Purpose: The Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) curriculum was developed as an adjunct to other educational initiatives that were part of Ontario, Canada's Alzheimer Strategy. GPA emphasizes that an individual's unique personal history has a direct application to the interpretation of and response to their behavior. It incorporates strategies into…

This paper describes a Geriatric Health Professionals Mentoring Program designed to address recruitment and retention of health professionals in geriatrics and gerontology. The training provided information on the mentoring process, negotiating mentoring agreements, and coaching mentees. The evaluative framework described examines: (a) the effects…

In absence of authoritative, current, and detailed source of information about videos for teaching gerontology and geriatrics, developed program to screen and evaluate videos. At Video Journal Club, multidisciplinary health professionals view video, complete written evaluation, discuss its strengths and weaknesses, and provide critique to be used…

This guide provides basic information about the use of reality orientation, particularly with an elderly population. The concepts of reality orientation can be learned quickly and can be used in any setting with patients having a variety of diagnoses. (Author)

The problem-oriented biomedical framework shaping health care should be replaced with a more optimistic, collaborative, humane, goal-oriented approach for geriatrics and gerontology. This perspective uses a functional, open-ended definition of health and views illness and death as essential features of life. (SK)

Purpose: This study describes the goals, development, and outcomes of an innovative, interdisciplinary, Master of Gerontology department, one of two programs in Israel developed to answer Israel's needs for highly educated researchers and practitioners. Design: Key program components reflecting the program's innovative nature are described: (a)…

The aging population of the world has dramatically been increasing thereby creating the need to assess and address the emotional feelings of the elderly. The intent of this qualitative study was to capture the essence or the lebenswelt of the Filipino elderly's sense of belongingness. This was accomplished by capitalizing on the power of conscious…

To successfully practice geriatrics, one must keep up-to-date with rapidly evolving knowledge, recognize heterogeneity among older people, seek answers through longitudinal studies, and accept no symptoms nor loss of function as being simply old age. Functional loss must be the focus and thus rehabilitation is essential to good geriatric care.…

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)

Chapters in this volume reflect a variety of issues related to education for gerontological social work. Chapters in section 1, "Geriatrics and Gerontology in Social Work Education," are: (1) "Social Work's Pursuit of a Common Professional Framework: Have We Reached a Milestone?" (Roberta Greene and Colleen Galambos); (2) "Basic Gerontological…

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…

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…

From 1985-1992 the Virginia Geriatric Education Center broadcast via satellite 22 videoconferences involving over 22,000 health professionals in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. The program required substantial marketing to attract sufficiently large audiences to be cost effective, was labor intensive, and necessitated technical expertise.…