The general objective of this study was to examine life satisfaction within the milieu of a classic, sociological, community setting: Middletown, U.S.A. Subjects (N=400) were persons, 60 years of age and older, over one-half of whom were married and most of whom had at least one living child. A significant majority of these older Middletowners…

Research has shown that being a caregiver is often very stressful, particularly for individuals acting as caregivers for a demented elder. Caregivers might gain needed time to relax if there were leisure time activities available for demented individuals. A study was undertaken which involved development of the leisure activities; selection and…

This document begins by dispelling several misperceptions about American Indians that are especially pernicious to older American Indians living in cities, and then goes on to discuss what is known about urban American Indian elders and the implications for planning and service delivery for Area Agencies on Aging and contractor agencies. It notes…

Although it has been estimated that over three-fourths of all older adults have living siblings, little information is available on the actual and potential supportive role siblings play for older persons. The sibling relationship has several unique and interesting characteristics and the intimate experiences of childhood may either bind or…

Because of the increased recognition of the multi-dimensionality of problems facing older adults and the need for greater focus on individual problems, increased efforts are being made to assess the needs of individuals. One promising area in this effort is functional assessment, which moves away from the use of chronological age, which classifies…

An organization of over 400 retired faculty members from a state university was concerned about the increasing frailty of some of its members and the difficulties some members were expecting in the near future in being able to remain in their present homes. It was suggested that the organization could start to function as a self-help or…

Case management has become a core component in the delivery of long term care services. It is widely viewed as a mechanism for linking and coordinating segments of a service delivery system (within a single agency or involving several providers) to ensure the most comprehensive program for meeting an individual client's needs for care. Although…

The predictive utility of a proposed need-press competence (NPC) model of satisfaction was compared with that of the traditional need-press fit model. Structured interviews with 30 residents from two nursing homes provided measures of needs, press, competence, and satisfaction. The NPC model was a better predictor of expressed satisfaction than…

Since many older Americans rely on family, friends, and neighbors to provide help in time of need, some assessment of how well these support systems work seems justified. A telephone survey was conducted to examine demographic characteristics, access to helpers, and well-being of three groups of noninstitutionalized older adults: (1) Group 1…

As part of a Geriatric Education and Health Management program, a model nurse-managed free clinic has been established at an urban senior center by faculty and students of the University of New Mexico College of Nursing. Funded by a 3-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, the weekly clinic is based on Orem's self-care theory…

Several extensive studies were carried out to determine deficiencies in community resources which hinder the elderly population in their desire to live independently. The first study delineated the perceived needs of the population and presented an overview of currently available resources. The needs found greatly exceeded the available resources.…

This study examined the characteristics of elderly persons receiving help from family members as reported in published studies on family caregiving. The data were drawn from 10 volumes of the "Journal of Gerontology" and "The Gerontologist" (1978-1988). Thirty-one family caregiving studies were identified. Although few of the elderly require…

The State of Virginia has had a statewide nursing home preadmission screening program since 1977 and has made efforts to ensure appropriate placement of individuals in long term care settings. In a major effort to divert certain individuals from institutionalization, a personal care option has been provided. Using data from the Preadmission…

Over the past two decades, the chronic mentally ill elderly have begun to receive care in residential health care facilities (RHCF) such as domiciliary care, intermediate care, and skilled nursing facilities. While there is justification for this increase, as the mentally ill elderly also present with significant physical illnesses, there are…

Although little emphasis has been placed on the community-based long-term care needs of the black elderly, examination of the needs of this group is important because of the projected rapid growth and the overall poverty rate of this population. Because personal care homes may be the only option currently available for the black elderly when…