The American Physical Therapy Association promotes the Annual Physical Therapy Visit. Similar to an older adult who may see his/her medical provider annually, it is recommended that the aging adult see a physical therapist who will perform screening tests for strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and gait. Early detection of physical decline…

This book examines the unique characteristics of teaching foreign languages to senior learners. It discusses the potential age-related barriers and learning difficulties which may be encountered in senior foreign language education as well as solutions to overcome these challenges. The author describes the processes of human aging from different…

This chapter examines the equity aspects of implementing translanguaging as a form of culturally sustaining pedagogy to nurture linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism in an ESOL classroom for Nepali-speaking Bhutanese older adults resettled in the United States as refugees. Taking a teacher-action research approach, the authors collaborated…

This paper presents findings from a small-scale pilot evaluation of the Silver Stories programme. Silver Stories involves school-age children reading to older people in the community and is a way of addressing literacy and emotional difficulties, as well as enhancing wellbeing. The authors collected and analysed questionnaire and interview data…

This case study describes the rationale, development, and functioning of the Elders Learning Community, a nonprofit home and community service program that served older adults in Richmond, California. The program applied a blend of self-directed learning, learner-centered and significant learning approaches, and features of a member-driven…

The COVID-19 global pandemic continues, and in Hong Kong numerous measures have been put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus. One of the many facets of life that is being affected is education, with many face-to-face classes suspended and students having to go online for lessons. The virus continues to be active in the city, so our…

Background: With a rapidly aging population in mainland China, dysphagia has become one of the common geriatric disorders which creates a huge demand on speech and language therapists (SLTs). The major challenge is the shortage of SLTs in China. In addition, frontline practitioners in mainland China may not be well equipped with the knowledge and…

Adult learners' retention, persistence, and completion remain a significant challenge for many higher education institutions. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the factors and improve persistence for part-time older adult learners of color enrolled in a credit-bearing certificate program within a small college in a large…

First, gerontology is a life course perspective that evaluates aging outcomes as the cumulative effect of individual characteristics (socioeconomic status, personality, health behaviors) and where the person lives (i.e., human ecosystems), including the historical context in which they reside. Second, gerontology examines factors that contribute…

This study analyzed the types of lexical relations produced by Spanish-speaking older adults with typical aging. A total of 120 older adults completed a word association norms task with 117 stimulus words, which allowed us to explore differences in associations by sex, age, and years of education. We employed two classifications to code the…

This paper aims at connecting Self-Determination Theory (SDT) with research on moral identity. It is argued that SDT provides a unique and integrative framework for addressing important questions that have guided research on moral identity for many years: What is a moral identity? How is it linked to moral action? How do moral identities develop?…

Ostracism, that is, being excluded and ignored by others, is a highly painful and threatening experience for individuals. Most empirical research on ostracism has been carried out in the lab or focused on samples in specific contexts. Here, we investigate the effects of age on how individuals experience ostracism within a broad, representative…

Purpose: Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with tubes or straws have been widely used for a variety of voice disorders. Yet, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises (lasting for weeks) on the aging voice are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program.…

Background: Community health workers (CHWs), often called "health promotion volunteers" in Japan, are individuals who act as a natural helping resource in the community. Aim: This study tested the efficacy of a CHW-based intervention to improve dietary habits among community-dwelling older people in Japan, using a controlled, crossover…

This pilot study uses 'day in the life' methodology to observe the everyday literacy practices of a self-identified thriving elder. Through the case of one nonagenarian female residing in an assisted living community in the United States, we identified the multimodal, posthuman nature of this elder's literacies, exploring how they were connected…