Chronological age is a marker in time but it fails to measure accurately the performance or behavioral characteristics of individuals. This paper models the complexity of aging by using a system model and a human function paradigm. These models help facilitate representation of older adults, integrate research agendas, and enhance remediative…

Professionals and paraprofessionals working in long term care facilities for institutionalized older people come from various educational backgrounds. To investigate the learning needs of long term care employees in gerontology, and to determine the validity of the Foundations for Gerontological Education Project as it relates to long term care…

This paper describes a new model for teaching nursing homes, which places a strong emphasis on teamwork by combining the resources of a comprehensive retirement community and three universities to train faculty, students, and staff, and to generate research basic to geriatric care. The four organizations involved in the project (Southwestern Ohio…

This paper on ethical issues in the gerontological nursing curriculum explores meanings of the concept of ethics and differences between ethical decision making and other decision-making processes. Four mind-sets about health care that influence the analysis of ethical dilemmas, identified by M. Aroskar, are described. The contributions of…

The desirability and format of a network among libraries and resource centers serving the gerontological/geriatric field were addressed in a research project funded by the Special Libraries Association. Heads of 50 gerontological and 50 geriatric libraries were surveyed by mail to determine if there was interest in a joint network, i.e., a formal…

Since the elderly are a significant population of health care consumers, health care professionals should be trained to deliver health services to them as effectively and humanely as possible. While the primary tool for delivery of health care services to people is human communication, there is evidence that the communication between the providers…

In response to growing needs of older citizens, the University of Pennsylvania and the Office of Aging of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare developed a three-year gerontological program. A series of faculty seminars was planned as part of the first-year program, after an initial survey of all Pennsylvania institutions of higher…

In devising training programs for gerontological service providers in Pennsylvania, attention was focused on determining to what extent inservice training improved the quality of or skill with which services were ultimately delivered. The Gerontology Manpower Project is recommending a client or consumer-oriented approach, as evidenced by project…

The methodology and design implemented for the Continuing Education/Community Service Projects of the Gerontology Center at Pennsylvania State University was the first attempt to train a diverse body of service providers in aging. Identification of the population for training was a matter of exclusion rather than inclusion, with the direct service…

Passage of landmark legislation in the form of the Older American Act initiated a broad program of research and training in the area of adult development and aging and social gerontology. Various types of model programs emerged around the country. One type is the State-recognized consortium (University of Michigan and Wayne State University) while…

Health communication, gerontology/geriatrics, and the interdisciplinary team approach to health care are considered together in this paper as a critical field for communication research. The first section of the paper offers a definition of interdisciplinary health care teams, then reviews their goals, composition, history and training. The second…

The Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU), which has proven successful in urban areas, may be a viable system for providing health care to the elderly in rural areas. GAUs engage in assessment, follow-up response to findings, education, and research. The assessment component includes, at minimum, physical health, functional ability in activities of…

Because of administrative difficulties, therapeutic services provided at a nursing home by Project Adapt, through the St. Louis (Missouri) Regional Community Placement Program, were discontinued. At 2-month intervals, from June through December, 1986, 10 residents from the home where services were discontinued were compared with 10 and 15…

Reviews the contributions of Ollie Randall, a pioneer in the field of aging, and discusses current issues and future directions in gerontology, in five papers presented at the Ollie A. Randall Symposium, at the Gerontological Society of America, 35th Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, 1982. (JAC)

This publication contains the reports of two major public advisory bodies which studied and conducted hearings on mental health needs of the elderly and developed recommendations for public policy to address these needs. The first report reviews current mental health needs and considers the projected needs for dealing with emotional stress during…