The population of older adults is growing rapidly and there will be an increased need for psychological services for this population. Current estimates indicate a significant workforce gap such that all psychologists, regardless of specialty area, will likely be called upon to work with older adults. Education and experience in the care of older…

We present a critically focused, semester-long community engagement project entitled "Intergenerational Connections" as a form of critical interpersonal and family communication pedagogy (CIFCP). The project utilized Zoom to connect small groups of undergraduate students in the US enrolled in a course on relational communication with…

Metaphors are part of everyday language as they help us to communicate effectively and allow us to reveal meaning to concepts. Older adults have been described using metaphors like 'Tsunami' in western countries. However, it is unknow which metaphors are used to describe older adults in Turkey. The aim of this study was to reveal the perceptions…

For the second year in a row, students enrolled in Psychology of Aging and Consumer Behavior worked in cross-disciplinary teams during an eight-week session, with their efforts concluding in a team project. Student teams created a marketing plan of a product or service specifically targeting older consumers. Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning…

Ageist attitudes permeate society, are readily transmitted, are perpetuated from generation to generation, and are a prejudice against our future selves. Research has consistently shown that children as young as preschool evidence ageist attitudes, these attitudes become more negative as the child grows older and tend to become self-fulfilling…

The aim of this uncontrolled interventional study was to determine the effect of a yearly educational course within the University of the Third Age on quality of life, life satisfaction, sense of coherence, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, attitudes toward old age, and older people's perception of social support. The population included 121…

The Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II is the leading measure of students' competency with older adults. Although the 40-item instrument has demonstrated strong internal consistency and congruent validity, the hypothesized four-factor structure has not been tested. We used confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of social work students…

This study was designed to investigate the impacts of self-arranged nursing home observation sessions on healthcare students' attitudes toward older adults. Sixty-seven undergraduate students enrolled in a gerontology course were required to complete an attitudes survey at the beginning and the end of the semester. In addition, they conducted 3…

There is a growing imperative to ensure that aging-related resources and information are accessible to older adults and caregivers as the population ages. Extension can play an important role in associated education and outreach. We report on the results of a community assessment conducted in Larimer County, Colorado, that addressed barriers to…

The importance of gerontology-focused classroom and field education has been emphasized heavily in social work education for decades as the population of older adults continues to expand, as does the need to provide services to support the health and well-being of older adults. Although the need for social workers and other professionals who…

Although the concept of "active aging" has been widely used as a framework to underpin an optimistic view of aging, few studies have focused on the activities it encompasses and what participants learn. The aim of this study was to explore and compare the learning outcomes acquired from different active aging activities. A sample of 448…

The increase of the US older adult population requires additional professionally trained staff in health and social services. Exposing knowledge and skills of gerontology to address aging competency among student in higher education can better prepare for students' future educational and career planning. The aim of this study is to understand…

The development of educational gerontology (EG) policies in mainland China has gone through two stages, the social welfare stage (1982-2000) and the lifelong learning stage (2001-present), and a rudimentary system of EG provisions and legislation has been formed. Although a system of EG practices in mainland China has also been built under the…

According to international documents, older people have the right to fully develop their skills and and knowledge, and to have a sense of dignity. Seniors with disabilities also have the same rights. For this reason, it is necessary to provide personal development and education that enables a good quality of life, in spite of their disability.…

As the number of older adults increases, it is important to understand how attitudes toward aging influence society, the aging process, and the counseling profession. Ageism--defined as social stigma associated with old age or older people--has deleterious effects on older adults' physical health, psychological well-being, and self-perception. In…