Utilizing flexible community-supporting services integrated with a hospital-based program of planned intermittent relief of the patients' supporters, patients (N=50) were maintained in the community at an average cost of 79.5 hospital bed days per patient per annum. The Continuing Care Program is an alternative to institutionalization. (Author)

The effect of age on foster care outcome was examined for 572 male psychiatric patients referred for foster care from five VA hospitals. Patients in foster care changed significantly compared with hospitalized controls by having less social dysfunction and better adjustment. (Author)

A behavioral program to train elderly nursing home patients (N=25) in interpersonal skills was systematically developed and evaluated. On a behavioral measure of responses to situations that had been included in training, the Skill Training program was superior to the control conditions. However, learning failed to generalize to novel situations.…

Problems of aging are seen as problems of decreasing power resources. Because power resources decline with increased age, older persons become increasingly unable to enter into balanced exchange relations with other groups with whom they are in interaction. The relative power of the aged vis-a-vis their exchange partner increasingly deteriorates.…

Japan is an exception to the general rule that modernization causes a sharp decline in status and integration of the aged. The high status of the elders is reflected in many private and public practices which give precedence to older persons. (Author)

Vroom's expectancy theory model to predict older worker's choices between employment or retirement hypothesized that a person's preference would be a function of differences between instrumentality of employment and retirement for attainment of outcomes, multiplied by the valence of each outcome, summed over outcomes. Results supported the…

Survey and ethnographic data were used to explore attitudes toward death among members of varying social categories defined by race, age, social class, and sex. Analysis by age resulted in substantial differences, with middle-aged respondents (45-54 years) expressing greatest fears of death and the elderly (65-74) reflecting the least. (Author)

After arguing that treatment programs for the elderly need to be evaluated with better research designs, the authors illustrate how interrupted time series analysis can be used to evaluate programs for the elderly when random assignment to experimental and control groups is not possible. (Author)

Timed and untimed scoring methods were employed with five WAIS subtests administered to 40 young and 40 old subjects matched for verbal intelligence. Elimination of bonuses for rapid performance differentially improved the scores of older subjects but did not raise those scores to levels achieved by the young. (Author)

Outlines the development of a Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) with spouses, family, friends, and neighbors who provided care to recently hospitalized hip surgery and heart patients over 65. Results indicate that the CSI is a brief, easily administered instrument which identifies strain within the sample of informal care providers. (Author/JAC)

Presents a bibliography of 405 doctoral dissertations dealing with the biological, behavioral, and social aspects of aging; health, health services, and education. (JAC)

Utilized longitudinal data from a national sample of older people to examine how moving affects health. Findings indicated that moving adversely affects older people, whether the move is voluntary or involuntary. The benign effects of moving into senior housing facilities may be due to physical and social supports. (Author/JAC)

Defined competence as effectiveness in dealing with one's environment and assessed (N=27) independently living older adults. Results found higher levels of competence were associated with a more demanding environment, and engaging in more activities. Cognitive test performance was related to both competence and quality of lingiustic tasks. (JAC)

Explored deductive inference processes in concept learning in four age groups. Results confirm findings of age differences in concept problem solving, with likelihood of solving the problem lower in older adults. However, solvers of all ages made the same correct inferences. (Author/JAC)

Data from a national survey showed that: retirement is not directly associated with visiting friends, identity, or well-being; lack of community activities is the strongest predictor of an older identity for both working and retired men; community activities have the strongest effect on the well-being of both. (Author/JAC)