Examples from Canada and the United States are used to explore social values such as individualism vs. collectivism; definition and solution of social problems; social construction of the "crisis" of aging; and public debate and moral discourse as a process for developing public policy. (SK)

A survey to determine the extent of gerontological and geriatric education for a specific allied health sciences school received responses from 27 of 60 faculty. A substantial number of courses infused aging-related information into the course content, particularly at the graduate level. (Author/JOW)

Discusses the roles of Lebanese health care systems and the American University of Beirut. Notes that morbidity burdens of geriatric populations can overwhelm health infrastructures already unable to meet prevention and treatment needs of a younger population with relatively low-cost, easy-to-prevent, easy-to-treat illnesses. Expresses Lebanon's…

This descriptive study examined the conceptions and misconceptions students in health professions have regarding older people. The research was conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The findings revealed that students in health professions, as a whole, demonstrated a high degree of stereotypic misconceptions and poor knowledge about aging and older…

This directory contains information on the nature and availability of curriculum guidelines for education and training programs in geriatrics and gerontology. The curriculum guidelines or model curricula were prepared by professional associations or with federal support, most notably through the Administration on Aging or the Health Resources and…

Reports findings from a preliminary survey of the growing phenomenon of endowed faculty positions in social gerontology and geriatric units in institutions of higher learning in the United States. There has been a distinct upsurge since 1980 in the number of endowed chairs and professorships in gerontological units. Identifies and describes…

This paper develops the idea that the family of the aged participant is also a day-care client and should be considered as such in planning and delivering services. Ways of involving the family at the point of intake and in on-going treatment are suggested. (Author)

Italian and Polish residents of Baltimore were sampled to ascertain their attitudes toward care of aged relatives. A majority of the respondents indicated a preference for intergenerational household arrangements for ambulatory relatives, a preference for church rather than governmentally operated services, and a positive attitude toward…

The Wickens "release from proactive inhibition" task involves presenting several trigrams of one type for several trials and then shifting to another type. College students, elderly community residents, and elderly rest-home residents were compared on the Wickens task. College students were superior in over-all memory. (Author)

Reports the results of a state-by-state (N=27) survey of mental health services available for older persons and compares the extent of need and existing federal mandates. Results show 52 percent of respondents provide mental health services for older adults, while 22 percent include older adults with the general public. (Author/JAC)

Examined the relationship between age and perceived health status in 660 adults. Number of symptoms was the strongest predictor of perceived health status employed in this analysis, followed by age, education, and race. Persons over 60 tend to perceive their own health in a significantly more positive fashion. (Author/JAC)

Indirect self-destructive behavior (ISDB) is associated with direct suicide potential, dissatisfaction with the treatment program and with life in general, confused reasoning and judgment, poor prognosis for discharge, the absence of religious commitment, and significant losses in the patient's life. ISDB is an alternative form of suicide. (Author)

Although the use of date of birth is a method of classifying people has certain legal advantages because it provides a convenient dividing line, it results in misclassification of people into inappropriate categories. (Author/AM)

Notes that programs to insure the elderly's community or social participation in the later years must be designed with the input of elderly and retired citizens. (Author/AM)

Notes that attempts to apply research findings based on undifferentiated comparisons between black and white elderly toward the solution of problems faced by black elderly are doomed to ineffectiveness. (Author/AM)