Discusses factors that have helped to shape pension system policy goals and strategies of reform in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine. The factors are political support, capital formation of public and private savings, high tax rates, and social assistance. (JOW)

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)

Describes a practice theory of nursing for the elderly which focuses on maintaining the maximum amount of independence of elderly patients through a nursing focus on the full range of human functional abilities. Interrelates varied health related characteristics and requirements of the elderly with theoretical components of self-care nursing…

Notes that health maintenance organizations (HMOs) provide large volume of health care services to older Americans. Contends that HMOs must reexamine general practice of equating utilization of services with health care need and collect better population-based information, including measures of health status. Discusses data elements widely…

The increasing age of the American population and the current emphasis on cost containment in health care make the 1980s an ideal time for building bridges to span the health care needs of elderly persons in acute care and long-term care. While hospitals often discharge patients to nursing homes as an intermediate step between hospitalization and…

Discusses the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of older persons because the elderly are likely to have a combination of social, psychological, and medical problems when they become ill. Discusses the role of the psychiatrist in light of his/her training, practice, and outlook. (Author/ABL)

Planning and research related to long-term care for American Indian elderly population lag behind state-of-the-art. Indian Health Service, major health care provider for this population, has resisted developing services specific to older tribal members. Innovative efforts have, however, emerged at local level. (Author/NB)

Notes that low Medicare reimbursement rates are already causing some mental health professionals to turn away elderly patients. Considers baby boomer cohort who, unlike elders today, have high rates of psychiatric illness and are more likely to seek mental health services. Projects increasing gap over next 25 years between need and availability of…

A more productive approach to providing appropriate long-term care is to separate physical from psychosocial needs when performing functional assessment and to rearrange them into a matrix. By examining each need separately, and where needs overlap in the matrix, more direct assessment can be performed, and specified interventions can be designed.…

Experience gathered to date confirms that capitation of Medicare does not necessarily decrease quality of health care and may in fact encourage an improvement in health care quality. Incentives inherent in capitated reimbursement are threefold. First, practitioners, by not receiving more payment for more service, are discouraged from providing…

There are 16.4 million women over age 65 in this country, compared to 11 million men. The 41 percent of this population who live alone are the poorest of the poor in this country, with an annual median income of just over $3,000 for white women and little more than $2,000 for black women. This abject poverty affects the ability of these women to…

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…

The need for reform of the national health care system is particularly evident when viewed from an intergenerational standpoint. None of the generations is currently adequately protected against catastrophic illness or the costs of long-term care. The National Health Care Campaign is sponsoring an initiative for comprehensive intergenerational…

The former director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) discusses: consequences of aging in relation to Federal policies; care facilities for older persons; the role of the Federal government in funding aging research; and the need for more personnel trained to deal with problems of the elderly. (AOS)

A former Federal official holds that a national health insurance program is the most comprehensive way to provide physical and mental health care for the elderly, but considers various cost-saving options within the current system. Also stresses the need to integrate older adults into the productive sector of American society. (AOS)