The international community is facing the pressure of aging societies. In the United States of America, we will shortly be facing the aging of baby boomers, a dramatically large population expected to peak as senior citizens in 2030 at 70 million. Global societies are facing a crisis: lack of adequately trained and emotionally oriented personnel…

Important home and community-based issues in the lives of older adults and caregivers relate to end of life. It is well documented that education on end of life, including curricula and textbook content for health and human service professionals, is lacking. This study analyzed another aspect of education: continuing education sessions offered at…

The Social Sciences, as they relate to the aged and the aging, are discussed. Social gerontology seeks to discover the role of the social environment as a determinant of aging and of the behavior and position of older people in society. In the United States, some 20 million people are over 65 years of age, and the median age of the elderly has…

The goals of the work study project: Services to the Aging conducted at the University of Denver, were: (1) to sensitize the undergraduate students participating in it in their understanding of the role and functioning of older people in a changing social structure; and (2) through a field work and academic program, to acquaint students with the…

Two days of hearings on training needs in gerontology were opened by Senator Lawton Chiles. Statements were made by Senators Frank Church, Harrison A. Williams, Jr., Jennings Randolph, and Edward Kennedy. Witnesses for the first day were J. E. Wilson, III, with George Ebra and Maeve H. Foster; Walter M. Beattie; Percil Stanford; Clavin Fields with…

At the second day of hearings on training needs in gerontology the witnesses were Stephen Kurzman accompanied by Arthur S. Flemming, John Lapp, Gerald D. LaVeck; George Maddox; Elias Cohen; Wilma Donahue; Brin Hawkins with Lettie Graves and Yolanda Owens; and John B. Martin. (MS)

Psychological services are largely unavailable for older people who want help in coping with their interpersonal problems. The Continuum Center of Oakland University selects, trains, and supervises older men and women, who serve as paraprofessional group leaders in a self-exploration program offered in a variety of community centers. Paper…

This paper develops the idea that the family of the aged participant is also a day-care client and should be considered as such in planning and delivering services. Ways of involving the family at the point of intake and in on-going treatment are suggested. (Author)

Analyzed informal support system resiliency in a survey of 700 elderly. Data indicated the role of the informal network is more important than formal social supports. Children were the most likely network members, and most networks were characterized by active communication. (JAC)

The methodology and design implemented for the Continuing Education/Community Service Projects of the Gerontology Center at Pennsylvania State University was the first attempt to train a diverse body of service providers in aging. Identification of the population for training was a matter of exclusion rather than inclusion, with the direct service…

A three-year home-teaching demonstration project with the geriatric blind was conducted with 171 clients in the experimental group (132 were blind for 10 years or less and were 60 years of age or older, 11 were blind 17 years or longer, 7 were in an apartment group, 7 died, and 14 had incomplete records) and 44 clients in the control group. The…

Examined the use of public services by 1,080 Norwegian older adults. Results showed more than one-third use public services for the aged (i.e., are institutionalized or receive home help or home nursing). The use of services is affected by both need and demand factors. The family's role is discussed. (JAC)

After arguing that treatment programs for the elderly need to be evaluated with better research designs, the authors illustrate how interrupted time series analysis can be used to evaluate programs for the elderly when random assignment to experimental and control groups is not possible. (Author)

Describes a program of socialization therapy instituted for day-care geriatric participants identified as socially disengaged from both family and social roles, available through the geriatric center. Over a period of several months both individual role changes and changes in the group patterns of communication and interaction were observed.…

A two-year postsecondary program in New York City prepares low functioning young adults with learning disabilities for careers in human services such as day care programs and geriatric centers. Students take courses in social skills as well as academic course work and on-the-job training in child care or geriatrics. (DB)