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That book was obviously written by somebody who's not much of a cook.
I've found, many, many times, (to my dismay) that just because something got published, doesn't mean it's correct. There are a lot of people on this forum, including myself, who eat older birds all the time. We've learned to cook them properly, and they're great.
When it comes to older birds, the crock pot is my friend. I stick the bird in the pot, season it, put just a couple of cups of water in the bottom, put the lid on, and go to bed if it's late, otherwise, just go about my business. Anywhere from 6 to 10 hours later. depending on the age of the bird, I've got fall-off-the-bones succulent chicken meat, to be used in any number of dishes, like chicken tacos, enchiladas, barbecue sandwiches, or whatever. The time can be shortened considerably, by cooking the bird in something that will tenderize it, such as buttermilk or tomato juice.
While chicken and dumplings, soup, or stew can be very nice, those are NOT by any means the only things you can do with them. I have friends I have dinner with every couple of weeks, sometimes I bring one of my crock-pot-cooked birds, just in the pot, and we divide it up and eat it just as it is. With small bowls or cups of the amazing broth you get with an older bird, to dip hard rolls in. They're delicious, and my 2 city friends love it. They always look forward to "crock-pot-rooster night".
