Dr. Morley D. Glicken &
The Institute for Personal Growth
Dr. Morley D. Glicken &
The Institute for Personal Growth
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Older Adults Blog
Dear Reader:
My name is Morley Glicken and I’m the
author of this book on older adults. I am
an older adult (69 when this book was
published) and the reason I wrote the book
is that much of what I’ve read about aging,
work, retirement, and life after 65 seems
inaccurate in describing me and many of
the older adults around me. We seem like
a healthy and engaged lot, many of us
working, playing tennis, and hiking well into
our 80’s and 90’s.
And yet, many older adults don’t share these
experiences. They come from employment and life situations that have taken a
toll on their minds and bodies. This book is written for them, but it is also written
for the “healthy” older adults who experience depression, anxiety, prolonged
bereavement, and every emotional problem that younger clients experience
because emotional problems are part of the human condition at any age.
I wrote the book for professionals in the human services and mental health fields
but non-professionals will find the book helpful and easy to read. I urge those of
you who are experiencing emotional difficulties as well as family members
whose loved ones are depressed, anxious or are showing signs of emotional
problems or cognitive deterioration to also read the book.
This is my 3rd book on Evidence Based Practice and my 12th book in 6 years.
I trust that this track record and the fact that I continue to teach and consult
are strong arguments against the notion that everyone experiences diminished
abilities as they age.
People who have worked hard all of their life, raised families and given their all
to their country and communities deserve the best social and mental health se
rvices available. One answer to the increasing number of older adults who may
not be aging well is to provide a competency-based service that focuses on
what works best. By using best evidence from the rapidly increasing knowledge-
base in health, psychology, social work, psychotherapy and gerontology, human
service professionals can provide a research-oriented service whose objective is
to keep aging clients engaged, independent, and healthy---even those clients
who are not aging well because of poverty, poor nutrition, substandard housing,
limited educational opportunities, lack of financial planning, elder abuse, or
catastrophic losses that have reduced life chances and limited access to an
"aging well lifestyle".
Each chapter in the book includes case studies as well as personal stories from
a variety of people about successful aging. I think you will find this feature of the
book very helpful in understanding the most effective helping approaches with
older adults.
Above all, the purpose of this book is to remember the many older adults among
us who suffer in silence and isolation and grow old without the comfort of a loving
family or a caring community. Their anguish should motivate us to open our
hearts and minds to new ideas, to new treatment approaches and, in Bertrand
Russell’s words, to have “unbearable sympathy for the suffering of others.”
I’ve been a social work practitioner, educator, dean and director of schools of
social work, and with this book on children, I will have published 12 professional
books. I’ve also been executive director of a large family service agency in
Arizona, a school social worker, and a clinical practitioner in private practice.
I currently teach graduate social work at Arizona State University and provide
consultation, training, and research through the Institute for Personal Growth
in Prescott, Arizona, a town in the Arizona Mountains near Sedona where I
also live and work.
As I write this I’m at my desk with the windows open. One never knows who will
come by to visit. Yesterday a large male deer came by, stood for 5 minutes
looking at me through the window, and then ate all of our bird seed and a few of
our roses. Today, an eagle came by to have a drink at our pond. I usually write
early in the morning when the raccoons and rabbits come out.
Thanks very much for considering my book on aging and my other books which
can be found on my website at: www.morleyglicken.com and on my
Amazon.com website at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002M3KCYM. Please
feel free to write me and share your thoughts on the subject of older adults
at: mglicken@msn.com.
Best wishes,
Dr. Morley D. Glicken
Prescott, Arizona
PO Box 40188 | Tucson, AZ 85717
Phone 520-288-0335 | mglicken@msn.com