Objective: To describe the creation of an educational podcast with 'living cases' of older adults to support students' learning on a gerontology course and report on students' evaluation of the project. Setting: Gerontology course in a graduate programme. Method: We developed a podcast series based on interviews with older adults in the community…

Nursing Assistants (NAs) are the largest workforce in nursing homes, but often lack adequate preparation for their role. The Living Classroom (LC) is an integrated learning approach, whereby a NA program is delivered in a nursing home (NH) in collaboration with a community college. This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of the LC.…

The concept of "successful aging" has become widely accepted in gerontology, yet continues to have no common underlying definition. Researchers have increasingly looked to older individuals for their lay definitions of successful aging. The present analysis is based on responses to five questionnaires administered to surviving…

This study analysed survey responses from 1652 New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA) musicians in the United States and Canada to better understand older adults' experiences in making music. The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) ascertain the extent of NHIMA musicians' musical backgrounds and their current involvement in…

A gerontological clinical nursing practice with an interdisciplinary focus was developed to provide opportunities for student nurses to expand their knowledge about aging, hone assessment skills, and critically examine beliefs about older adults. The practice included theory about older adults and a rotation through a variety of clinical settings…

Purpose: The Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) curriculum was developed as an adjunct to other educational initiatives that were part of Ontario, Canada's Alzheimer Strategy. GPA emphasizes that an individual's unique personal history has a direct application to the interpretation of and response to their behavior. It incorporates strategies into…

This paper briefly summarizes and discusses the current state of knowledge in the area of social gerontology. The major emphasis is on interactions with family and friends, particularly in the caregiving role. The health status of the elderly and their general life situation are also discussed. (Author)

In Canada, as in many countries, public continuing education of the non-vocational general interest type for people in post-work languishes on the margins of political discourse. This case study of one such traditional program for seniors run by a school board in Ontario explores the experiences of older adults and the meanings they attach to…

Examines the problem of ageism and questions some sociocultural barriers and prevalent attitudes that promote such behavior. Benefits of intergenerational contact are emphasized. Discusses some means of bringing together age groups and describes some of the current projects in this area which have been successful. (JAC)

Examined health service utilization by 4,800 Canadian elderly. Findings suggested that most elderly are healthy and are infrequent users of services. Identifies a minority of very high users of health care and discusses the potential influence of physicians on health care use by the elderly. (JAC)

Examined the effect of cultural or normative structures, as measured by ethnicity, on living arrangements of 7,015 older Canadian women. Results indicated that fertility is the major determinant of whether or not older women live alone, followed closely by ethnicity. Income, education, and age also have some effect. (JAC)

Retirement is a life cycle phase most couples can now expect to experience. Research on retirement has been directed primarily toward the impact of retirement on the retiree, rather than on the marital dyad. Qualitative and quantitative changes that women experience were investigated, with regards to their role as wife in response to their…

This paper integrates discussions about the future housing of the elderly made by community planners, gerontologists, and women in research using the Wagschal Futures Wheel technique. (JOW)

Outlines problems encountered and strategies evolved to deal with them in four studies of the elderly in Manitoba, Canada. Ethical concerns include consent, obligations of the researcher to the respondent, and demands of the respondent. Emphasizes the heterogeneity of the elderly population and its effect on research process. (Author)

Tested the effectiveness of training 50 older adults as peer counselors to lead a weekend preretirement seminar. Small group discussions focused on self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and leisure time management. Results showed improvement in self-efficacy ratings, retirement knowledge, and morale three months after the intervention. (JAC)