With the aging workforce and the increase of older adults, educational needs of the workforce in aging services are broadening. The pilot study used a survey to examine the types of educational opportunities and needs of professionals providing services to older adults in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Respondents (25.9%) reported learning…

Purpose: Given concerns about end-of-life care for many nursing home (NH) residents, this study sought to understand factors influencing hospice referral or nonreferral as well as timing of referral. Design and Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with personnel from seven participating NHs and two hospices. We interviewed NH directors…

With the ever-increasing impact of computerized communication and information delivery, the need to encourage learning about technology is critical for the older population today as well as for soon-to-be retirees. Adler (1996, 2002, 2003) has described and defined the key benefits to seniors: enhanced communication with family and friends,…

Collected information on the educational experiences, needs, and interests of a statewide sample of mentally retarded older adults by interviewing the mentally retarded individuals and sending questionnaires to knowledgeable others matched to each subject. Results indicated that this group of older persons strongly desired continued opportunity…

Responses from 159 of 837 health and mental health professionals in Alaska showed the following: (1) 54% said community services for the aging were inadequate; (2) 55% felt health professionals' knowledge of aging was insufficient; and (3) 91.8% needed further training in aging and geriatrics, especially regarding mental health and Alzheimer's…

Surveyed 143 older adults to examine their interest in various vocational courses and their overall educational needs in relation to sex, race, educational attainment, and course location. Results suggested older adults generally are interested in vocational education related to home life, avocational interests, health, and technical updating.…

The purpose of this study was to identify needs, interests, and obstacles related to obtaining health education by means of a Web site for elderly people who do not use the Internet. A total of 34 participants were divided into five discussion groups, one of which was made up of blind people. An analysis of the semantic content of the…

Surveyed 174 older adults to define their educational needs in the areas of interpersonal communication, aging, and communication disorders. In general, little training was reported for all but interpersonal communication. Respondents used other information sources, but normal aging and normal interpersonal communication again received the…

A preliminary training and evaluation program was initiated by the Houston Area Agency on Aging. Several pilot training programs were tested, and information was gathered on the current and desired training status of personnel in service-providing agencies. Inspection of obective and subjective reports suggests that future training programs should…

Because of the knowledge explosion in the field of gerontology and the increased coverage of the field in the popular press, a study was conducted to determine how accurate older adults and gerontologists think newspaper stories about aging are. A convenience sample of 95 persons in the midwest over 65 years old--similar to national demographic…

Investigated the self-perceived educational needs and activities of Black (N=51) and White elderly (N=59) respondents. Interviews and a general educational needs checklist revealed significant race, sex, SES, and educational level differences in general educational needs, suggesting that the cultural orientation of older Blacks may have an effect.…

German people are thinking about how senior citizens, who comprise about 15% of the population, can live a better life. Women predominate among the senior citizens in Germany. Investigators into the educational needs of older women living alone found that a very small number take part in further educational opportunities. Two major problems of…

Interviewed 505 undereducated older adults, 95 nutrition site directors, and 83 adult basic education teachers about the older adults' educational needs. Results showed the older adults preferred health-related educational experiences. Found a disparity between the expressed needs of older adults and the perceptions of those who work with them.…

Reviews and analyzes studies conducted on functional literacy among older adults. The results indicate conceptual confusion, an obviously undereducated older population, inadequate measurements, and samples with disproportionate percentages of older persons. Conclusions indicate the need for educational gerontologists to increase efforts at…

The status and problems of aged widows have, to some extent, been camoflaged by the more general concern about older adults. A pilot project was undertaken to identify the existing support networks for aging urban and rural widows and the details of the operation of those systems in order to relate the findings to social and educational policy.…