Against the backdrop of an unprecedented increase in the number of older adults in Singapore, the escalating pace of change which necessitates continuous learning, and a dearth of empirical research related to instructional design for older adults, this study sought to fill this gap by investigating the strategies utilized by successful…

Social workers rarely receive education and training in the areas of grief, bereavement, and death and dying, which may lead to difficulties in compassionately and ethically addressing concerns in end-of-life or grief-related contexts. This article presents actual and potential outcomes from three challenging end-of-life case studies using…

Purpose: This article, based on analysis of data from a mixed methods study, builds on a growing body of assisted living (AL) research focusing on the link between residents' social relationships and health. A key aim of this analysis, which uses the social convoy model as a conceptual and methodological framework, was to examine the relative…

Marital satisfaction is important for health and well-being, although determinants of satisfaction among older couples are unclear. Much of the marital literature has focused on the role of the spouse, in isolation from satisfaction with broader social relationships. We conducted separate semi-structured interviews with both members of n = 40…

Enright and colleagues (1996) emphasized the beneficial effect of experiencing forgiveness across multiple domains. We build upon their conceptualization of forgiveness by adding a domain--forgiveness by God--to create global forgiveness. In the current study, we use data from a nationally representative study, the Religion, Aging and Health…

Many social interactions require the synchronization--be it automatically or intentionally--of one's own behavior with that of others. Using a dyadic drumming paradigm, the authors delineate lifespan differences in interpersonal action synchronization (IAS). Younger children, older children, younger adults, and older adults in same- and mixed-age…

This article presents the results of a study of differences in orientation toward disability over the lifecourse. The study was based on an instrument developed by the authors, the Questionnaire on Disability Identity and Opportunity (QDIO). This instrument measures two dimensions of disability: participation and orientation. Orientation, in turn,…

The Experience Corps[R], a community-based intergenerational program, was developed to promote the health of older adults while simultaneously addressing unmet social and academic needs in public elementary schools. The model was designed to draw on, and potentially activate, the wisdom of older adults. This paper explores the nature of…

Identified six types of very long-term marriages: stable/positive, stable/neutral, stable/negative, curvilinear, continuous decline, and continuous increase. Case records of 17 marriages lasting between 50 and 69 years revealed that nearly 75 percent of the marriages showed either curvilinear or stable/positive patterns. Found no continuous…

Parents and children are faced with a variety of challenges over the course of their lives together, yet most research centers only on the early stages of the family life cycle. One major change occurs as parents grow older and need increasing amounts of help from their children. Kelley has developed a general theory of personal relationships…

Objective social integration only has an indirect impact on morale, with subjective sense of integration being the intervening variable. This relationship remains significant even when other factors such as socioeconomic status, financial satisfaction, and health status were controlled. (Author)

"Rewards of Giving" is based on interviews with 43 volunteers in Experience Corps, a national service program that recruits, trains and places teams of older adults in underserved urban elementary schools as tutors and mentors. The study offers a rich understanding of what motivates Americans over 55 to volunteer, the challenges and rewards they…

Discusses intimacy as a multidimensional concept with particular attention paid to love and sexuality among older women. Women's life satisfaction and psychological well-being were related to their satisfaction with their intimate relationship. Passionate and companionate love as well as sexual satisfaction were related to contentment with…

Use of the life history technique with the elderly is described in two settings--in a university class and in a class of senior citizens. The technique helps the elderly to record and interpret their histories, to make intergenerational connections, and to experience the continuity of their lives. (Author)

Challenges the disengagement theory of adaptation in the aging process. Suggests that the withdrawal phenomenon exhibited by the elderly simply reflects reduced environmental opportunities for social interaction. Views interpersonal intimacy as the key to satisfactory adjustment. Presents a longitudinal developmental approach to the development of…