A case study of the communications of a 79-year-old woman was conducted to test an ecological model of communication. The ecological model is concerned with the conditions to which the aged person adapts by using communication, what that communication entails, and the criteria by which the success of the adaptive communication process may be…

Child-rearing is still the culturally-prescribed norm for providing security for oneself in old age. Since most research on aging presumes marriage and parenthood, relatively little is known about the alternative means by which childless older people provide for themselves in their old age. Fourteen of 50 older participants in a two-year study…

This guide consists of ten articles, each introducing a separate issue important to retirement planning. The series discusses a wide range of information about critical retirement issues and explores the uncertainties, expectations, and decisions that confront the future retiree. The articles also contain suggestions and planning aids, worksheets,…

Uses path analysis and data from 2,829 Washington State residents aged 55 and over to study effects of rural or urban residence on social integration/loneliness. Finds rural residents not more highly integrated into social networks than urban counterparts and not lonelier. Discusses implications for existing social relations stereotypes of the…

In an effort to reduce social isolation, procedures which included modeling, behavioral rehearsal, feedback, and reinforcement were used to train four elderly nursing home residents in four conversational areas: expressing common courtesies; making positive self-disclosures; asking questions; and making interjections and acknowledgments. Results…

Examined association between Life Satisfaction Ratings at age 70 and cognitive, personality, interpersonal, and family characteristics at age 30. Predictive characteristics of life satisfaction at 70 were, for women, a buoyant, responsive attitude toward life; for men, emotional and physical health. (Author/RC)

Introduces the social network paradigm for analysis of social relationships. In nine articles presents basic research and clinical applications for further exploration. Topics include social network intervention with adolescents, the mentally ill, elderly, and families of divorce. (JAC)

To assess Erikson's life cycle model, 86 men, initially selected for health, were prospectively studied at age 21, and reassessed 32 years later at age 53. Using the Vaillant and Milofsky (1980) modification of Erikson's model, 48 men (56%) achieved generativity, an advanced developmental stage, at follow-up. Results generally support Erikson's…

Past attention has focused on the role of the elderly as recipients rather than receivers of help. To examine the proportion and characteristics of older community residents involved in care-giving, data used were from the 1979 "Statewide Survey of Older Virginians," aged 60 and older (N=2,146). Of the 10 types of helping activities studied, 5…

Love and romance continue to be important issues within every age group, not merely among the usually studied college students. Two issues, the nature or intensity of the love experienced and the motives or purposes of love were examined for different age groups. The ways in which the pursuit of heterosexual love may change throughout adult life…

A study investigated whether the interactive behaviors of elderly individuals were significantly influenced by their environment. The key to the investigation was the notion that human interaction can function to aid elderly individuals as they adapt to aging. Subjects were individuals over 65 years of age living in one of three separate…

This study investigated communication patterns of retired faculty of Missouri colleges and universities. Questionnaires were completed by 75 persons (50 men and 25 women), of whom 50 (33 men and 17 women) were interviewed. Findings included the following: face to face communication was the favorite mode of communication, followed by telephone,…

Trained 20 elderly and 20 adolescent volunteer counselors in empathic listening, and gave 20 volunteers information regarding the aging process. Counselors and nursing home residents met twice a week for five weeks. Nursing home residents who received a volunteer counselor improved significantly in level of depression, but neither mode of training…

In 2000, the Senior Mentor Program was implemented as an innovative, instructional method in the University of South Carolina's medical school curriculum designed to enhance and strengthen student training in geriatrics. This study qualitatively analyzed second-year medical students' and senior participants' perceptions of and attitudes towards…

This paper discusses the findings of a study that explores the difficulties experienced by a small purposive sample of Asian American social work students in their professional training due to differences between their cultural norms and values and those of the social work profession. A series of tutorial sessions were used as a forum for student…