels, with biological, psychological, and social systems showing multidirectional and interdependent changes. What is less obvious is how these factors affect communication in later life. This volume represents a strong contribution toward solving this problem by bringing together a group of prominent scholars with diverse perspectives on language, communication, and aging." --Elizabeth A. I. Stine, University of New Hampshire "The Hummert, Wiemann, and Nussbaum book brings together a strong theoretical base with the presentation of new data. The chapters go well beyond the typical literature reviews usually found in edited volumes. The contributors provide sophisticated presentations of a variety of socially significant and unique topics, including the communicative impact of physical and cognitive changes sometimes associated with aging, patronization, verbosity, frailty, conversational skills, proper names, and the presentation of self. Some of the chapters are strongly quantitative while others are more interpretive. After building a strong rationale for the volume, the editors go on to put together a series of well-written chapters that provide a much needed emphasis on the social construction of relationships through communication. The book should prompt much new research and advance our understanding of interpersonal communication and the aging process significantly." --Teresa Thompson, University of Dayton "The rich diversity of theoretical and methodological perspectives highlighted within the various chapters is an impressive feature of this edited collection. These essays add conceptual breadth and depth to our understanding of interpersonal communication and the process of aging." --Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin "This book is a valuable addition to the gerontological literature. Written from the perspective of the communication researcher, it brings together existing literature and offers new insights to gerontologists working in many social science disciplines. I recommend Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood as a resource to any scholars interested in older adults." --Victor G. Cicirelli, Professor of Developmental and Aging Psychology, Purdue University "This book is very timely. Communication is offering a new wave of aging research, and interpersonal processes in communication are where our experiences and our personal theories of aging are grounded. This book brings together many of the researchers who are breaking new ground in communication and aging. It offers a valuable overview of where we have gone in aging theory communicatively, and where we need to go. Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood demonstrates the rich diversity of methods and traditions of communication research that are beginning to illuminate gerontology." --Nikolas Coupland, University of Wales, Cardiff By highlighting the commonalities across a range of disciplines, Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood provides a unique and broad-based perspective on communication and aging. This integrative approach brings together the best of the current research and theory from communication, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, and medical sociology. The underlying framework of the book centers around three topics--cognition, language, and relationships--exploring the individual areas as well as the ways they intersect. In addition, this volume brings to light the implications of the elderly population's individual differences as they affect communication, and illustrates the positive as well as the negative effects of the aging process on language production, relational satisfaction, and other communication-related variables. This major reference source, Interpersonal Communication in Older Adulthood, is essential reading for anyone concerned with the issues of aging and communication.