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Resiliency: Aging and Supporting Older Adults

This LibGuide provides materials about aging and supporting older adults.

Navigating this LibGuide

This LibGuide features materials related to older adults and aging. Please see below for instructions on how to navigate this guide:

  • To the left, you will find your main menu, which includes three sections: ProQuest Materials / NC Live Materials / Additional Resources
  • You will find many materials about each topic on their subject page. Each item will have a link that will take you to NC Live or ProQuest.
  • To access the ProQuest Materials, you can either:
    • Type in the e-ISBN in the search bar on your university library's webpage OR
    • Click the title to follow the link directly to the ProQuest Webpage for this item. Use your university single sign on credentials to access the materials.
  • To access Additional Resources:
    • Click on the title/name of the item to load it
  • To Access the NC Live Materials:
    • Go directly to the NC Live website and enter the information on the search bar OR
    • Click the title to follow the link directly to the NC Live Webpage for this item. NC Live will ask you the name of your institution through a drop-down menu. Scroll through the menu until you locate the name of your library. Select the name of your library to to log into NC Live. 

Defining Aging and Older adults

Important terms to understand within this LibGuide include (National Institutes of Health, 2024; North Carolina Healthcare Facilities Association, 2024; Oxford English Dictionary, 2024):

  • Aging (n.) - the process of growing old
  • Ageism -  the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age
  • Older Adult - generally defined as an adult that is 65 years of age or older; this can vary depending upon the organization
  • Caregiver - a professional or a family member who provides care, support, and assistance to individuals who are unable to perform daily activities on their own due to age, disability, or illness. Caregivers are trained with the necessary skills to provide medical, emotional, and practical support to their clients. 
  • Caretaker - with the necessary skills to provide medical, emotional, and practical support to their clients; this person is not always specifically trained. Caretakers focus on maintenance, upkeep, and daily tasks and typically provide caring services for as long the situation calls for it

Age & Aging: Crash Course Sociology #36

People are getting older – not just in the individual sense, but the human population itself. Today we’re going to explore those shifting patterns and their implications. We’ll go over the biological, psychological, and cultural aspects of aging, including some of the particular challenges that older individuals face.

CrashCourse. (2017, December 4). Age & aging: Crash course sociology #36 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/kJ18whKduFo?si=wh1Uq5lCshbErR6J

National Institutes of Health. (2024). Age. https://www.nih.gov/nih-style-guide/age#:~:text=The%20National%20Institute%20on%20Aging,these%20terms%2C%20ask%20for%20specifics.

North Carolina Healthcare Facilities Association. (2024). Caregiver vs. caretaker: The differences you should know. https://www.nccaregivers.org/caregiver-versus-caretaker-what-to-know/

Oxford English Dictionary. (2024). Results. https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=aging

World Health Organization. (2024). Ageing: Ageism [Video]. YouTube. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/ageing-ageism

Looking for more information on your campus?

Use the following search terms while searching your library's database:

  • aging
  • older adults
  • higher education
  • mental health
  • caregiver