Invisible Lives

Unruh applies the concept of the social world to the understanding of the social integration of older people. Social worlds are shared sets of perceptions, of which membership is very informal. The social life of older people in the art world, for example, often goes unseen by social workers and researchers. Unruh systematically explores the uses made by older people of social worlds and considers how the helping professions can use the concept to help older clients. Based on interviews with 40 older people, the book maintains a human and practical perspective while considering theoretical and research issues for gerontologists. It is the first systematic review of its subject.