Table of Contents

PART I: Introduction
1: R.M. Suzman, K.G. Manton and D.P. Willis: Introducing the Oldest Old
2: C.M. Taeuber and I. Rosenwaike: A Demographic Portrait
3: S.H. Preston: Cohort Succession
4: G.C. Myers, B.B. Torrey and K. Kinsella: An International Comparison
PART II: Problems in Studying the Oldest Old
5: K.G. Manton and R.M. Suzman: Conceptual Issues in the Design and Analysis of National Longitudinal Surveys
6: W.L. Rodgers and A.R. Herzog: Collecting Data: Problems and Procedures
7: R.B. Wallace, F.J. Kohout and P.L. Coulsher: Interview Surveys
8: K.G. Manton: Mortality and Life Expectancy Changes
9: E.C. Hadley: Causes of Death Among the Oldest Old
PART III: The Dynamics of Becoming the Oldest Old
10: K.G. Manton and B.J. Soldo: Disability and Mortality: Implications for Current and Future Health and Long-term Care Service Needs
11: P. Doty: Institutional Long-term Care from an International Perspective
12: J.C. Cornoni-Huntley, et al.: Epidemiology of Physical and Cognitive Disability
13: D.A. Evans, et al.: The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease in the United States Population
PART IV: A Social Portrait of the Oldest Old
14: M.G. Kovar and R.S. Stone: Living Arrangements
15: R.C. Gibson and J.S. Jackson: The Black Oldest Old: Health, Functioning and Informal Support
16: R.M. Suzman, et al.: The Robust Oldest Old: Optimistic Perspectives for Increasing Healthy Life Expectancy
17: G.L. Atkins: Making It Last: Economic Resources
PART V: Social and Medical Policy Toward the Oldest Old
18: B.B. Torrey: Sharing Increasing Costs on Declining Income: The Visible Dilemma of the Invisible Aged
19: R.H. Binstock: Intergenerational Equity

Reviews

Praise for The Oldest Old
"This is an outstanding contribution to the growing body of literature on the oldest old."--Dorothy P. Rice, Professor, Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco University of California
"It is clearly nothing short of superb. It will be our key reference book in this area for years to come."--Knight Steel, M.D.
"A thoughtful and timely volume that addresses major policy and programmatic issues raised by the unprecedented growth in this very old population group. Highly readable with clearly understandable charts and tables, the collection is an important contribution to both demography and gerontology." --Choice
"Serves a very useful purpose in drawing together a large store of information from national and focused studies. The careful reader can find much here of interest and much to puzzle over. . . . an excellent resource for those who want to understand more about this age group and about the way researchers and analysts approach such a subject. . . . greatly expanded and updated . . . . Serious scholars . . . will find this a book worth owning. Those responsible
for teaching material about the epidemiology and/or demography of the elderly will be doubly blessed." --Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Praise for The Oldest Old
"This is an outstanding contribution to the growing body of literature on the oldest old."--Dorothy P. Rice, Professor, Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco University of California
"It is clearly nothing short of superb. It will be our key reference book in this area for years to come."--Knight Steel, M.D.
"A thoughtful and timely volume that addresses major policy and programmatic issues raised by the unprecedented growth in this very old population group. Highly readable with clearly understandable charts and tables, the collection is an important contribution to both demography and gerontology." --Choice
"Serves a very useful purpose in drawing together a large store of information from national and focused studies. The careful reader can find much here of interest and much to puzzle over. . . . an excellent resource for those who want to understand more about this age group and about the way researchers and analysts approach such a subject. . . . greatly expanded and updated . . . . Serious scholars . . . will find this a book worth owning. Those responsible
for teaching material about the epidemiology and/or demography of the elderly will be doubly blessed." --Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
"Overall, the book is well edited and clearly written. The volume is comprehensive, makes excellent use of international comparisons, and is of great relevance to anyone interested in the epidemiologic, demographic, or social characteristics of the oldest old population." --Daniel O. Clark and Andrea Z. LaCroix (Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound), American Journal of Epidemiology
"A well-edited, richly informative book . . . . Covered are the demographic characteristics of the very old, the problems of methodology in the study of the very old, the resort of health and institutional care, the social situation of the very old, and more briefly, the emerging question of social and medical policy appropriate thereto . . . . This is an excellent, interesting informative, and intellectually responsible book."--John Kenneth Galbraith,
Ph.D., Harvard University
"The book comprises 444 pages of facts and figures on the oldest old, covering almost every aspect of the subject. All you ever wanted to know about the oldest old, but were afraid to ask....Its scope is impressive, it has undoubted expertise, and is likely to be required reading for anyone interested in this vital topic." --Ageing and Society
"A first-class work - well-organized, well-written, and well-researched....In presenting the latest available data and analyses on the oldest old, the book has a solid raison d'etre....I came away...with a heightened admiration for the technical virtuosity of Kenneth Manton as a medical demographer and for the provocative insightfulness of Robert Binstock as a public policy analyst....Has enlightened us greatly on the current research on the
socio-economic and medical demography of old age and aging societies....In informing us as to the dimensions and dynamics of the problems and suggesting solutions, it aids us in our preparation for the colossal
challenges of our rapidly aging society." --Jacob S. Siegel, Georgetown University, The Gerontologist
"Includes very thorough and thoughtful discussions about conceptual, design and procedural problems with regard to current research on the oldest old....Provides an excellent demographic baseline on this most rapidly growing segment of our population. The authors masterfully extract information from limited sources, and provide thoughtful discussions on ways of improving the quality of data, and the social policy implications of such research....This book is
one that every gerontologcial scholar and policy maker should have available as a reference. It will be particularly valuable to those who plan to conduct research on this age group, given the many
suggestions provided for enhancing research quality." --Priscilla J. Kimboko, PhD, University of Northern Colorado, Journal of Women and Aging
"The second section on problems in studying the oldest old is particularly needed....The first three chapters of this set go beyond the usual generalizations of recommendations in gerontological research and deal specifically with the chalenges of conducting research with the oldest old. These chapters are essential reading for those engaged in or anticipating research with this aged group about whom we know relatively little....The review and recommendations
on social and health policy are particularly timely in the current climate of health care reform....An excellent resource for clinicians, researchers, and educators in all disciplines concerned with
aging, and a valuable guide for policy-makers, health planners, and legislators, as well. " --Jane M. Armer, PhD, RN, C, University of Missouri-Columbia, Clinical Gerontologist