GROWING OLDER, GETTING BETTER: A Handbook for Women in the Second Half of Life

by Jane Porcino ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 1983

We are not wrinkled babies,"" Gray Panther Maggie Kuhn points out--and this guide to the social, emotional, and physical well-being of older women firmly respects and supports growth and independence. Gerontologist Porcine begins with changes in family roles--long-term marriages, the post-parental and grandmother years--and then looks at older single women, with deservedly separate attention to divorce, widowhood, and ""lifelong sisterhood."" (Such women, Porcine points out, usually have close, extensive support relationships with other single women.) ""New Beginnings"" offers help with remarriage after 40, motherhood after 40, and return to school. (Porcine, who returned to school at age 50, after raising 7 children, well understands the intimidation and insecurity felt by such new students.) From ""Maintaining Mental Health"" (which discusses Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia on a factual, medical basis), Porcine turns to ""Our Changing Bodies""--where menopause, sexuality and intimacy, and fitness are covered in strong, health-oriented (rather than problem-oriented) terms. ""Common Afflictions of Older Women"" includes heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and diabetes; in ""Aging with Dignity,"" Porcine tells how to prevent or overcome difficulties with hearing, sight, skin, hair, and teeth. With advice on financial matters, and extensive resource lists for each subject, Porcine truly covers the spectrum of older women's concerns. While some readers may prefer the warmer tone of Alice Lake's Our Own Years, Porcino's matter-of-fact, straightforward delivery is encouraging in its own way; the thorough health information makes it the more complete sourcebook.

Pub Date: May 27, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1983

Categories: NONFICTION