Surveyed 335 older adults to examine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of older people about cancer. Found that the elderly hold a number of false beliefs and negative attitudes that might keep them from seeking treatment. An education program was developed on the basis of the findings. (JAC)

Presents personal and professional musings on becoming and being an old woman. Older gerontologist discusses personal experiences of being both a researcher and a subject in gerontology. Considers various age and gender norms and how such norms are enforced. (Author/NB)

Purpose: The authors examine the bibliographic structure of recent research on later-life migration, highlighting the contributions of particular journals and disciplines. Design and Methods: The authors identify the primary journals publishing research in this area, including a set of four core journals within the field of social gerontology.…

The aging of the baby boom generation, together with research that links volunteerism and positive health outcomes in later life, has contributed to a burgeoning of interest in initiatives and programs promoting civic engagement among older adults. Although useful in potentially expanding role options in later life, this growing attention also…

Scholars have debated the legitimacy of gerontology as a discipline since Metchnikoff coined the term more than 100 years ago. Recent developments such as the emergence of interdisciplinary aging theories and consensus on longitudinal research methods suggest that gerontology is materializing as a unique discipline, rather than a subset of another…

This special issue of "The Gerontologist" contains session by session abstracts from the society's 51st Annual Scientific Meeting. Abstracts are arranged numerically by the number of the session in which they appeared and in the order of presentation within each session. There are a total of 391 sessions. Session topics are not provided; and there…

This publication was created in order to share with the university community and the general public some of the scholarly interests and accomplishments in the field of aging that currently exist at the Florida State University. It lists research and publications relevant to gerontology completed by 50 individual faculty members from 26…

This study is an attempt to provide new data for long-term care planning, which will identify the variables that govern the institutional or community placement of the functionally disabled elderly. (Author)

A study of intellectual and creative achievers in two periods of significant intellectual and creative achievement, 18th century Scotland and 15th century Florence, found that one of the most significant variables was longevity. Achievement was more or less continuous over the whole life span. (Author)

Palmore's "Facts on Aging Quiz" is reconsidered in light of the results of over 500 administrations to health workers and health occupation students. An analysis of the data gathered suggests that the quiz has utility for three of the four purposes suggested by its creator. (Author)

Reviews the writings of a Roman aristocrat named Pliny the Younger to look at aging and the aged during the Roman Empire. Attitudes about the aged, the aging process, multigenerational upbringing, and retirement, among other topics, are discussed and illustrated. (Author/JAC)

Examined the friendship patterns of older women (N=150). Results indicated the older widowed women received more help from their friends than did married older women. In addition, significant differences in the morale of the older women were found according to the equity of helping behaviors with friends. (JAC)

Presents a historical perspective on the meaning of senility, representing a significant change in beliefs about the nature of old age. Before the nineteenth century, to be senile meant simply to be old. By the late nineteenth century, old age was assumed to be synonymous with debilitating illness. (JAC)

This special issue of "The Gerontologist" contains session-by-session abstracts from the society's 52nd Annual Scientific Meeting. Abstracts are arranged numerically by session number and in the order of presentation within each session. There are a total of 375 sessions. An index of participants is provided with references to their…

Reviews programs and services available to the elderly, including descriptions of their organizational and agency sponsorship and arguments used to justify or refute their usefulness. Suggests that the discipline of social gerontology can play an important applied role in assessing the needs of and suggesting appropriate services for the elderly.…