Common manifestation of dementia, thought to afflict 1 in 20 people over 65. After heart disease, cancer, and strokes it is the most common cause of death in the Western world. Attacking the brain's ‘grey matter’, it is a disease of mental processes.

From The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing
The relationship between dementia and ageing - which justifies the inclusion of several chapters on dementia in this handbook - was the subject of much examination and re-evaluation in the second half of the twentieth century. On the one hand, the prevalence of the dementias increases sharply with age . . .

The branch of medicine concerned with conditions and diseases of the aged. Many disabilities in old age are caused by or related to the deterioration of the circulatory system (see arteriosclerosis), e.g., mental deterioration and disturbances of motor and sensory function are often associated with an insufficient blood supply.

Medicare is a government-funded health insurance program for the elderly, which started in 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society initiative. Medicare covers everyone over sixty-five years of age. It was added as an amendment to the Social Security Act.

Degenerative disease of the brain characterized by a progressive loss of mobility, muscular rigidity, tremor, and speech difficulties. The condition is mainly seen in people over the age of 50.

Periodic payments to one who has retired from work because of age or disability. Pensions, originally thought of as charity, are now viewed as an essential part of the social responsibility of employers or of the state.

Government program designed to provide for the basic economic security and welfare of individuals and their dependents. The programs classified under the term social security differ from one country to another, but all are the result of government legislation.

Extension of educational opportunities to those adults beyond the age of general public education who feel a need for further training of any sort, also known as continuing education.

Lowest wage legally permitted in an industry or in a government or other organization. The goal in establishing minimum wages has been to assure wage earners a standard of living above the lowest permitted by health and decency.

Study of the materials that nourish an organism and of the manner in which the separate components are used for maintenance, repair, growth, and reproduction.

Level of consumption that an individual, group, or nation has achieved. The evaluation of a standard of living is relative, depending upon the judgment of the observer as to what constitutes a high or a low scale.

Lack of paid employment. The unemployed are usually defined as those out of work who are available for and actively seeking work. Unemployment is measured either as a total or as a percentage of those who are available for work, known as the working population, or labour force.

Training designed to advance individuals' general proficiency, especially in relation to their present or future occupations. The term does not normally include training for the professions.

One of a spectrum of disorders defined by problems with communication, imagination, and social interaction. The symptoms may be present from birth or may develop in early childhood, around the third year. In rare cases, autistic individuals may show extraordinary talents in some areas.

Partial or complete loss of sight. Blindness may be caused by injury, by lesions of the brain or optic nerve, by disease of the cornea or retina, by pathological changes originating in systemic disorders (e.g., diabetes) and by cataract, glaucoma, or retinal detachment.

Partial or total lack of hearing. It may be present at birth (congenital) or may be acquired at any age thereafter. A person who cannot detect sound at an amplitude of 20 decibels in a frequency range of from 800 to 1,800 vibrations per second is said to be hard of hearing.

Congenital disorder characterized by mild to severe mental retardation, slow physical development, and characteristic physical features. Down syndrome affects about 1 in every 730 live births and occurs in all populations equally.

Below average level of intellectual functioning, usually defined by an IQ of below 70 to 75, combined with limitations in the skills necessary for daily living. Daily living skills include such things as communication, the ability to care for oneself, and the ability to work.

From Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology
Special education is a service provided to students with educational disabilities. This article provides a general overview of the history, current practices, and contemporary issues regarding special education.

From Dictionary of Race, Ethnicity & Culture
Deriving from the word ‘culture’, the term ‘acculturation’ indicates the processes of transformation and ADAPTATION which take place within cultures when two or more groups - each of which has specific cultural and behavioural models - enter into relations with one another.

From Encyclopedia of Women's Health
Child custody means the legal responsibility for a child. When the parents of a child are married and live with the child, questions of child custody are rare. But when parents separate from each other or divorce, or when parents live separately from their child, there is often a question as to who has custody of the child.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Foster care is intended to offer a supportive family environment to children whose natural parents cannot raise them because of the parents' physical or mental illness, the child's behavioral difficulties, or problems within the family environment, e.g., child abuse, alcoholism, extreme poverty, or crime.permanent.