The older adult population in America will significantly increase in the future. Older adults have important needs for recreation and leisure services (Beland, 2002). The author taught a class titled "Leisure Services for Older Adults" for over 24 years at the University of Florida. He has taught gerontology and recreation by teaching about life…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on resource use of providing case managers with information on the potential for patients to benefit from home care services. Design and Methods: Twenty-four case managers working in the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) were randomized into treatment and control groups. Members of…

Purpose: Residential care/assisted living describes diverse facilities providing non-nursing home care to a heterogeneous group of primarily elderly residents. This article derives typologies of assisted living based on theoretically and practically grounded evidence. Design and Methods: We obtained data from the Collaborative Studies of Long-Term…

Purpose: The purpose of the two studies described in this paper was to assess whether adults with dementia could assume an advice-giving role (Study 1) and a teacher role (Study 2) despite their cognitive impairments. So far, no research on adults with dementia has compared language production in a social conversation condition with that in an…

Purpose: Individual expectations among community-dwelling older adults and their subsequent effect on placement status have recently been considered. Previous studies, however, have been limited by eligibility and exclusion criteria, treating expectations as a continuous measure, omitting potential confounders, and ignoring Race x Gender…

Two studies were carried out in 1991-92 in Brisbane, Australia on the effects on frail elderly people of cognitive challenge by teleconference. In the first study, 20 residents of aged care centers watched specified programs on television. Later, they discussed the content over the telephone using conference link equipment. The study found that…

This annual report of the Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Program of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services begins by stating the purpose of the program: to improve the quality of life and the quality of care of older residents of long-term care facilities in Oklahoma. It is noted that the Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for the rights of long-term…

An 11-year study was undertaken of 1,135 discharged geriatric patients from rehabilitation service in a skilled nursing home. Of the patients aged 62-99, 693 were discharged to independent living. The high rate of return to independent living was made possible through a health team approach including intensive therapy treatment and social work…

A combined program of Reality Orientation, Activities of Daily Living, and Recreational Activities, together with environmental stimulation, was applied on an individualized basis to 21 elderly patients suffering from both psychological disorders and long-term physical illness. The motivation to participate in the available activities increased…

Systematic research on attitudes of nursing home staff toward the sexual expression of older residents is sparse and of recent origin. In order to determine the relationship between the degree of religiosity (religious commitment) of nursing home aides and their degree of tolerance concerning sexuality and aging, female nursing assistants (N=101)…

The State of Virginia has had a statewide nursing home preadmission screening program since 1977 and has made efforts to ensure appropriate placement of individuals in long term care settings. In a major effort to divert certain individuals from institutionalization, a personal care option has been provided. Using data from the Preadmission…

This paper examines the variety of legal rules and processes which have been established to assess and ensure that the quality of care provided in nursing homes satisfies an acceptable level. It begins with a general overview of nursing home law. Areas discussed in this section include: (1) sources of nursing home law; (2) theories of liability;…

Depression is regarded as the most prevalent mental health disorder in the elderly. Reminiscence, a normative and universal process which can facilitate the resolution, integration, and reorganization of past conflicts can have positive or negative effects on depression. One environment where the elderly are particularly at risk for the negative…

Nursing home patients suffering from dementia had a desire for placement in a setting where their special needs could be addressed. This resulted in the creation of special nursing home units designed to meet patient needs. Recent reports have provided evidence that nursing home residents suffering from dementia who receive care on these special…

Over the past two decades, the chronic mentally ill elderly have begun to receive care in residential health care facilities (RHCF) such as domiciliary care, intermediate care, and skilled nursing facilities. While there is justification for this increase, as the mentally ill elderly also present with significant physical illnesses, there are…