Presented to you through Paradigm Publishing Services

University of British Columbia Press

Visit our Partner Page See all our books
book: Front-Wave Boomers
Book
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Front-Wave Boomers

Growing (Very) Old, Staying Connected, and Reimagining Aging
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2022

About this book

Boomers are heading into (very) old age following a pandemic, a time of overt ageism and shamefully deficient eldercare. The front wave, now in their seventies, are on the brink of life changes that will be challenging for everyone – family, friends, and for the health care system too.

Recognizing the dire need to tackle these changes, journalist and sociologist Gillian Ranson, a front-wave boomer herself, investigates what they are doing to prepare for old age.

Whether an “elder orphan” living in subsidized housing, a busy grandparent doing daycare pickups, a small business owner phasing into retirement, or a wife learning to cope with a husband’s dementia, they all share one thing – they need intimate, caring social ties to other people.

Just as the baby boomer generation transformed life for teenagers and youth in the 1960s, they now have a chance to create a better way to grow old. Their stories hold lessons for us all.

Author / Editor information

Gillian Ranson was a former journalist and professor of sociology. She authored three books on various aspects of family life, inspired by her experience as a working mother. As a front-wave boomer and a grandmother, Gillian drew on her professional and personal knowledge to explore aging and what the future for her generation might look like in Canada in the years ahead.

Reviews

Gillian Ranson interviewed over 100 fellow boomers ... Her research also encompasses a range of journalism ... grey literature such as institute and government reports, and numerous academic studies. This commendable mix of approaches and sources results in a credible, readable book. --- "Gillian Ranson’s book about aging comes as a welcome and informative guide ... Her book has lessons for us all."

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Front Matter

    i
    Download PDF
  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    v
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Introduction

    3
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Background on the Boomers

    16
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Family Matters

    31
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Friends and Communities

    53
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Thinking Ahead

    71
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Pandemic Portraits

    93
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Lessons Learned

    111
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Doing Things Differently

    127
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Reimagining Aging

    153
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Acknowledgments

    165
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Notes

    167
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    About the Author

    190
    Download PDF

Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
July 26, 2023
eBook ISBN:
9780774890519
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
196
View content
https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774890519
eBook ISBN: 9780774890519
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
Downloaded on 15.4.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.59962/9780774890519/html
Scroll to top button