Shared decision making about placement and medical interventions can be empowering to older persons, relieve burdens on older person and family, and facilitate better surrogate decision making later. Potential dangers of shared process include coercion, conflicts of interest, and disagreements between family members. New legal concepts could help…

Israeli public school made gerontological content and experiences available to students aged 13-14. Process included library research, interviewing older residents, friendly visits to home for aged, formal lectures, role playing, and homework. Participants were reported to have improved relations with own grandparents. (Author/NB)

Questions whether defeat of propositions to establish paid Martin Luther King holiday in Arizona was example of racism among primarily White senior adult voters of the state. Proposes three models to account for general pattern of election-related behavior and for vote itself: proactive racist; pragmatic self-interest; and fortress mentality.…

It is generally recognized that age, by itself, is not an adequate criterion with which to judge a person's ability to drive. Individuals do not age at the same rate, and there are large intraindividual differences in the aging process. This study, the first phase of a proposed two-phase research project, investigated the relationship of physical…

For members of the elderly housing industry, important questions concern how people decide to become residents of a particular senior community, how they function after they move in, and how they feel about their experience in the community. Scientists can design and conduct research to answer these questions. In an elderly housing facility,…

This document presents a report on the guardianship of the elderly and the disabled, and on abuses that occur in such guardianship. It presents a set of 12 questions and answers about guardianship: (1) what is guardianship; (2) how many older Americans are under guardianship; (3) who are the elderly persons under guardianship; (4) who can be a…

In response to Representative Edward Roybal's concern that aging organizations have used direct mail in a manner that might frighten, threaten, or coerce the elderly into contributing money or buying products from these organizations, the General Accounting Office (GAO) agreed to: (1) identify federal agencies with jurisdiction in reviewing the…

A humanistically-oriented dynamic approach for the treatment of depression in older persons is presented. A multi-level therapeutic model of treatment is discussed in detail. Included are initiation of the therapeutic relationship, specific tools for problem-solving, relationship building, and insight, termination, transference, and…

In 1972, Congress enacted the Nutrition Act under Title VII of the Older Americans Act in order to provide older Americans with nutritionally sound meals served in strategically located community centers. This paper identifies some of the significant personal, environmental, and programmatic barriers to effective outreach that exist today. (Author)

Few colleges and universities actively recruit senior citizens or take action to remove real or perceived barriers to their enrollment in regularly scheduled classes. Describes a recruitment program to encourage older adults to enroll in regularly scheduled university classes. Used senior recruiters, themselves university students over the age of…

Asserts that older adults can profit from teaching techniques that address their unique abilities and needs, and that the learning performance of older adults can be improved by helping them to organize better the material to be learned. Presents practical suggestions on how advance organizers can be used to facilitate learning among older adults.…

Describes program in which American Speech-Language-Hearing Association certified audiologists train protocol providers to assist older hearing-aid users in adjusting to using hearing aids on a daily basis. Training emphasizes empathy, effective communication skills, knowledge of the interaction of aging and hearing loss, phases outlined in…

Notes that economic, demographic, and political factors pressure health care providers into improving discharge planning and long-term care services for clients. Examines the application of computer technology to case management and describes a computerized, hospital-based case management program for the elderly. (Author/NB)

Considers impoverishment as a consequence of continuous institutionalization in a nursing home to be a public policy problem and the plight for any older Americans. Discusses one form of long-term care (LTC) insurance, the continuing care retirement community or life care community, and contrasts this small LTC self-insurance group with two other…

Discusses the trend toward affiliation of nursing homes with educational programs as clinical teaching institutions for medical, nursing, and allied health students. Reviews potential ethical and legal issues for the nursing home administrator, professional staff member, educator, and student, including informed consent, supervisory…