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| Description |
This book seeks to generate new insights into the experience of inequality in later life. Drawing on a unique empirical study of older people living in some of the UK?s most disadvantaged urban communities, the book explores a range of factors that influence the quality of life of older people living in areas of intense social deprivation. The book is written by an expert group of researchers who have worked on the topic of ageing in urban communities for a number of years. The authors use data from in-depth interviews with 130 older people and from a survey of 600 older people living in areas of London, Liverpool and Manchester to provide a rounded picture of the everyday lives of older people living in poor neighbourhoods. Key themes addressed by the authors include older people?s perceptions of their communities, the extent of poverty and social exclusion in later life, the nature of older people?s social relationships, and the degree to which older people have access to and use a variety of services. Drawing these themes together, the book shows how the urban environment influences the quality of everyday life in old age. In their conclusion, the authors argue for a need to pay much closer attention to environmental factors in future studies of ageing. They also highlight a range of ways in which policy makers should respond to the concerns of older people who live in poor neighbourhoods. |
| Author Biography |
Chris Phillipson is Professor of Applied Social Studies and Social Gerontology at the University of Keele. Currently Director of Keele?s Institute of Ageing and President of the British Society of Gerontology, he has a specialist interest in the sociology and social policy of family life in old age, and has researched and published extensively in this area.
Allison E. Smith is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Social Gerontology at Keele University. She is currently completing her doctoral research which focuses on the experiences of older people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of cities in England and Canada.
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| Table of Contents |
1. Introduction 2. Ageing in urban environments 3. Setting the scene: the empirical study 4. Perceptions of the neighbourhood 5. Poverty and social exclusion 6. Social relationships 7. Using services 8. Quality of life in urban areas 9. Everyday lives of older people 10. Conclusion and policy implications 11. References 12. Index |
