Personhood, identity and care in advanced old age by Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard

How does society collectively envision what ‘old age’ looks like, and what does this vision mean for how we plan for, support and conceptualise care? This book explores the concepts and practices of care in relation to what Higgs and Gilleard describe as the social imaginary of the fourth age: a collective representation of later life composed of those elements most feared about ‘extreme’ older age, namely, physical and cognitive decline, infirmity, and, ultimately, failure. They begin by outlining how the social imaginary of the fourth age has emerged in contrast to that of a third age of ‘successful aging’, wherein an older individual is imagined to be able to exert autonomy, retain productivity and continue an active lifestyle.