Simon Biggs has worked as a community psychologist and as a policy adviser in health and social welfare. He is currently Reader in Social Gerontology at Keele University. He has a wide experience of working with clients, students and professional helpers and has published in the areas of social gerontology, psychodynamic theory and social policy. He is the author of Understanding Ageing, and co-author of Elder Abuse in Perspective also published by Open University Press.