Background: The increased life expectancy of people with intellectual disability intensifies the need for age-specific support. Research on effects of support strategies on quality of life (QoL) of these people remains scattered. Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed publications since 1995 was performed, with participants having…

Background: Hearing loss has a significant impact on living well and on communication in all adults, with the numbers affected increasing with age, and adults with learning disabilities being at particular risk. Methods: A review of the literature on hearing loss in older adults with learning disabilities was completed. Results: A significant…

Background: Growing numbers of people with learning disabilities are now living into older age. This study aims to examine the state of knowledge about their lives and the challenges that ageing has for both family carers and policymakers and practitioners. Materials and Methods: The article synthesises existing research in the fields of learning…

Background/Objectives: The main objective of the article is to study, analyze and organize the modern German experience in the sphere of social pedagogical and educational work with socially unprotected adults, including youth and the elderly. The retrospective analysis threw light on the background of work with socially unprotected adults in…

Older adult inmates have grown both in proportion and in number due to the confluence of a number of factors. This aging of the prison population has created a host of policy and practice issues that encompass justice considerations, cost containment issues, and biopsychosocial care needs. The older prisoner's physical, social, and psychological…

The vast majority of the 220,000 Canadians who die each year, principally of old age and progressive ill health, do not have access to specialized hospice or palliative care. Hospice and palliative care programs are unevenly distributed across Canada, with existing programs limited in capacity and services varying considerably across programs.…

Reviews programs and services available to the elderly, including descriptions of their organizational and agency sponsorship and arguments used to justify or refute their usefulness. Suggests that the discipline of social gerontology can play an important applied role in assessing the needs of and suggesting appropriate services for the elderly.…

In recent years, considerable attention has been devoted to the value of unpaid work in the economy. One very important aspect of unpaid work is caregiving for chronically ill or disabled people and the question of whether or not family-and-friend caregiving eases the burden on the publicly funded system. Using data from the 1996 General Social…

This is a 1984 annual Senate report on aging which examines the health, income, employment, housing, and assistance problems of older people. In a preface, Senators Heinz and Glenn note the following significant events of l984: (1) Congress reauthorized the Older Americans Act; (2) a strong economy with low inflation helped Social Security and…

Presents a procedure whereby existing data can be utilized in placing needs of the elderly in priority ranking. A basic technique developed by HEW was employed. Various strengths and weaknesses are noted. Suggestions are made for utilization of the method presented by social service planning agencies. (Author)

Reviews theoretical perspectives on voluntarism. Outlines factors that must be present if minorities and elderly people are to be recruited as volunteers for social agencies. (GC)

Reviews four recent studies which found that general knowledge and acceptance of the formal service system were better predictors of service use by community-based elderly than were demographic and functional capacity variables usually studied. Suggests new research approaches to understanding why many older persons are reluctant to use existing…

Uses library research and international fieldwork to describe local social services for elderly in Hungary stating that supplemental local services are needed to compensate for inadequate universal entitlements. Concludes that current economic and political situation is unfavorable to improving benefit system. (Author/CM)

Discusses communication research in the health and social service professions. Comments on the quality of that research and provides suggestions for areas that are in need of study and for methods that could profitably be used. Includes an extensive bibliography. (PD)

Like most Western countries, Switzerland experienced an increased birth rate following World War II, followed by decades of slower growth. However, the number of those over 65 will have increased five-fold during the 20th century, and the number of those over 80 will have increased ten-fold. Thus, there is a smaller number of young people to…