Traditionally, the treatment of geriatric patients suffering from Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) has been characterized by non-therapeutic custodial care. To determine whether elderly clients with dementia can benefit from self-care skill training, and to compare their progress with clients without OBS, 30 clients of the Residential Aging Program in…

These proceedings from the second conference on the Epidemiology of Aging sponsored by the National Institutes of Health indicate the direction of recent research and concern in this area. Attempts are made to formulate a definition of aging other than that of chronological age. A number of biomedical correlates of aging are addressed, including…

This paper explores Q-Factor Analysis as a method of organizing data on a large array of variables to describe a group of aged Ss. Forty-seven males, specially selected for their good health (Mean Age: 71.5; SD: 4.8) were measured on 550 biological and behavioral variables. A Q-Factor Analysis was calculated, using a S by variable matrix, which is…

This paper develops the premise that there is today a new "child" in our culture developed in response to expectations of daily functioning, family relationships, societal status, economic level, medical illness, emotional needs, and financial management. This new "child" is a person who has usually passed the age of 65, and has found that the…

A 1984 survey of dental schools was compared with a 1979 survey showing an increase in the teaching of geriatric dentistry. Factors associated with the establishment of a course were that the school was located in a state with a large geriatric population and financial assistance for patients was available. (Author/MLW)

Describes the first 16 months of operation of a nursing home based community-oriented rehabilitation unit that utilized an interdisciplinary team approach in its admission evaluation and in its patient management decision making. Of the 27 patients discharged to homes, 23 were still in their homes after an average post-discharge period of eight…

Geriatric content in a medical school curriculum was assayed by surveying faculty course directors and students about course content, by conducting an independent review of course content, and by analyzing the content of course examinations. The students' assessments of geriatric content were found to be not valid. (Author/MLW)

Extends the available information base on intellectural aging by collecting self-report data from 100 psychologists between 45 and 64 years of age. Subjects rated changes in intellectual functions, related present changes with past expectations, and answered questions about health problems affecting intellectual functioning. The importance of…

Examined the use of public services by 1,080 Norwegian older adults. Results showed more than one-third use public services for the aged (i.e., are institutionalized or receive home help or home nursing). The use of services is affected by both need and demand factors. The family's role is discussed. (JAC)

Examined past efforts to improve the Indian elderly's quality of life, summarized mental health issues, critically reviewed relevant literature, and reported results from a needs assessment survey of Indian elderly. Journal availability: see RC 503 481. (DS)

Comparison of opinions of residents in two programs providing different amounts of geriatric training concerning management of four geriatric and two traditional internal medicine problems found all had less confidence about geriatric than traditional problems. Students with more training offered more support for nondiscriminatory care of elderly…

This planning study was designed and conducted in a predominantly rural Canadian province to examine the strengths and learning needs of four categories of nursing staff practising in New Brunswick nursing homes. Participants included directors of care, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and resident attendants. The nursing homes ranged…

Purpose: Making good consumer decisions requires having good information. This study compared long-term-care recommendations among various types of health professionals. Design and Methods: We gave randomly varied scenarios to a convenience national sample of 211 professionals from varying disciplines and work locations. For each scenario, we…

Purpose: Measures are lacking that address the challenges that people think they face in their roles as elderly care receivers. However, the development of a sense of efficacy in this role by mentally competent care receivers is critical to successful partnerships between caregivers and care receivers. The purpose of this article is to report the…

The project described in this report was designed to: (1) address the lack of adequately trained faculty members needed to introduce geriatrics within colleges of pharmacy, (2) facilitate the use of existing materials within the educational program provided pharmacy students, (3) teach a geriatric pharmacy course twice at each of Texas' three…