Steps are outlined in the construction of two self-report assessment scales designed to measure general life satisfaction and leisure activity levels of developmentally disabled adults. The potential usefulness of a reliable, valid self-report instrument as a measurement tool in client programming is noted in the context of a review of similar…

A nursing home has three discharge tracks, determined at admission and reviewed periodically along with treatment plans. Advised by the admitting physicians, the nursing home social worker assesses each resident's discharge prognosis: (1) a discharge plan is in effect; (2) discharge is problematic; or (3) no discharge is planned. A substantial…

Sexism in women's health care has received increasing attention through the women's movement. Many alternative efforts at reform have been targeted to women in their reproductive years, but the older woman has not had similar efforts designed to alter her situation. A Senior Health Center was established by one community hospital to provide…

It has been theorized that the need for interpersonal contact is continuous throughout life and is necessary for one's well-being. The concept of self-disclosure, the process of making the self known to other persons, has been associated with varying levels of well-being. The content and comprehensiveness of self-disclosure by the elderly to an…

Demographic changes, changes in women's work roles, and changes in the nature of the family have increased the importance of identifying the effects of government policy on family cohesion and living arrangement decisions. The effect of public policy on the nation's largest source of caregivers, the family support system, is a key issue. While…

Much evidence has indicated that personal networks with family, friends, and community members can enhance health and improve psychological adjustment. Personal networks provide elderly persons in particular with companionship, practical help, and useful advice. The ecological models proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1979) portrays the social networks…

The 1981 White House Conference on Aging, particularly the 50 State Conferences on Aging, generated over 1,500 pages of data on aging, addressing over 3,000 issues. To summarize the information from the 16 Technical Committee reports, a conceptual framework was used which focused on the well being of older people in three dimensions - health,…

Suicide is one of the least understood of human behaviors, especially the causes and factors associated with suicide in young children. To replicate and clarify an earlier study, which used a methodology for determining suicidal ideation in different groups of people by examining the thoughts and ideas they projected onto another, 2,386 subjects…

The quality of life of nursing home residents may be enhanced by providing them with opportunities to participate in social activities involving different age groups and community-dwelling age peers. To obtain descriptive data, and to investigate the relationships between patterns of social interaction and subject characteristics, time-sampled…

Two nontraditional markets for increased college/university enrollments are discussed, potential students age 50 and over and high school students enrolled for dual credit in advance placement classes. Two telephone surveys were conducted, one to county residents aged 50 and over, regarding their educational needs and interests, and the other to…

The study examined the role played by informal (i.e., family, kin, neighbors, friends) and quasiformal (i.e., church-sponsored) support systems in predicting, enhancing, or inhibiting use of social services by Hispanic elderly. Thirty-seven variables and data selected from a 1979-1980 15-state survey of 1,805 noninstitutionalized Hispanic…

This document contains the 57 reports generated by the State White House Conferences held in each of the states and territories, and by the Navajo Nation from September 1980 through June 1981 in preparation for the National White House Conference on Aging. Each report provides information on the total number of participants in local/state/regional…

This Technical Committee Report provides an overview and historical sketch of research in aging and proposes a need for new knowledge. An examination of key issues notes the difficulty in assigning priority to research topics, and identifies emerging issues of public concern including: (1) physical health (alcohol and drugs, falls and accidents,…

A presentation of the task of the 1981 White House Conference on Aging, i.e., to address the problems of older Americans and to consider ways to use older Americans as national resources, is followed by a discussion of the legislative background of the Conference and Conference funding. Six topics chosen by the Advisory Committee for discussion…

Much research has focused on retirees and disengagement from prior work roles. One neglected variation is entry into second careers. Seventy persons, aged 50 to 87, who had retired from or left one occupation and taken up a second career selling their work at art and craft fairs, were interviewed. Respondents had held a variety of responsible…