More than 2.3 million Americans are now age 85 and older, and the population total in this age group is steadily expanding. This book brings together leading researchers to review current knowledge about the demography, health, epidemiology and social status of the oldest old. From discussions of the impact of Alzheimer's disease to an examination of changing social and medical policies, this book provides much needed information about this often neglected but growing group.The special problems attendant to information gathering among the oldest old, such as interviews and research, are also...

The impact of AIDS cannot be adequately measured by epidemiology alone. As the editors of this volume argue, AIDS must be understood as a "disease of society," which is challenging and changing society profoundly. Numerous books on AIDS have looked at the ways in which our social institutions, norms and values have determined how the disease has been dealt with, but this book examines the ways in which AIDS is, in turn, changing our social institutions, norms and values. Eleven chapters explore the impact of AIDS on the arts and popular entertainment, the effects of the disease on our concept...