This study tested the reliability and validity of the Carolina Opinions on Care of Older Adults (COCOA) survey compared with the Geriatric Assessment Survey (GAS). Participants were first year medical students (n = 160). A Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) measurement model for COCOA had a moderately strong fit that was significantly better…

The purpose of this study is to confirm the working hypothesis on two major models of functioning decline and two corresponding models of rehabilitation program in an older population through detailed interviews with the persons who have functioning declines and on-the-spot observations of key activities on home visits. A total of 542…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between functional disability and the use of health care services in a nationally representative sample of older adults by using the Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization. Design and Methods: The study used 12 years of longitudinal…

A training curriculum on mental health and aging was developed and disseminated to 32 natural caregivers throughout a frontier state using a train-the-trainer model. Those certified as trainers included social workers, religious professionals, volunteers, long-term care employees, nurses, home health workers, and professional and informal…

This report analyzes a program designed to help educate physicians at the residency level in ways of understanding and treating older adults in a context broader than an acute or chronic care setting. The program involves the collaboration between a well-established multi-purpose senior center and a multi-purpose community hospital affiliated with…

Chronological age is a marker in time but it fails to measure accurately the performance or behavioral characteristics of individuals. This paper models the complexity of aging by using a system model and a human function paradigm. These models help facilitate representation of older adults, integrate research agendas, and enhance remediative…

Presents an overview of the most distinctive psychological theories of aging promulgated after World War II. Groups theoretical developments into three periods: (1) Classical Period, which includes developmental tasks/activity theory; (2) Modern Period, which includes theories on life-span development and aging; and (3) New Period, represented by…

Suggests alternatives to the medical education model for teaching geriatrics. Proposes geriatric learning that shows interdisciplinary care, stresses wellness over illness, and demonstrates examples of care, support, independence, and limited maintenance away from nursing homes and hospitals. (Author/ABB)

In order to meet the pharmaceutical health care needs of the elderly, pharmacy schools must better prepare students. A course developed by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the Health Sciences Consortium to provide pharmacy schools with a model for developing and revising other courses is described. (MLW)

Analyzes the development of thinking in the field of aging as a sequence of two transformations in social gerontological theorizing: (1) when social scientists laid out a formal theory of aging for the first time; and (2) a recognition of theory as a reflection of the recognition itself. Examines specific theoretical approaches. (RJM)

At the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, we developed a voluntary senior-mentor program, the Senior Teacher Educator Partnership (STEP), for first- and second-year medical students. Using qualitative research methods, we examined the impact of STEP on medical students' attitudes and then assessed the congruence of what is learned…

Discussed in this report is a geriatric clinical training model for social workers and students dealing with Alzheimer patients and family caregivers. The project was conceived to develop student interest and competence to work in this specialized area. One goal was to incorporate relevant components in the social work curriculum in both classroom…

It is expected that the demand for gerontological social workers will increase as the elderly population continues to grow. However, many practitioners enter the aging field with little or no formal training. Successful gerontological social work practice requires workers to be knowledgeable and technically competent. Fieldwork plays a critical…

The profession of psychology is responding to this culture's rapidly changing problems related to an aging population. A central theme regarding the training of clinical geropsychologists has been that education should be sequentially organized across levels, from undergraduate, to graduate, internship, postdoctoral, and continuing education for…

While a relatively small number of clinical psychology graduate programs offer specialized tracks in clinical geropsychology, the need for psychologists trained to work with older adults is increasing. This paper presents a model of training that could be adopted by generalist training programs to better prepare their students to work with older…