This article describes a Delphi study to identify research priorities of gerontological social work practitioners and to compare these priorities with those of social work academic researchers. A national expert panel of 52 gerontological social work practitioners completed questionnaires to delimit a set of high-priority research topics. Findings…

The report is a general multidisciplinary survey of current areas of interest in the field of gerontology, especially those having to do with retirement and the provision of social security. Chapter 1 discusses social security as an issue in gerontology and the concern of social security with retirement and aging. Chapter 2 discusses the…

A literature review explores why misuse of psychotherapeutic drugs is occurring among older noninstitutionalized adults. The roles of the physician, the patient, the pharmaceutical industry, and medical-geriatric journal advertising are discussed. The paper concludes with an exploration of innovative strategies for treatment and prevention.…

The humanistic instructional strategies employed in a retirement education program package represent a previously untried and viable alternative to traditional instructional strategies. A heuristic evaluation study measured pilot program participants' reactions to several aspects of the program package; 74 percent responded favorably and 93…

Examines survey data from a metropolitan community to investigate comparative rankings of needs of older persons by service providers and their elderly target population. Training in gerontology, serving elderly clients exclusively, and having direct contact with elderly clients as line staff were not predictors of knowledge of elderly needs.…

Notes that most American institutions are unwittingly geared to age prejudice as in past times they were geared to race prejudice and sex prejudice. In determining needs and abilities, age is quite as irrelevant as is race. (Author/AM)

Concludes that what the older woman needs is what all humans need, but that what she gets, unfortunately, are very limited options. (Author/AM)

Notes that among the urgent needs of Americans is the need to curtail the infernal, self-destructive bad news about American aging. (Author)

Suggests that volunteerism must supplement and not be a substitute for what should be a gainfully employed work force. (Author)

Reviews and describes three programs in which older adults provide their services: foster grandparents, senior companions, and retired senior volunteers. (AM)

Synanon is a community that offers the elderly an alternative to the lives of quiet desperation that many experience. It explores the myth that older people are inflexible and cannot change. (Author)

An interdisciplinary team from various college allied health departments implemented Project AGE: Alliance for Gerontology Education to develop content to infuse in courses on the themes of age and culture, assistive technology, collaboration, and consumer health education. One goal was to foster interaction among allied health students to prepare…

Notes that despite the frequent claims of the superiority of interdisciplinary teams over more usual care patterns, systematic studies of the effectiveness of geriatric interdisciplinary teams are rare. Illustrates the difficult conceptual and methodological problems encountered by investigators. Suggests future research directions. (Author/ABL)

In an Italian university, a multidisciplinary course in nursing home care focused on use of the Resident Assessment Instrument. Students learned to use it effectively and developed decision-making and problem-solving abilities using concepts of comprehensive geriatric assessment and multidisciplinary teamwork. (SK)

The University of Louisville's School of Dentistry, through student research fellowships, seeks to promote interest in geriatric dentistry by sponsoring gerontological research. In addition to increasing student interest, it provides an opportunity to work in the field in the summer, and research findings enrich the curriculum. (SK)