Purpose: Reluctance to reveal sensitive or socially undesirable attitudes has posed a problem for measurement of personal attributes such as attitudes toward older people. These have long been documented to be negative and likely arise both from fears of one's own aging and the modern societal emphasis on youth. In order to increase our knowledge…

To meet the special needs of and provide quality health care to nursing home residents, the health care workforce must be knowledgeable about the aging process. Health professionals are minimally prepared in their academic programs to care for older adults, and few programs have required rotations in geriatrics. Teaching nursing homes (TNHs) have…

Uses social identity theory in order to evaluate whether alcohol use buffers the effects of stress on depressive symptoms in older adults. Results supported the hypothesis that alcohol effects reduce the negative impact of events arising in social roles that are not highly valued by study participants, and that alcohol consumption exacerbates the…

Findings demonstrate that older people, just like any other segment of the population, have a wide variety of interests, not particularly determined by their age status. In fact, they have more freedom in selecting classes than do younger students because they take what is appealing. (Author)

A model specifying that certain subjective beliefs and structural conditions affect the symbolic meaning wives give to their household labor divisions was tested on 144 retirement-age married women. Results indicate that wives perceive less spousal support when housework divisions are more unequal, and that this lack of spousal support leads to…

Administered Palmore's Facts on Aging Quizzes I and II and Facts on Aging Mental Health Quiz as single test to third-year medical students before and after their six-week Community Health and Family Medicine clerkship. Clerkship contributed to small improvement in students' knowledge about aged; net bias scores decreased from pretest to posttest.…

Investigated humor response to aggressive cartoons using ratings of pain and funniness of cartoons by college students (n=93) and older adults (n=61). Found no significant age differences; however, sex differences were found. Females exhibited an inverted-U relationship between pain ratings and funniness ratings. For males there was no…

Analysis of the enrollment procedure for a study of an intensive, community-based diabetes management program revealed that persons who declined initially were slightly older and lived further away from the study site. Recruitment strategies were compared, revealing that press releases and newspaper advertisements were the most effective. (JPS)

Describes a project utilizing reaction reading, the choral reading of poetry in small groups. Mentally alert long-term care residents are provided with an opportunity to react to the poetry, and the activity can be led by a nonprofessional. Residents are encouraged to share their memories and fantasies as inspired by poetic images. (JPS)

Administrators in higher education disclosed life style patterns for the "retirement period" from ages 65 to 75. Two contrasting patterns are described-Transformers and Maintainers. These groups reported differences in boyhood experiences, attitudes toward retirement, and choices of activity after age 65. (Author)

Explores the utility of Bandura's self-efficacy theory for studying older adults' behavioral competencies in college. Expectations of personal efficacy are viewed as mediating mechanisms for predicting the initiation and persistence of educationally relevant behaviors. Theoretical issues related to the assessment of self-efficacy and performance…

Studied participation in Elderhostel, an innovative on-campus educational experience for older adults. Investigated the motivations for initial and returning participation among a statewide survey sample of 496 elderhostelers. Results indicated that opportunities for acquiring new knowledge, traveling to new places, and trying new experiences were…

Examined effect of experimental program in gerontology and geriatrics on third-year medical students. Experimental students (n=45) participated in four group sessions emphasizing psychological, sociodemographic, and physiological aspects of aging and interpersonal communication skills. Participants developed more positive attitudes and…

Argues there is a growing need for a core of professionals with the education and sensitivities necessary to integrate the fields of law, health care, and gerontology. Paper describes a professional development fellowship program which attempts to address this need by having recently graduated attorneys assess, on a firsthand level, provisions of…

Assessed hearing health knowledge of 336 younger and older adults using the Hearing and Health Inventory. Data analyses revealed serious knowledge deficits regarding hearing aids, communication with the hearing impaired, and the effects of drugs and diseases on hearing. Strategies for developing hearing health education for clients are…