Abraham Monk

Strain among Caregivers: Comparing the Experiences of African American and Hispanic Caregivers of Alzheimer's Relatives

This study of the experiences of seventy-six Black and eighty-six Hispanic caregivers of Alzheimers relatives sought to determine the factors characterizing the caregiving process and its outcomes, particularly personal and role strain, in each group. The findings reveal that Hispanics are more vulnerable to each type of strain and this may be partially attributed to their caring for more impaired relatives, their younger ages, and comparative lack of expressive supportive relationships. The mediating role played by culture and informal supports in the caregiving process is highlighted by the results as well as the need for the development of sensitive and appropriate interventions and supports.

Do Nursing Home Patient Ombudsmen Make a Difference

A sample of long-term care facilities utilizing ombudsman services was compared to facilities not in receipt of such mediation services. Independent assessment measures were derived from State Department of Health ratings and complaint statistics for long-term care facilities. Findings revealed that ombudsman-served facilities were not appreciably different from facilities not served by ombudsmen. Facilities served by ombudsmen, however, received a relatively higher amount of complaints than did the facility group not served by ombudsmen, particularly in areas not covered by statutory abuse reporting requirements. It is suggested that nursing home patient ombudsmen call attention to aspects of quality care not currently assured by other protective mechanisms.

GERONTOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS OF RELIGION

Abstract As society ages, the age profiles of religious congregants will also increase. Will students of religion have the necessary knowledge and normative orientations to work with the elderly? This article reports on a study that examined the perceptions, experiences and expectations of students of religion (N = 142) and their graduate counterparts (N = 216), by means of structured interviews. Rosencranz and McNevins Aging Semantic Differential, Palmores Facts on Aging Quiz and original indices were used to operationalize the study variables. Results revealed more positive attitudes toward young than old people. Relatively low gerontological knowledge scores were realized as well as negative biases toward the aged. Positive correlations emerged between knowledge and attitudes toward older people as well as between knowledge and priority assigned to working with the aged. Positive attitudes were associated with an “increasing optimism” toward the years ahead. Study findings lead to curricula developme...

Assessing the efficacy of ombudsman services for the aged in long term care institutions

Long term care ombudsman programs are a recently established component within the gerontological services continuum. Public policy in this area is not yet well defined and there is a conspicuous absence of systematic studies assessing the effectiveness of such program efforts. This research reports on the accomplishments of an urban based, volunteer nursing home ombudsman program. Survey findings show moderate levels of goal attainment in the policy and social relations domains and more promising results in the organizational/managerial sphere. The relationship between perceptions of program success and varying ombudsman role behaviors is underscored.

Gerontological Education: Propositions for Curriculum Planning in Higher Education.

Higher education has not properly responded to employment needs in the field of aging. This paper suggests that any endeavor to infuse a gerontological component in the curricula of colleges and universities should take into account four basic propositions: the policy adjustments to the demographic “aging” of our society; the phenomenological reappraisal of an extended individual life cycle; the social‐experimental quality of new gerontological social policies; and the emerging concern for ecological determinants of human behavior, as a means for generating alternatives to institutionalization. Employment needs and projections are related to the increasing demand for short‐term training programs and the emerging interest in lifetime learning approaches to adult education.

International innovations in home care

ConclusionThe six countries included in this overview are engaged in an active process of developing responsive home care programs. They are experimenting with new approaches in administration, coordination, client assessments, personnel training, methods of service delivery and personnel practices. Although the results of these experiments may not be always transferable to other countries, many particular innovations should be examined for the sake of dissemination and adaptation.

Factors Affecting Nursing Home Patient Participation in a Volunteer Grievance Resolution Service

Critical preconditions for effective program performance with vulnerable popula tions are service visibility and staff commitment. These factors may be especially important for patient representative programs serving the elderly in long term care institutions. Data collected from 210 residents in 14 skilled nursing and health- related facilities and 24 volunteer providers of nursing home ombudsman services suggest factors that may influence patient utilization of a mechanism for grievance resolution. Significant associations were found between both patient variables (age, education, sex, race) and facility variables (auspice, level of care, quality of care) and program awareness, service utilization, awareness of personal rights, and fear of retaliation. Patient representatives displayed intense altruisitc impulses, frustration with staff apathy in institutions and altered outlooks toward old people and institu tional care. Findings point to the value of personal advocacy with institutionalized aged populations, volunteer incentives and advocate career ladders, focused exper tise in selected health problem situations and flexible role behaviors in nursing home settings.

THE LEARNING AND RETENTION OF TEACHING SKILLS BY OLDER ADULTS: A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS

Comparative analysis of time series data (T1 = preprogram; T2 = postpro‐gram; T3 = 6‐month followup) collected for the first year class of an older adult teacher training program (N = 35; mean age = 69.1 years) documents that the elderly learn and retain materials learned at different rates. Variables such as age, sex, teaching experience, education, and race/ethnicity all potentially play a role in differentiating the learning process. Evaluation results further confirm that the initial acquisition of leadership skills by older adults is no guarantee that those skills will be maintained successfully over time. There may also be a false sense of confidence in some older learners that is gained simply by their having successfully completed an organized course of training. Study findings lead to recommendations emphasizing the importance of promoting resilient skills capacity in the teaching domain by older adults by means of a variety of skills‐preservation program techniques inlcuding the provision of edu...

Volunteers as Ombudsmen for the Aged in Long-Stay Institutions

Nursing home ombudsman programs are mandated in all states of the union by the Older Americans Act Amendments of 1978. They are intended to identify, address and ameliorate the deficiencies of long term institutional care. Long-term care ombudsmen operate at both state and local levels, fulfilling a range of tasks and addressing a diversity of issues. Preliminary information reflective of state and local nursing home ombudsman programs suggests, however, that there is a serious lack of uniformity and consensus as to what may be the most effective way of mediating on behalf of the nation’s most frail elderly (Regan, 1977; Litwin et al., 1981).

Gerontological Careers and Workplace Priorities: Expectations and Experiences of Jewish Professionals.

This paper reports on a study of career preparation, personal expectations and interests, and workplace experience of Jewish professionals in the area of services to the elderly. Recent graduates (N = 216) of a major college of religions instruction were surveyed. The majority of respondents were practicing rabbis with additional subgroups representative of professionals engaged in reform Jewish education, communal service, and cantorial practice. Study findings confirm that respondents considered themselves best prepared to work with the young, moderately well prepared to work with middle‐aged people, and least well prepared to work with the elderly. The vast majority were convinced that more courses in aging were necessary. Based on their current responsibilities, training in the subjects of death and dying, human relations, counseling the young, crisis intervention, gerontological counseling, and developmental psychology were accorded greatest importance. Results indicate that the issue of old age has ...