Ohio's initiative in geriatric education shows that the federal government need not be the initiator in charting new directions. Diversity of medical education and practice can be an asset. The Ohio model provides a replicable means of transition and holds great promise for other states. (Author)

Discusses changes in the profile of older Americans and public policy regarding older Americans. Asserts that traditional age-based health and social service policies have increasingly moved in the direction of functional means testing, through the use of activities-of-daily-living scales and similar mechanisms. Also notes renewed pressure in…

Family physicians may lack discriminatory ability to differentiate normal aging form disease states. To assess such ability, 53 aging-related indicators or symptoms were presented to 65 physicians in 3 family practice residency programs. Respondents classified each symptom as normal aging or disease. On average, residents classified 73.4% of…

Geriatric Education Center (GEC) faculty and staff are committed to teaching health professionals about the impact of culture on the health and health care of elders from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Ethnogeriatrics was highlighted as an important issue in the National Agenda for Geriatric Education during the 1990s. Between 1999 and 2001, the…

The need for the incorporation of training in geriatrics and gerontology into basic medical and dental education has recently been recognized. Existing studies which attempt to measure the attitudes of medical and dental students toward the aged are extremely limited. As part of a larger study of attitudes and knowledge among 500 health workers,…

Components of instruction and exercises in humanistic health care added to an interdisciplinary pharmacy course on the geriatric patient are described. Included in the coursework are values and attitudes concerning elderly people, interpersonal communication skills, and special psychological and social complexities of old age. (MSE)

Reports the simulation of sensory and mobility problems of older adults as an effective training model when combined with a number of roles and scenarios. Discusses the application of the training model in work with geriatric health professionals. (Author)

Monitoring the progress of teams over 18 months and analyzing the activities of 2 teams revealed financially stable and supportive sponsoring agencies and the community were critical factors in implementing services. Future programs trying to promote development of geriatric services should try to address these issues through community…

Factor analytic and construct validity studies were conducted to explore the validity of Cicirelli's 13-item Filial Anxiety Scale (FAS). The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were a part of the investigation. Results offer support for the validity of the FAS subscales and the FAS' usefulness as an…

Montana, a predominantly rural state, with a unique blend of geography and history, low population density, and cultural diversity represents the challenges for program development and implementation across remote areas. The paper discusses two statewide multidisciplinary geriatric education programs for health professionals offered by the…

Evaluated the effectiveness of a health education group for older adults (N=20) conducted by social work students. Results showed insignificant findings: neither level of essential knowledge or mental health status improved. However, subjects already had high levels of health knowledge. (JAC)

Has two principle thrusts: a reflection on the graying of American society and a perspective on its implications for social work education. Calls for social work educators to reassess their role in contributing to society and individuals dealing with the issues of aging. Discusses the phenomenon of the "third age" of members of society.…

Uses Cronbach's alpha and correlational methods, including factor analysis, to evaluate the performance of four short scales measuring psychosocial aspects of well-being (depression, quality of life, sense of coherence, social support) in two samples of community-dwelling persons ages 75 and over. All scales exhibited good range, high internal…

Examines the importance of economic factors in physician and other health service utilization among older adults living in Bermuda. Using data from a national survey of 500 Bermudian elders, findings reveal economic factors to be unrelated to the use of physician services directly, but to be significant determinants of the use of other health…

This background paper, prepared by two members of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Strengthening the Geriatric Content of Medical Education, addresses the progress made in physicians' geriatric and gerontological education. The report appears in six chapters. After a brief introduction on health care reform and medical education, geriatric…