The volume is a collection of essays in Social Gerontology that opens up newer vistas of knowledge and practice in the understanding and care of the elderly from a multidisciplinary perspective. The present day society is characterized by ‘greying’ and the elderly tend to be more and more marginalized as the family and society are undergoing dramatic changes. Ageing is perceived as one of the most serious issues of the globalized world and thus, caring for the ageing population has become a major concern for both the family and the State. Capturing the present-day reality of the elderly from the perspective of developing regions, the book, instead of debating on who will care for them, seeks to shift the focus on empowering and enabling them, so as to confront ageing with more grace and dignity. The volume features some of the leading scholars and researchers in gerontology from varying fields, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, demography, and medicine. The volume will help the readers to reinvent the question of ageing and the aged with greater creativity, ingenuity and graciousness. Designed as a Festschrift to Professor John Kattakayam, an eminent sociologist and a passionate scholar-cum-activist in gerontology, the book will enable the readers to revisit the concept and practice of care giving of the elderly and suggest programmes and policies that will help to empower the elderly and aid them in leading a fulfilled life. CONTENTS 1. Engaging with Old Age / N. Jayaram 2. The Family as a Safe Haven / Tulsi Patel 3. Issues of Ageing and the Aged in North East India / Bikash Deka 4. Challenges of Elderly People in Africa / Wurok Chan Malith 5. End of Life Care / C. Aruna 6. Ageing and the Aged / Priya Vijayakumar and Lekshmi V. Nair 7. Mental Health and the Elderly / Pratibha Pereira 8. Dimensions of Care for the Elderly / Pushpam M. 9. Elderly and Intergenerational Bonding / Subalekshmi G.S. 10. Elderly and Work Participation / Swapna Rani S.S. 11. Feminization of Caregiving / R. Indira 12. Feminization of Ageing and its Predicaments for Elderly Widows in India / Arvinder A. Ansari 13. The Semiotics of Femininity and Attitude Towards Ageing / Rekhasree K.R. 14. Informal Care and Health Related Quality of Life of Elderly Women in Kerala / Chitra S. Nair 15. Problems of Widow Headed Families / V.N. Sreekumar 16. Elderly in Kerala / Thomas Mathew 17. Social Security for the Elderly in India / Sivan Y.S. 18. A Sustainable Framework for Elderly Well-being / Sibin Mathew Medayil 19. Elderly Under Longer Institutional Care /Lekshmi V. Nair 20. Ageing in a Home Full of Strangers / Nisha Jolly Nelson 21. Ageing in Dignity or Abuse? / Vineetha Menon 22. Empowering Elderly Women / Reeja P.S. and Vinumol Devassy 23. Empowering the Elderly / Arun P. Bali 24. Cognitive Functioning in Old Age / Shabu B. Raj 25. Elderly as Subjects of Study / Biju Vincent