Ageing in Developing Countries

Emphasizing the ways in which potential problems of ageing can be met, Dr Tout sets out the problems of developing countries and describes programmes which have already been successfully adopted. He highlights the lesser-known difficulties that have been encountered and suggests future strategies.

This study is concerned with the problems of increasing life expectancy which have become acute in developing countries in the 1980s. Dr Tout sets out forecasts of increases in longevity, outlines the ways in which potential problems of ageing can be met and describes programmes which have already been successfully adopted in a number of countries. He highlights the lesser-known difficulties, such as the responsibility grandmothers may have to assume for family and community survival in the face of heterosexually transmitted AIDS, and the consequences of the disintegration of the traditional extended family in countries too poor to provide pension schemes. He concludes that in order to build structures for the future, public awareness of problems like these must be stimulated, and local communities must be provided with the resources to tackle them. This text is aimed at gerontologists, practicing care workers and administrators, academics and researchers in ageing/Third World problems, government officials, interested students and volunteer workers.

List of tables
abbreviations
Introduction
What is ageing?
Population forecasts
Socio-economic factors
Regional studies of ageing
Selected studies of ageing
Existing services
Pilot methods of response
A programme critique
National strategies
Special groups of elderly
Questions that remain
References
Further sources of information and additional reading