This comprehensive yet practical handbook consolidates information needed by health psychologists working alongside other healthcare professionals. It facilitates the progression of the learner from the classroom to the clinical setting by focusing on the translation of science to practice using practical examples. The Handbook is divided into four major parts. Part I highlights practical issues faced by health psychologists in a medical setting (how to motivate patients, consultation-liaison, assessment and screening, brief psychotherapies, ethical issues, etc.) Part II concentrates on treating unhealthy behaviors (alcohol and nicotine use, noncompliance, overeating/obesity, physical inactivity, stress). Part III considers behavioral aspects of medical problems (pain management, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, sexual dysfunction, HIV/AIDS, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia). And Part IV takes up special issues relevant to practice and research in the field (minority issues, women’s issues, working with geriatric populations, public health approaches to health psychology and behavioral medicine). The Handbook will prove to be an invaluable resource for those already working in the field of health psychology as well as for those in training.

Issues With Geriatric Populations

Issues with geriatric populations

The U.S. older adult population is growing at a remarkable rate. There were 35 million individuals age 65 years or over in the United States in 2000 (Hetzel & Smith, 2001). This represents 12.4% of the U.S. population and a 12% increase from 1990. In 2000, there were 18.4 million individuals who were between ages 65 and 74 years, and there were 12.4 million individuals between ages 75 and 84 years. Those individuals age 85 years or over (i.e., the oldest old) numbered 4.2 million and represented the most rapid growth of the older adult population (Hetzel & Smith, 2001). The number of oldest old increased 38% during the 1990s. By 2030, there will be approximately 70 million ...

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