With the rising aging population, there is a pressing need for effective public policies and academic initiatives tailored to older adults, educational aspirations, and needs. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the intersection between older adults and university education on a global scale, highlighting the critical role of…

Universities of applied sciences in Europe face the challenge of preparing students in health and social care for working with older people and contributing to the innovations needed in light of the ageing of society, along with changes in the health and social care systems in many countries. Dealing with the special needs of older people and the…

Current theory suggests that middle-aged adults are becoming burdened with the responsibilities of caring for both parents and children as a result of changing sociodemographic trends, and that this trend may adversely affect caregivers' well-being. Using a national sample (n=2,033) of married persons, it is found that this change has little…

Presents a 16-item quiz dealing with empirical and theoretical issues in the area of mental health and aging. Each item is documented with supporting literature. In addition, average scores, item difficulties, and item-to-total correlations are presented for two groups of undergraduate students. (JAC)

A study of 100 elderly people was carried out to determine whether well-being was more affected by having a confidant or by having a confidant and a social network (the Weiss model). The two models were evaluated by comparing the relative influence of the confidant variable with the peer group variable. Both were of equal importance to well-being.…

Investigates the effects of specific health conditions on perceived quality of life for retirees (n=451). Pulmonary disease was a predictor of dissatisfaction for both sexes. Pulmonary disease and heart attack were the strongest predictors of dissatisfaction with health for men, followed closely by stroke. Arthritis was the strongest predictor of…

An intergenerational service-learning model to improve well-being of elderly nursing home residents involved 10 college students visiting 20 elderly nursing home residents and interacting with them socially. Interaction resulted in substantial improvements in the residents' psychosocial and physical conditions and in students' perceptions of…

Family caregivers to demented elders (n=43) kept 14-day diaries of caregiving activities, disruptive patient behaviors, and daily mood. Findings indicate that some caregivers are highly distressed by caregiving demands, some report moderate levels of distress, and others show no relationship between mood and daily events. (JPS)

Cross-sectional investigation compared worry and its correlates in 89 older adults and 74 college students. Older adults expressed significantly fewer worries than did students about finances and social events. Both groups were equally worried about health issues. For both groups, external locus of control was associated with higher worry scores.…

Research has demonstrated that perceived health, while related to objective determinants of health, is a separate determination of individuals using different information than others. To investigate the relationship of ego development to perceptions of health, 192 subjects (64 college students, 64 adult community residents, and 64 retired older…

The articles in this journal issue examine three different aspects of gifted adulthood. In "Self-Appraisal, Life Satisfaction, and Retrospective Life Choices across One and Three Decades" (Carole K. Holahan and others), 383 children who were part of Terman's original study of the gifted in 1921 were revisited at various points in their…

First-hand accounts of retired life from the personal perspectives of retirees are provided, based on a 1982-1983 survey. The accounts are based on written statements from over 1,500 retirees of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA/CREF). The comments were elicited at the end of a 20-page…

Some research suggests that sources of social support change through the lifespan. Given that the support network changes because of both the individual's needs and the particular life stage of the individual, peer relationships may emerge as crucial sources of emotional support at different times in the lifespan. This study examined friend and…