The authors investigated past and present physical activities of 6 older individuals with diverse types of visual impairment who participated in a walking group. The authors identified the participants' lived experiences of visual impairment and physical activity through interviews and assessed their current activity levels by using pedometers.…

The aim of the current study was to examine the interactive effects of depressive symptoms and lower extremity functioning on social participation for a group of moderately to severely disabled older women. The study used a cross-sectional community based sample, enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Study I, randomly selected from the Centers…

In American society, being alone is confounded with the concept of loneliness which has a negative image suggesting deficits in an individual's life situation. It is possible, however, that with advancing age the need for sociability decreases. This study examined the issues of loneliness and being alone among a sample of 150 older adults. Both…

This document contains a brief bibliography of peer-reviewed literature, with abstracts, on pets and the elderly. It is one of 12 bibliographies on aging prepared by the National Agricultural Library for its "Pathfinders" series of publications. Topics covered by the other 11 bibliographies include aging parents, adult children, dementia and…

Reading literature that presents adolescents with realistic and believable youth-aged relationships can help young people understand and have meaningful relationships with the elderly. Reading and analysis of some contemporary adolescent literature that depicts youth-aged relationships revealed that attitudes, actions, and feelings of fictional…

An increasing population of older women necessitates an inquiry into employment-related education for this group. The aim of this research was to examine professional preparation for women over the age of 50. Qualitative methods were employed; data were collected through interviews with 21 women working in New Zealand in early childhood education…

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of social support and the influencing factors on social support in nursing home environments. Observations and staff questionnaires from two central Florida nursing homes were used in this grounded theory study to answer the following questions: (1) How is social support manifested? and…

While the intergenerational bonds remain strong for children with elder relatives living close by, increasingly children in the U.S. lack meaningful connections with older adults. Divorce and family mobility are two major causes, and some youth are affected by negative stereotypes of older people. Bringing seniors into classrooms or taking…

Assessed informal support among tenants in public senior housing. Although informal assistance was reported, more impaired tenants received little assistance. The interviews also revealed minimal social involvement of frail tenants. Frail tenants reported a variety of reasons for avoiding relationships with older tenants. (Author/BL)

Conducted series of four ethnographic interviews with 15 family caregivers. Found five organizing themes of meaning: Senses of Self, of Managing, of Future, of Fear/Risk, and of Change in Role and Responsibility. Relationships among family caregivers, care-receivers, other family members, and professionals were characterized by theme of tension…

Used data from longitudinal Retirement History Study to compare widowed, divorced or separated, and never-married women and men aged 60 to 65 on 3 dimensions of friendship contacts. Results showed that contact with friends could not be distinguished solely by respondents' gender or marital status. Suggests that adequate attention must be paid to…

Purpose: This article reports on the findings of a study whose purpose was to explore the experiences of caregivers of gay and lesbian seniors living in the community and to identify issues that emerged from an exploration of access to and equity in health care services for these populations. Design and Methods: The study used a qualitative…

The relationships between siblings in old age have not received much attention in social science literature. However, some researchers suggest that a reawakening of interest in and contact with siblings occurs for many people during the last part of life. Different kinds of sibling relationships that exist between older people and the ways in…

Using Simmel's approach to the study of social relationships, types of friendship in elderly women were determined by the physical distance separating friends and the emotional closeness bringing them together. There were positive relationships between emotional closeness and physical distance, duration and emotional closeness, and frequency of…