Relations between older adults and their adult offspring have been of considerable interest to social gerontologists. This study was conducted to examine patterns of intergenerational interaction and contact in a community setting. Telephone interviews were conducted with 400 residents over the age of 60. Items in the interview were taken from…

The general impression conveyed by the literature in the social psychology of aging is that various dimensions of the self, including self-esteem, are relatively fixed and stable by the later stages of the life cycle. Existing research implies that the self-esteem of older persons is higher than that of younger persons, and also more stable or…

This survey generated a profile of a typical water exercise participant. Data include: (1) subject's medical clearance for water exercise, swimming ability, physical and related problems, reasons for participation and perceived psycho-physical benefits of water exercise; (2) techniques of monitoring water exercise intensity: kinds of flotation…

Regardless of their marital status earlier in life, most women can expect to be single for some of their old age. In addition, older single women often have reduced resources. Many women now face situations unlike their expectations when they chose their life courses. Such a situation is shared by a unique community of Catholic sisters. Changes in…

When presented with linguistic material, elderly adults are often unable to report as much material as are younger people. To ascertain whether elderly adults are as sensitive as young adults to the underlying structure of the to-be-remembered sentences, a study was conducted using the item recognition priming technique. In this technique, people…

Older adults are significantly slower than young adults in the naming response in the Stroop Color Word Interference Test. Hypotheses attempting to explain this age-related difference in a perceptual-cognitive task have included orthogenic principle, response-competition, and cautiousness. This study examines whether there are any significant…

Survey data based on a random sample of retirement villages' residents in Florida (N=519) considered retirement plans. Individuals were more likely to have made detailed plans for: Health Insurance (85 percent); Income (71 percent); Will (70 percent); Housing (67 percent); Health Care (55 percent); Leisure Pursuits (39 percent). A retirement…

To explore the effects of depression and learned helplessness on cognitive task deficits, 66 community-residing elderly adults were categorized as depressed or nondepressed based on Beck Depression Inventory scores. After a pre-test battery measuring short-term memory and components of crystallized/fluid intelligence, the subjects responded to a…

Age-related deficits may exist in episodic memory (knowledge of the context in which an item appeared previously) and semantic memory (knowledge of an item's meaning independent of the context). In order to examine adult age differences in semantic priming effects and subsequent episodic retention for visually presented words, 24 young (18-22…

Widowhood may pose a threat to the adjustment and life satisfaction of older women. In order to examine the relationship between life satisfaction of elderly widowed black women and their involvement in formal and informal support systems, 65 women ranging in age from 64 to 92, were asked 326 questions by trained black interviewers. Interviewers…

Federal support for adult day care centers began in the United States approximately 10 years ago. To examine the counseling practices in the adult day care centers across the country and to explore how the services are affected by the staffing patterns at these centers, 135 centers completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed…

Most studies of stress and coping processes among patients with serious illnesses have focused on acute illness states. Far less research has involved systematic examination of the types and frequency of illness-related stresses experienced by individuals living with chronic illness. To compare the nature and degree of illness-related stress posed…

Aspects of a project designed to train senior citizens in child care (especially infant care) are described in this brief report. Eligibility and screening criteria, participant characteristics, instruction provided, program effectiveness, and placement of graduates are among the topics discussed. (Author/RH)

Communication specialists, or communicologists, have several problems to overcome before their contributions to the study of gerontology can receive the recognition they deserve. Communicologists, for example, need to define their discipline and expertise more clearly and succinctly. In order to be credible to gerontologists and other…

A humanistically-oriented dynamic approach for the treatment of depression in older persons is presented. A multi-level therapeutic model of treatment is discussed in detail. Included are initiation of the therapeutic relationship, specific tools for problem-solving, relationship building, and insight, termination, transference, and…