Understanding college students' level of ageism is important for older adults' social inclusion and recruiting future workforce. This study extends the understanding of ageism among students of health- and non-health-oriented majors and the factors associated with students' attitudes. 246 students participated in this survey study and were…

In order to evaluate the gender differences on the experience of aging, 142 individuals 50 years of age and older completed an interview regarding experiences with another individual conveying the message that they were "old." Interviewees were asked about the type of situation, the age and gender of the response person, and the…

This article reports on a review of the literature comparing the outcomes of social workers with those of non-social workers. The review was commissioned by NASW's Texas Chapter to examine empirical evidence regarding the comparative effectiveness of social work to possibly support efforts to educate employers and the public about the value of…

This study attempted to build a predictive model of factors related to social work students' interest in gerontological social work. Bachelor's and Master's students from universities around Texas were surveyed to determine if knowledge about the aging process and related job opportunities, attitudes toward aging and professional or personal…

Purpose of the Study: The Exercise Assessment Screening for You (EASY) tool was developed to encourage older adults at every functional level to be more physically active. The purposes of this study were to examine characteristics of older adults who participated in an evidence-based falls prevention program by their entry to EASY tool scores,…

Chronic pain is an exponentially increasing issue for aging adults in the United States and has stretched the limits of technology and the ability of health care professionals to provide adequate care. Chronic pain deprives individuals of their independence, confidence, quality of life, and often their primary support groups while leaving them…

Purpose: This study describes the perceptions of brain health among older Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans who reside in colonia areas of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Design and Methods: In 2007, 33 Mexican American older adults (9 men and 24 women) were recruited by "promotoras" (community health workers) from clusters of…

During the coming years the need for professionals to work with the nation's elders will increase several fold. This will place a great responsibility on university educational programs to prepare enough qualified future professionals to work in the greatly expanding field of gerontology. Prior research has identified several nonacademic and…

A middle school positive aging curriculum included an oral health unit integrated into reading classes and correlated with state and national standards. Pre/posttest results from 68 eighth graders indicated that health materials were easily incorporated into the standards-based curriculum and knowledge scores improved. (Contains 22 references.)…

This study investigated how lexical access in naming tasks (picture naming, naming to open-ended sentences, and naming to category exemplars) might be influenced by different lexical factors during adolescence and adulthood. Participants included 1075 individuals, ranging in age from 12 to 83 years. Lexical factors examined included word frequency…

Many elderly persons suffer abuse and neglect from which they cannot escape. Questions concerning the extent of elder abuse, the kinds of abuse, and underlying factors associated with elder abuse in Texas were explored in a survey of professionals most likely to encounter elder abuse in their work. Questionnaires (1,508) were mailed to agencies…

This document presents the program agenda and highlights from the one-day Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar held to examine the current status and the future of the elderly population of Texas. Included is the speech, "The Longevity Revolution" by Robert N. Butler, in which is discussed the gain in life expectancy, the feminization of aging,…

Purpose: Sentence completion exercises require students to give open-ended responses to prompts. The first purpose of this article is to describe the method of sentence completion to assess middle-school children's attitudes and beliefs about aging. The second purpose is to describe the patterns of characteristics that children associate with…

This guide is designed for use in implementing Texas' services for the elderly curriculum. The following topics are covered in 33 chapters: understanding the elderly in the United States; services and legislation for the elderly; job opportunities in services for the elderly; employee qualifications; physical, emotional, mental, and social needs…

This learning module is one of three training modules that were developed for members of the Texas Gerontological Consortium for Continuing Education to use in preparing case managers working in human service professions coordinating community-based programs for frail elderly Texans. Module II deals with the following topics: assessment (role of…