This monograph presents nine author-contributed papers which look at issues of aging and mental retardation from the perspectives of nine nations: Australia (by Trevor R. Parmenter), Great Britain (by Steve Moss), Canada (by Gerrit Groeneweg), Germany (by Gottfried Adam), Hong Kong (by John W. L. Tse), Indonesia (by D. Lianta), Japan (by Takeo Kanetsuki), the Netherlands (by Meindert J. Haveman and Marian A. Maaskant), and Singapore (by M. K. Wong). A concluding paper by the editor notes three predominating philosophies of service welfare: the Asian model (with its emphasis on family care through the extended family); the Western European model (with institutional care a major component); and the North American/United Kingdom model (characterized by a strong philosophy of normalization and deinstitutionalization). Other conclusions suggest that most countries have adopted a largely voluntary sector organization supported from government finance and that all these countries recognize the urgency of developing policies and services for the increasing numbers of older persons with developmental disabilities. An American perspective on the issues is provided in commentaries by seven American authors. Most papers include references. (DB)