One of the social identities held by people is defined by whether or not they smoke cigarettes. Although this identity can and does change for many people over the course of their lives, most research has not examined the effects of transitioning from a smoker to a non-smoker. Using a life span perspective, our analyses contrasted the extent to…

Purpose: Given age-related health restrictions, the importance of the environment for life satisfaction may increase in later life. This study investigated whether objective and perceived physical and social environmental aspects of the home and of the surrounding neighborhood represent resources for or risks to life satisfaction among young-old…

This article presents findings from a questionnaire dealing with what young people think about the elderly and aging and how to bridge the generation gap. The role of the young in helping old people to become integrated in society is to encourage contacts in all fields. (UNESCO, Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris) (SSH)

This study argues that education should be a fundamental aspect of any public policy related to aging and elderly persons. Education should not be conceived of as a process limited to the formal transmission of knowledge and techniques but rather as a fundamental human right. (UNESCO, Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris) (SSH)

A quick review of introductory textbooks reveals that while gerontology authors and instructors introduce some aspect of demography and epidemiology data, there is limited focus on age adjustment or other important epidemiology rates. The goal of this paper is to reintroduce a variety of basic epidemiology strategies such as incidence, prevalence,…

Camp Fire Inc. offers a "Friendship across the Ages" program that brings older adults and children together. The adults share knowledge and skills, and the young people benefit from having an adult listen to them. (DF)

To help students identify with and appreciate the elderly, this annotated bibliography lists 24 books for kindergarten through seventh grade that involve children and young people in close relationships with older people. Annotations, divided according to primary level or upper elementary level, include publisher and date of publication, as well…

This final project report examines how to successfully develop a national approach for the infusion of aging content into the K-12 grade curricula. As the U.S. society is "graying," the students in schools should be exposed to aging information on the increasing responsibilities for the care of aging family members with a realistic view of their…

Schools can help young people be aware of the social, political, and economic consequences of an aging society. This report is part of a six-part series, "Schools in an Aging Society," designed to promote education for, with, and about older adults. The Advanced Generations' Education through the Schools (AGES) is a planning model in…

The paper discusses some of the available curricula on the aging, their goals, their shared characteristics, and some outcomes of the curricula. Appearing in several formats for grades K-12 classroom use and including texts, videos, and workbooks, the curricula are presented as activities that may be integrated with other prescribed content. Each…

Noting that early children's literature plays a major role in the development of children's attitudes, this annotated bibliography lists early children's literature which contains positive portrayals of older adults. The books selected portray aging as a natural and lifelong process of growing and developing; present similarities between young and…

This curriculum on aging is designed to help promote positive attitudes toward age and aging among young children. It focuses on developing the concepts of: (1) aging is a natural and lifelong process of growing and developing; (2) old and young are similar in many ways; (3) older people are valuable and contributing members of society; (4) old…

Studied the perceptions, expectations, and attitudes toward aging among students of religion and their graduate counterparts by means of structured interviews. Results revealed students had more positive attitudes toward young than old people, relatively low gerontological knowledge, and negative biases toward the aged. (RC)

The adult cerebral cortex can adapt to environmental change. Using monocular deprivation as a paradigm, we find that rapid experience-dependent plasticity exists even in the mature primary visual cortex. However, adult cortical plasticity differs from developmental plasticity in two important ways. First, the effect of adult, but not juvenile…

To help dispel myths and stereotypes about the elderly, young children should learn about the elderly and the aging process. Children need to see old age as a part of the total life cycle and can benefit from having contact with senior citizens volunteers in the classroom. (MDM)