Older aged adults face many adversities over the later life course. This edited volume will address the ways in which seniors bounce back from different types and combinations of adversity - termed "resilience". While research has been accumulating that identifies inherent abilities and external resources needed to adapt and navigate stress-inducing experiences among aging and older adults, gaps remain in understanding the unique elements and processes of resilience. A series of chapters included in this book will address several overarching questions: why do some older individuals/families/communities adapt to adversity better than others; what are modifiable behavioral protective/risk factors related to resilience; and how can we foster resilience at the individual/community level and which approaches show the most promise?

The spectrum of aging-related challenges and responses addressed in this book include: mental health; physical/functional healthproblems; multimorbidity; socio-economic deprivation; social isolation and loneliness; cultural dimensions of loneliness; housing/homelessness problems; and environmental disasters. This book presents cutting-edge science at the conceptual, methodological, empirical and practice levels applied to emerging resilience sub-fields in gerontology. It will also present potential areas of future research, policy and practice linked to these areas.

During a period of the most rapid population aging in the US, Canada and many other nations, coupled with heightened global socio-political change, extending our knowledge of resilience will help society to make important adjustments to maximize health and wellness of older individuals. Supporting and enhancing resilience through technological, social and/or community-level advances in geroscience will help those facing adversity to thrive by harnessing, stretching, and leveraging a wide array of potential resources. The promotion of healthier older populations has far-reaching consequences for health care and social/community support systems, both in terms of public health including pandemic response, and the development and implementation of innovations in treatment and practice guidelines.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Perspectives of Resilience and Aging

Chapter 2: Resilience in Older Adults: What it is and How to Strengthen It
Chapter 3: Resilience in Later life: Responding to Criticisms and Applying New Knowledge to the Experience of Dementia
Chapter 4: Science and Practice of Resilience: Disaster Systems Applications to Aging Model Development
Chapter 5: Multimorbidity Resilience: Conceptual, Theoretical and Measurement Developments
Chapter 6: Quantitative Approaches to Examine Resilience and Aging
Chapter 7: Positive Affect as Source of Resilience in Adulthood and Later Life
Chapter 8: Psychological Resilience in the Face of Later-Life Bereavement
Chapter 9: Physical Resilience and Aging
Chapter 10: Mobility Resilience Processes Among Older Adults
Chapter 11: Communities and Resilience: Contextual and Collective Resilience
Chapter 12: Advancing the Concept of Resilience for Older Adultswho are Experiencing Homelessness.