In 2006 and 2007, undergraduate and certificate students in gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston investigated the elder livability of seven area communities. Elder "livability" refers to features of a local community that support residents who wish to age in place--characteristics such as the availability of appropriate…

This article describes the development and qualitative student outcomes of an intergenerational service-learning course designed to promote social work gerontological competencies. Efforts focused on creating a learning environment to actively promote learning opportunities for students and older adults. The course was hosted at a local, private,…

Purpose: As a highly heterogeneous group, seniors live in complex environments influenced by multiple physical and social structures that affect their safety. Until now, the major approach to falls research has been person centered. However, in industrial settings, the individuals involved in an accident are seen as the inheritors of system…

Purpose: Previous studies investigating adverse outcomes of hospitalized elders have focused on community-dwelling patients. Given the rapid growth of populations living in other settings, such as assisted living facilities, it is important to understand whether these patients are at higher risk of experiencing specific adverse outcomes during…

Purpose: We examine the relationship between the perceived needs and assessed needs of community-dwelling seniors. Design and Methods: Trained research assistants administered the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Baseline Survey to 268 community-dwelling older adults in suburban Maryland. Perceived and assessed needs were measured in the…

These five symposium papers describe housing programs designed for older adults. "Agency-Sponsored Co-op House for Older People," by Janet L. Witkin, discusses a co-op house for nine people in the Los Angeles area. Development of the program is outlined in terms of funding and leasing arrangements, architectural changes to the property,…

A mobile home park serving senior citizens in a large urban area was studied in anthropological perspective. The community study method permits an analysis of this park as an intermediate type of senior citizen residence. The park avoids the worst features of senior citizen life but engenders other problems. (Author)

Compared the interpersonal involvement and morale of elderly persons residing in the community (N=154) and senior citizen housing (N=78). The senior housing residents had slightly larger and more supportive interpersonal networks but less contact with their closest friends. No differences were found in the two housing groups' life satisfaction.…

This paper integrates discussions about the future housing of the elderly made by community planners, gerontologists, and women in research using the Wagschal Futures Wheel technique. (JOW)

The design of housing for the elderly should, insofar as possible, take into account their needs and preferences. Direct solicitation of potential users' views was facilitated by use of slide shows, illustrating specific design alternatives, shown to small groups of the elderly, with concurrent discussion and "voting." (Author)

Tenants moving into congregate (N=78) and traditional housing (N=122) were studied immediately before and one year after occupancy in order to determine what changes in well-being might be ascribed to the difference in levels of supportive services offered in the two environments. (Author)

The report summarizes Federal legislation for the elderly enacted into law during 1975 and 1976. The Older American Amendments, SSI cost-of-living increases, the Tax Acts of 1975 and 1976 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act Ammendments are reviewed. The report summarizes only legislation enacted into law and does not include measures passed…

The present bibliography contains selected professional, research, and scholarly references regarding the Spanish-speaking elderly from Latin America, Spain, and the United States for the years 1960 to 1977. (Author)

Examined social support networks for 44 residents of two planned housing facilities. While other residents often were regarded as sources of support, the locus of these networks lay with persons outside the housing facilities. The less healthy were more socially isolated, except in times of a medical crisis. (JAC)

The effects of a serious disability on the housing and living arrangements of people over 60 years of age and their families are analyzed. Roughly half of all respondents indicate that housing changes are considered as a result of disability. (Author)