Previous research has been conducted regarding preferences of physicians for life-sustaining treatments for themselves, but there is a dearth of data on personal use of advance directives (ADs) by geriatricians specifically. Using a phone survey, we contacted all graduates of the geriatric fellowship program to assess their personal use of advance…

The Physician Assistant (PA) is a new health-care professional who is trained to function as a "physician extender." The author's experience with 71 PA students and graduate PA's at the Jewish Institute for Geriatric Care is described. (Author)

The improvement and expansion of health care for our older population must now be a major priority of all health care providers. All allied health professionals should strive to learn more about the processes of aging and translate this knowledge into specialized services and medical care for older people. (Author/CT)

A literature review explores why misuse of psychotherapeutic drugs is occurring among older noninstitutionalized adults. The roles of the physician, the patient, the pharmaceutical industry, and medical-geriatric journal advertising are discussed. The paper concludes with an exploration of innovative strategies for treatment and prevention.…

Discusses the roles of Lebanese health care systems and the American University of Beirut. Notes that morbidity burdens of geriatric populations can overwhelm health infrastructures already unable to meet prevention and treatment needs of a younger population with relatively low-cost, easy-to-prevent, easy-to-treat illnesses. Expresses Lebanon's…

This annotated bibliography lists organizations and publications in the following categories: general information on aging, career guidance, curriculum materials, education and training, family services, health care, intergenerational programs, nutrition, opportunities for older adults, program development, and research. (SK)

These proceedings from the second conference on the Epidemiology of Aging sponsored by the National Institutes of Health indicate the direction of recent research and concern in this area. Attempts are made to formulate a definition of aging other than that of chronological age. A number of biomedical correlates of aging are addressed, including…

Describes how a staff counselor, relating to elderly patients in a private medical practice, can serve the interests of patients, families, physicians, and community agencies. The role of the counselor is outlined and the benefits of a team approach are discussed. (JAC)

The Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU), which has proven successful in urban areas, may be a viable system for providing health care to the elderly in rural areas. GAUs engage in assessment, follow-up response to findings, education, and research. The assessment component includes, at minimum, physical health, functional ability in activities of…

Because of administrative difficulties, therapeutic services provided at a nursing home by Project Adapt, through the St. Louis (Missouri) Regional Community Placement Program, were discontinued. At 2-month intervals, from June through December, 1986, 10 residents from the home where services were discontinued were compared with 10 and 15…

This background paper, prepared by two members of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Strengthening the Geriatric Content of Medical Education, addresses the progress made in physicians' geriatric and gerontological education. The report appears in six chapters. After a brief introduction on health care reform and medical education, geriatric…

Increasingly, the health care needs of older people are dominating the field of medicine and the health care system. The supply of physician gerontologists and geriatricians, the attention they pay to the special needs of the elderly, and the adequacy of their training are addressed in these hearings, which consider a Senate bill to improve the…

Demographic and utilization date are used to project the need for physicians to provide care for the elderly over the next 50 years. The quantitative estimates are coupled with qualitative analyses leading to recommendations for means to deliver the needed services. Estimates are that the United States will require about 8,000 geriatricians by…

Day care is a growing service in the field of long-term care, increasing the options available to the impaired elderly. To study the development of adult day care centers in southeastern New England, and to identify the relationship of day care centers to the long term care network of services, the 11 day care centers in the catchment area of the…

Medical ethical problems involving the elderly elucidate the relation between broader social views of aging and ethical principles basic to medicine. Three clinical situations are described and alternative principles of medical ethics are discussed as a basis for resolution of ethical problems in the health care of the elderly. (Author)