Purpose: Although participatory action research (PAR) is increasingly viewed as an important complement to traditional investigator-driven research, relatively little PAR has taken place in which older adults have been prominent partners. This article provides a review of the literature on PAR in gerontology, highlighting key studies and their…

Purpose: Over the past two decades, a consensus has formed that increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior in older adults are important for physical and cognitive health. Although there is strong evidence that regular physical activity can prevent or delay the onset of many chronic diseases, a major concern is ensuring that…

Purpose: Building on the disablement process model and the concept of person-environment fit (p-e fit), this review article examines 2 critical questions concerning the role of home environments: (a) What is the recent evidence supporting a relationship between home environments and disability-related outcomes? and (b) What is the recent evidence…

The present review assesses the public's perceptions about cognitive health and Alzheimer's disease among adults in the United States. We searched the published literature and Internet, and contacted experts in the field to locate surveys assessing the public's perceptions about cognition. We found 10 eligible surveys and abstracted data…

Purpose: We describe an approach to identifying knowledge gaps, research questions, and methodological issues for assisted living (AL) research. Design and Methods: We undertook an inventory of AL literature and research in progress and commissioned background papers critiquing knowledge on selected subtopics. With an advisory committee, we…

Purpose: Evidence suggests that healthy lifestyles may help maintain cognitive health. The Prevention Research Centers Healthy Aging Research Network, 9 universities collaborating with their communities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is conducting a multiyear research project, begun in 2005, to understand how to translate this…

Notes that aged are often regarded as exploiters of youth, selfishly clinging to disproportionate share of wealth, power, and resources; yet are paradoxically viewed as helpless victims as they fall into physical decline. Sees these two faces of age appearing in works by Shakespeare, Balzac, and Dickens. Presents examples of these…

Purpose: Despite growing research on assisted living (AL) as a residential care option for older adults, the social ramifications of residents' transitions to AL are relatively unexplored. This article examines family involvement in AL, including family structures of residents, types of involvement from family members living outside the AL…

Discusses G. Stanley Hall's "Senescence" (1922), the first major work in gerontology by an American social scientist. Blending historical themes of religion, science, and morality, it also presciently forecasts the transformation of old age and the growth of gerontology. (Author/JAC)

Analyzed 65 advice books for the elderly to assess their romantic and sexual content. Results indicated that sexual activity is encouraged now more than in the past for the elderly, suggesting a trend which stresses activity rather than disengagement. However, little support for remarriage and dating was found. (Author/JAC)

Reviews recent developments in the study of aging and schizophrenia. Particular attention is paid to the course and outcome of psychopatholgical symptoms; cognitive, neurological, and other organic factors; and social functioning. Four basic postulates about schizophrenia into later life and six themes for future research emerge from the review.…

Notes that changing nature of disease risks and functional health status with aging suggests need to focus health promotion efforts in older population where they will reduce morbidity, mortality, and disability. Sees little consensus in literature regarding efficacy of various health promotion practices and appropriate target groups within older…

Examined American popular sheet music published between 1830 and 1980 as source for understanding perceptions and feelings about aging and old age. From over 300 pieces of relevant sheet music, cover art and lyrics are reviewed. A substantial majority presented negative rather than positive views of aging and old age. (Author/NB)

Reviews Western art and literature, revealing many examples of older people being characterized as avaricious and miserly. Describes historical reasons for characterizing older people as misers, such as their need to control wealth, intergenerational conflict, and lack of social support programs. Sees industrialization, Social Security, and other…

Examines literature on senior center participation and factors related to participation for minority elders. Concludes that extent of involvement of minority elders in senior centers is unclear because of lack of data for certain groups and methodological problems in some studies. Identifies and discusses factors that might affect minority…