Aging is a state of mind as well as body. The stereotypic image of old age is changing with the increasing variety of living patterns and lifestyles of the elderly. The physical and mental indicators of aging are also varied and do not necessarily keep pace with chronological age. The elderly face changes which challenge their physical and mental…

This is a 1984 annual Senate report on aging which examines the health, income, employment, housing, and assistance problems of older people. In a preface, Senators Heinz and Glenn note the following significant events of l984: (1) Congress reauthorized the Older Americans Act; (2) a strong economy with low inflation helped Social Security and…

This document presents witness testimonies and related materials from a Congressional hearing called to examine the mandatory retirement age of 60 for airline pilots. In opening remarks, Congressmen Roybal and Pepper question this ruling, citing productivity of older workers and the lack of data to support any specific age for mandatory…

This paper emphasizes the importance of avoiding stereotypes about older people in college and university centers for retirement, noting that members of centers for retirement are members of a generation recently in command. There is much folklore about older people and the aging process, and Americans tend to believe too much in the myths of…

The author reviews the passage of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and interpretations and policies that have been derived from this act. Problems that have arisen from the application of the act are discussed. (CH)

One challenge facing colleges and universities today is that an entire generation of scholars will be retiring in critical numbers over the next several years. A national survey conducted three years ago by the University of California at Los Angeles revealed that nearly one-third of the nation's full time professors were age 55 or older. Now,…

Having clear goals for retirement is a critical determinant of life satisfaction and adjustment during the post-employment transition period. The purpose of the present study was to explore individuals' goals for retirement and determine whether age and gender differences exist among those goals. A sample of 55 working adults (aged 20-67) were…

One of the most striking features of the modern world is its changing demographic profile. In almost any policy arena, the issue of demographic change (or ageing) sits alongside globalisation, climate change and the knowledge revolution as areas which are transforming societies, including the ways in which we organise and go about our work…

The Retirement Research Foundation of Chicago supported a collaborative to collect demographic data about working and aging, conduct a survey of older job seekers, and interview businesses in the region to assess their awareness and attitudes about mature workers. The 2005 project was titled the 60 + Success Project. A regional task force oversaw…

In this article, we describe an elective course using readers' theater with students in the health care professions and the arts. Readers' theater is a technique used for the performance of literature in which texts are staged with minimal production values and scripts are not fully memorized. These techniques are drawn upon more commonly in…

Life expectancies are rising all over the world, leading to higher proportions of older adults in the population. This is especially true in Japan and Germany. In Germany today, "old" no longer means necessarily "poor and frail." Through volunteer work, lifelong learning, study tours, and participation in sports, older Germans…

A problem with gerontology theory is that it focuses on a social view of the aged, ignoring individual and cultural variables. A person is judged to have aged successfully if he has adjusted to society's definition of an "elderly person." Similarly, most studies of programs and options for the aged reflect the view of the service…

This document presents the text of a hearing on the relationship of ability to age, in reference to removing age caps so that age will be irrelevent to getting and keeping a job. Statements by Representatives Ron Wyden, Claude Pepper, Ralph Regula, Bill Schuette, Jim Lightfoot, Ike Skelton, George Wortley, and Don Bonker are included. Testimony by…

This document reports on a congressional hearing on problems experienced by displaced older workers who face sudden and unwanted joblessness or retirement. Testimony includes statements from 11 members of the Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives; a displaced steelworker; Deputy Associate Commissioner for Employment and Unemployment…

National policy makers have put forth different life cycle planning proposals for the more satisfying integration of education, work and leisure over the life course. This speech describes a decision making scheme, the Time Paradigm, for researched-based choice among various proposals. The scheme is defined in terms of a typology of time-related…