Child-rearing is still the culturally-prescribed norm for providing security for oneself in old age. Since most research on aging presumes marriage and parenthood, relatively little is known about the alternative means by which childless older people provide for themselves in their old age. Fourteen of 50 older participants in a two-year study…

Ways in which health professionals may improve the quality of life for older adults are considered. Needs must be met in the following areas: (1) safe housing; (2) convenient transportation; (3) protection against street crime; (4) improved communication systems; (5) educational programs; (6) nutrition for the elderly; and (7) physical fitness and…

The late fifties and early sixties were periods of great strides for blacks in America. At the same time, Hispanics, American Indians, women, the aged, and the physically and mentally handicapped came forth to meet the challenge of discrimination. This challenge will continue to face the United States. The argument that Americans need time to…

After introductory material discussing the impact of an increasingly older student population on traditional higher education practices, this report examines the adaptation of college curricula to the special needs of older adult students. The report first examines the level of service to older adults provided by the California community colleges…

A review of pertinent research on the adaptation of ethnic minority elderly to life-threatening events (personal, man-made, or natural) exposes voids in the research, presents methodological considerations, and indicates that ethnic minority elderly are disproportionately victimized by life-threatening events. Unusually high numbers of…

Presenting a summation of the workshops and recommendations of the National Indian Conference on Aging (Phoenix, 1976), this conference report includes both narrative and tabular data which illustrate the correlation between the 1976 recommendations and those made by A Special Concerns Session on the Elderly Indian at the 1971 White House…

A collection of papers by educators and health and social services practitioners comprises this reader on human services in rural areas. Part one, "An Overview of Contextual Differences between Urban and Rural Human Service Practice," also includes a paper on how to maintain confidentiality in a rural environment. The "Services to Youth" papers…

Prepaid group practice as a concept for providing health care is now over 25 years old in the nation and in New York City. It has overcome initial opposition by the medical profession and has been adopted by government as a healthy strategy under the acronym HMO or "Health Maintenance Organization". The author asserts that on two major…

The librarian in a mental health hospital has a unique opportunity to serve patients. The nonclinical setting is a significant factor in establishing the library as a bridge between the hospital and the outside world. The librarian-bibliotherapist, especially when working as a team member with the psychotherapist, brings professionalism and…

Growing populations of older adults, ethnic minorities, and the low-literate create unique concerns for the design of visual information. Those for whom text presents a barrier will respond most to legibility, use of familiar formats and symbols, and simplification. Guidelines for those processes are needed, and this paper, in particular,…

The Grandpals program at Oak Hill Elementary School in Overland Park, Kansas, meets teachers' needs while providing successful intergenerational programming. The first step in developing a program like Grandpals is to determine program goals, objectives, and theme. A next step is to determine the two populations to be involved. For example, whole…

Past attention has focused on the role of the elderly as recipients rather than receivers of help. To examine the proportion and characteristics of older community residents involved in care-giving, data used were from the 1979 "Statewide Survey of Older Virginians," aged 60 and older (N=2,146). Of the 10 types of helping activities studied, 5…

A detailed review of research was conducted on the relationship of social support of older adults to their general health and well being, and the findings were applied to educational outcomes and performance. The following dimensions of social support were examined: (1) an ecological framework or perspective of social support, (2) definitions and…

An increasing number of studies have examined the movement patterns of older people between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in the United States. Most of these studies, however, have not considered whether the relocation patterns of older persons differ systematically from those of younger populations. The 1975-1980 migration stream and net…

Love and romance continue to be important issues within every age group, not merely among the usually studied college students. Two issues, the nature or intensity of the love experienced and the motives or purposes of love were examined for different age groups. The ways in which the pursuit of heterosexual love may change throughout adult life…