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…

This three-phase literature review focusses on the dangers of drug misuse or abuse by the elderly, and seeks to assist in the development of prevention and treatment strategies. The first phase focusses on the aging process and psychoactive drug use in clinical treatment. The second phase identifies and synthesizes information on the patterns of…

Survey responses from departments of recreation and leisure studies (2000, n=66; 1991, n=81; 1981, n=97) indicated that 61% currently offer gerontology credentials, a slight decline since 1990. Combined undergraduate/graduate courses have increased; separate gerontology options are rare. Despite predictions of population aging, there has been…

In a geriatrics course 15 undergraduates participated in problem-based tutorials on interprofessional health-care teamwork during clinical placement. Compared with 15 controls, the experimental group showed significantly greater knowledge but no difference in perceptions of interprofessional functions. (SK)

This case study of an 83-year-old woman with Down syndrome suggests she is the longest surviving person with the condition. Also noted is the lack of decline in mental function and performance of activities of daily living despite the apparently universal presence of the neuropathologic changes of Alzheimer's disease in persons with Down syndrome…

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…

The rapidly growing older population has generated the need for more gerontological or geriatric care professionals. This study evaluated the undergraduate programs offered by the departments of medicine, nursing studies and social work at a university in Hong Kong, based on the data of a recent alumni survey. It also identified factors that…

Examined which memory dimensions deteriorate with increasing age and examines the construct validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) (N=1,264 males and 1,141 females at six age intervals). Visual-spatial memory tasks, remembering stories, and learning pairs of associated words proved more difficult with advanced age. (JAC)

Reviews the effects of vision changes on intelligence and explains how intellectual performance may be improved by attempting to compensate for vision loss. Suggests that vision factors can't be ignored when assessing intellectual changes and may account for a large portion of mental impairment previously ascribed to other factors. (JAC)

Discusses emotional, social, medical, and nutritional needs of older people, and stresses the need for education of the families of the elderly and the need for a coordinated approach to service delivery to this population. In this way, maximum independence of the aged can be achieved. (NRJ)

The improvement and expansion of health care for our older population must now be a major priority of all health care providers. All allied health professionals should strive to learn more about the processes of aging and translate this knowledge into specialized services and medical care for older people. (Author/CT)

Discusses the trend away from geriatrics training in family medicine residency despite the growing need in society. Asserts that family medicine is failing to seize an opportunity to advance the care of older adults and discusses what would constitute acceptable training in geriatrics and how it should fit into the family medicine curriculum. (EV)

Administered Palmore's Facts on Aging Quizzes I and II and Facts on Aging Mental Health Quiz as single test to third-year medical students before and after their six-week Community Health and Family Medicine clerkship. Clerkship contributed to small improvement in students' knowledge about aged; net bias scores decreased from pretest to posttest.…

"Positively Aging (TM)" is a middle school curriculum designed to provide effective gerontology teaching materials for math and science, teach students about making life-defining decisions, and help students develop sensitivity about aging. Preliminary evaluation of the 12 interdisciplinary units shows they improved student attitudes about aging.…

We considered whether positive and stable self-stereotypes of stigmatized group members can influence functioning (in contrast, stereotype threat theory suggests these influential self-stereotypes are limited to ones that are negative and situational). Specifically, we examined older individuals' positive age stereotypes after a life-threatening…