Gatekeepers, or nontraditional referral sources, have proven to be an effective means of case finding and outreach for mental health needs of isolated senior citizens. A two-year project administered by county public health department found the gatekeeper concept to be an effective means of case finding in the public health setting. (ABL)

In a geriatrics course 15 undergraduates participated in problem-based tutorials on interprofessional health-care teamwork during clinical placement. Compared with 15 controls, the experimental group showed significantly greater knowledge but no difference in perceptions of interprofessional functions. (SK)

This case study of an 83-year-old woman with Down syndrome suggests she is the longest surviving person with the condition. Also noted is the lack of decline in mental function and performance of activities of daily living despite the apparently universal presence of the neuropathologic changes of Alzheimer's disease in persons with Down syndrome…

Outcomes of focus groups and telephone interviews of 403 gerontology providers identified training needs, logistics of delivery, and preferred delivery methods. Results were used to develop a framework for a multilevel curriculum to address the needs of three levels of trainees. (SK)

Three focus groups of service agency representatives, state administrators, and rural service providers in Georgia identified their needs for geriatrics training, and barriers to accessing training. Results underscored the need for coordinated continuing-education planning. (SK)

Third-year medical students (n=67) conducted structured functional assessments of elderly patients and completed diagnostic/therapeutic plans. Students averaged seven problems and four recommendations per patient. Significant increases in their knowledge of and comfort with comprehensive geriatric assessment were found. (Contains 25 references.)…

Discusses the following: barriers to geriatrics education, teaching strategies (such as communication with patients, acceptance of one's own aging, interdisciplinary teamwork), and curriculum design for undergraduate and graduate study. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

This paper describes a Geriatric Health Professionals Mentoring Program designed to address recruitment and retention of health professionals in geriatrics and gerontology. The training provided information on the mentoring process, negotiating mentoring agreements, and coaching mentees. The evaluative framework described examines: (a) the effects…

Included herein is the conference proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology: Ideas and Innovations, sponsored by the Psychology Department of the State University of New York at Farmingdale. The conference theme for 2012 was: The value of an undergraduate degree in psychology: Why psychology--Why now?. The Conference…

A training curriculum on mental health and aging was developed and disseminated to 32 natural caregivers throughout a frontier state using a train-the-trainer model. Those certified as trainers included social workers, religious professionals, volunteers, long-term care employees, nurses, home health workers, and professional and informal…

Today more people are living beyond 65 years of age than ever before. The 1980s can be critical in determining the future of the aging, and the advocacy of the social worker can be the decisive factor. (Author)

The Social Sciences, as they relate to the aged and the aging, are discussed. Social gerontology seeks to discover the role of the social environment as a determinant of aging and of the behavior and position of older people in society. In the United States, some 20 million people are over 65 years of age, and the median age of the elderly has…

The goals of the work study project: Services to the Aging conducted at the University of Denver, were: (1) to sensitize the undergraduate students participating in it in their understanding of the role and functioning of older people in a changing social structure; and (2) through a field work and academic program, to acquaint students with the…

This article provides an identification and brief discussion of some issues in counseling older people. A thorough review of the literature on aging, with implications for counseling, is strongly recommended. Paper presented at 83rd Annual Meeting of American Psychological Association, Chicago, September 1975. (Author)

Multiple pathology, a common phenomenon among elderly, fosters the practice of multiple drug therapy, which is particularly hazardous for this age grouping. The total drug exposure of two typical elderly persons, one institutionalized and one living at home, were analyzed. Potentially harmful drug interactions were discerned in both cases. (Author)