Considers informed consent standard inadequate for insuring autonomy in long term care. Argues for complex standard of "negotiated consent." Illuminates philosophical argument by qualitative data from interviews with physicians, nurses, and social workers in nursing homes, which demonstrated continuum of interventions ranging from…

Responsibilities of residents of long term care facilities are central to their autonomy and also set limits on their autonomy. It is important to assist residents to assume responsibilities and to express autonomy. Nursing home rules affecting residents need revision to accurately reflect resident responsibilities. Recognition of responsibilities…

Contends that attitudes of nursing home personnel have been measured inappropriately with scales based on negative stereotypes and inaccurate knowledge about the aged in the general population. Reconceptualizes attitudes from attitudes towards older people to attitudes towards behavior essential to the care of nursing home patients. (Author/ABL)

Families care for their elderly even when the burden is enormous, suffer guilt when institutionalization becomes necessary, and maintain contact after institutionalization. Policies must be developed to reduce premature institutionalization, help families cope with the process when it becomes necessary, and provide institutional care to those…

Although the contributions made by counseling psychologists to nursing homes has been marginal, there are several services that can be provided to long-term care facilities by psychologists. Once familiar with the pattern of nursing home life, the psychologist will be able to provide services indirectly as a consultant or trainer, and directly in…

The myth persists that the elderly are institutionalized because their relatives do not care enough about them. Nursing home staff may not respond to family members' concerns about their relatives with any better solutions than to take their relatives home. Family response to this lack of solution may be retreat or retaliation. Thus the…

Suggests that the hospice approach includes several elements that can be utilized to improve the quality of life in nursing homes: a total needs emphasis, increased patient autonomy, open discussion of death, a community ideology, a team orientation, a role blurring of caregivers, and focus on patients and families. (Author)

Discusses the "5 percent fallacy," which refers to the number of older people living in institutions at a given time, and the likelihood of an older person dying in an institution. Three articles discuss research methodology, data interpretation, and measuring techniques. (JAC)

These 11 papers consider the older learner as a consumer of education and examine how the concepts of education, educators, institutions, and learners must be revised if educational involvement in later life is to be regarded as the norm. Following a prologue, "Education and the Interpretation of Life Experience" (Michel Philibert), the…