Edited volume from 1994 Abe Fellow Susan Orpett Long. This book was published as a result of the 1997-1998 SSRC-CGP Seminar Series “Aging Across Societies: Meaningful Life, Care and Closure” and “Care and Meaning in Late Life: Culture, Policy and Practice in Japan and the United States.”

In an era of changing demographics and values, this volume provides a cross-national and interdisciplinary perspective on the question of who cares for and about the elderly. The contributors reflect on research studies, experimental programmes and personal experience in Japan and the United States to explicitly compare how policies, practices and interpretations of elder care are evolving at the turn of the century.