In a study of the discourse of 100 people with Alzheimer's disease treated for 12 months with donepezil, we observed that, as a group, they used a form of tag, described here as a self-referential tag (SRT), 14 times more frequently than did caregivers. Patients use SRTs to check propositions dependent on episodic memory as in I haven't seen the…

Over the last 20 years, older people have served as teachers for students as part of the formal curriculum in geriatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In recent years, we have supported a more in-depth, longitudinal experience that connects medical students with elders in the community. The program was initiated as a special…

The entire second part of the October issue presents the program for the 28th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society. Abstracts of papers are included. (EJT)

Funding educational programs for the aging and developing undergraduate interdisciplinary programs in gerontology at St. Clair Community College and Central Michigan University are discussed. (SM)

This three-phase literature review focusses on the dangers of drug misuse or abuse by the elderly, and seeks to assist in the development of prevention and treatment strategies. The first phase focusses on the aging process and psychoactive drug use in clinical treatment. The second phase identifies and synthesizes information on the patterns of…

This second of three institutes for developing and improving educational programs for older persons was composed of 45 administrators, teachers, and counselors from universities, community colleges, and public school systems. Addresses presented were: "Aging--The Need for a Choice" by Dr. Thomas Rich; "The Physiology of Aging" by Dr. Fred B.…

The key to successful aging is successful living, and an important part of the strategy for successful living, in the later years, is the maintenance of an active sex life, concordant with the desires and abilities of the individuals who are involved. (RC)

A summary of the literature on the goals, content, and techniques of psychotherapy with the elderly client is presented, and supports the conclusion that this therapy is different from similar work with the younger adult, only in terms of a focus on different content areas. (Author)

Many issues surrounding gerontological education need resolution: the shortage of qualified faculty members, particularly in professional schools; the role and organization of programs leading to gerontology degrees and other certification; the relationship of undergraduate and graduate programs; methods of integrating aging content into…

Examined use of Geriatric Consultation Team in acute care hospital among 185 older veterans. Intervention patients were more likely than controls to have recommendations concerning discharge planning and long-term care. Groups had similar discharge placements. Preadmission location, functional status, mental status, occurrence of hospital-acquired…

Describes demonstration by an interdisciplinary geriatric evaluation team that a newly described syndrome of hysterical pseudodementia in elderly patients often originates in developmental phenomena rather than in basic personality disturbances. Discusses team members' observations of clinical behavior which frequently differed from results of…

Discusses literature on the physician-elderly patient-companion triad and proposes conceptual framework and methodological approach for understanding the companion's presence during the geriatric visit. Suggests agenda for both clinical and social science research. (Author)

Review of literature concerning effectiveness and cost of geriatric day hospitals revealed many descriptive studies and four randomized control studies. Of four studies, one demonstrated credible improvement in physical and emotional function in day hospital versus conventional care control group. Three randomized studies in which costs were…

Evaluated hopelessness, depression, and self-esteem among depressed elderly people (N=78) and developed a Geriatric Hopelessness Scale (GHS). As predicted, elderly subjects who scored high on the GHS showed significantly higher depression and lower self-esteem scores. (JAC)