Recent research indicates that public information campaigns and promotional programs can have an impact on the extent to which citizens involve themselves in crime prevention. Subgroups such as the elderly may especially benefit from efforts more carefully tailored to their own needs and circumstances. The design of successful programs requires…

In an increasingly cost-conscious health care environment, average length of hospital stay has decreased. Although psychiatric inpatient treatment is largely exempt from the constraints of the Medicare diagnosis related groups (DRG's), length of stay for geropsychiatric hospital services has decreased also. A trend toward higher rates of early…

The housing industry for the elderly has changed from being primarily the effort of charitable organizations to include a large number of for-profit businesses. Psychologists interested in dealing with this industry will have to be aggressive. Important considerations include the following: (1) managers make decisions about finances, products, and…

Classical models of the grieving process include Freud's concept of withdrawal of ties to the love object called decathexis, and Lindemann's emancipation from the bondage to the deceased involving adjusting to the loss in one's environment and the ability to form new relationships. Most of the models and explanations of the grieving process over…

A cognitive analysis of loneliness is presented. Loneliness is defined as occuring when a person's achieved social relations are less numerous or less satisfying than the person desires. Factors that cause loneliness by altering the person's achieved or desired social relations are discussed. (Author)

Pilot-tested health promotion delivery system using peer leadership and social networking model in elderly population. Participants took lessons on fiber intake, dietary change, and peer leadership. Qualified peer leaders then recruited second generation of participants and taught them. Model appeared to be feasible, suggesting that peer leaders…

Contends that organized labor in the United States strongly supported pre-New Deal proposals for state pensions for the elderly. Reviews activities of the highly political state federations and of the campaign for old age pensions in Massachusetts to show that labor, rather than middle class reformers, was responsible for promotion of new public…

Describes the nature of cognitive therapy, some current theoretical perspectives, and application to three specific populations: children and adolescents, the elderly, and those with eating disorders. (Author/BL)

Twelve articles on aging address the needs of older adults. Discussed are effects of physical activity on the aging process, physical assessment procedures, nutrition, dance, aerobics, fitness needs, recreation needs, and even in-home activities for seniors. A listing of resource agencies, books, records, cassettes, journals and indexes is…

Presents a screening instrument, the HRCA Vulnerability Index, involving 11 items concerning functional deficits in personal care, instrumental care, mobility, and mentation. Data from samples of community elderly, home care clients, and residents in congregate housing facilities (N=7,795) are analyzed to explore the potential usefulness of the…

Presents an urban neighborhood network barter model which can facilitate service delivery to the elderly and offers recommendations for implementing a similar program. Community outreach, good publicity, and a successful conference were key factors in producing a greater sense of cohesiveness within the community. (JAC)

Suggests an innovative group structure and process for integrating health care providers and elderly consumers in community health care planning, implementation, and evaluation. The Elderly Health Advocacy Group is described and its developmental processes outlined. Further demonstration for long-range impact is suggested. (Author)

Home care programs emerged as an essential component of health care for the elderly and are generally based on hospital or community models. These models coexisted in Manitoba as elsewhere, but services were uncoordinated, fragmented, restrictive, duplicative, and not universally available. In September 1974, a comprehensive home care program was…

Social network analysis involves the assessment of the individual's interpersonal relationships, of the degree of integration into various organizational settings, and of the availability of supportive services. This analysis reveals strengths within the network to be reinforced, or negative influences. (Author)

The average retirement age for men shifted from 70 in 1950 to 65 in 1970 to 62 in 1985. Whether the trend toward early retirement has ended depends on interpretation of changes in the last 2 decades, including elimination of mandatory retirement, modifications in social security and pension plans, and increased longevity. (Contains 18 references.)…