Notes the importance of elders in various Native American cultures and of drawing on personal memories of special older folks. Stresses the importance and value of contact between the generations. Urges schools to adopt intergenerational programs, citing the remarkable contributions older people can make to the lives of children. (TJQ)

Research shows that younger and older adults derive benefits from close reciprocal relationships; current health care training may lack a relational component. A small survey of 15 women aged 18-22 indicated that 12 had meaningful relationships with older women and 10 would consider working with the elderly. Those without such relationships were…

Studied 611 mature women from dual-career/earner families who were retired from field of education. Found that women who had more frequent and greater variety of social contact were more satisfied with timing of their retirement and their leisure than those who had less contact. (Author/NB)

Discusses the applicability of three theoretical perspectives to specific relationships differing in self-perceived closeness in three groups of adults: first-year (n=37) and fourth-year (n=42) undergraduates and 42 retired teachers. Older adults had more expectations for long-term reciprocity. In most relationships, exchange was based on need…

The rural Montana Befrienders program pairs homebound older adults with volunteers aged 19-35 for companionship and assistance. Formal and informal evaluation identified benefits for seniors, their families, and volunteers. Most of the elders wanted volunteers to spend more time with them. (SK)

This paper describes the types of attitudes and behaviors that might be destructive to an individual's sense of self-worth, and suggests that counselors in long-term care settings face the challenge of changing these. One strategy for counteracting potential dehumanization, offering in-service training to all levels of staff and administrators, is…

Interviewed 93 divorced adult children of elderly parents concerning parent-child interpersonal and helping relationships. Respondents reported feeling close to elderly parents, having compatible parent-child relationships with little conflict, and helping parents out of love and desire to protect them from need. Respondents cited lack of money…

Focuses on the effects divorces of children have on the kinship networks of the older generation. Found a common source of expansion among paternal grandmothers who retained relationships with their former daughters-in-law and her relatives at the same time that they added new relatives with sons' remarriages. (Author/ABB)

Investigated the relationship between attitudinal, behavioral, and demographic variables and the self-reported interactions of university students with elderly individuals. Concluded variables of sex, quality of interaction with grandparents, personal normative beliefs, social normative beliefs, and knowledge contributed a significant proportion…

Compared the neighbor support given to 226 widows who were categorized into three groups: those who had one or more children in the same city, those who had children who resided elsewhere, and those who were childless. Multivariate analyses revealed differences between these groups on various measures of neighbor support. (Author/NRB)

Although the elderly in this country are often thought of as isolated and forgotten by family and friends, the study reported here found that this image differs significantly from reality in most cases. The authors discuss the various aspects of the support systems on which most elderly people rely. (Author)

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)

A descriptive study of factors in the lifestyle of 50 couples married an average of 55.5 years and an average age of 79 years provided data for this report. Independence, commitment, companionship, and qualities of caring were significant elements in these long-lasting marriages. (Author)

Determined how family variables related to locus of control. Elderly were given Rotter's I-E scale. After removing effects of age and socioeconomic status, in regression analysis, number of living brothers, sibling cohesiveness, and child cohesiveness accounted for eight percent of variance in locus of control, with cohesiveness related to greater…

Studies the effect of depression on social engagement among newly admitted nursing home residents. Results reveal that residents with depression were significantly more often found to have low social engagement. (Contains 26 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)