Purpose: Effective strategies to recruit minority elders into health research (e.g., through churches, partnering with community gatekeepers) often involve nonrandom sampling methods. The current study has two aims: (a) to examine some new practices in recruitment of African American elders and (b) to determine the similarities and differences of…

Purpose: This qualitative study assessed the needs of patients and caregivers during the transition from hospital to home. We specifically identified unmet needs of ethnic minorities, recent immigrants, and seniors with limited English proficiency (LEP). Findings are translated into recommendations for improving services to these groups during…

Purpose: We examine the relationship between the perceived needs and assessed needs of community-dwelling seniors. Design and Methods: Trained research assistants administered the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Baseline Survey to 268 community-dwelling older adults in suburban Maryland. Perceived and assessed needs were measured in the…

Investigated needs assessment documents from a nationwide sample of agencies which plan for the elderly. Found five types of conclusions. The strengths and weaknesses of different methodological approaches in relation to each type of conclusion are discussed. Suggests improving needs assessment through the matching of conclusions and methods. (JAC)

Describes a questionnaire assessing nutritional knowledge and eating behaviors of older adults. The questionnaire consists of six sections: demographic and personal information, food resources, food consumption patterns, dietary practices related to health, activity patterns, and nutritional knowledge. Study results demonstrating the…

Demonstrated that acquiescence response set can inflate estimates of agency awareness in needs assessment studies of elderly. Acquiescence did not appear to inflate estimates of service utilization or service need. Less educated respondents were no more likely to exhibit acquiescence than better educated respondents. Hypothesis that African…

Collected information on the quality of needs assessments of the elderly from three sources. Found that the overall quality of the majority of needs assessments was so low as to provide little meaningful input to the planning process. Recommends that states focus on the improvement of needs assessment efforts. (Author)

Describes the development of a statewide strategy to improve resident outcomes in nursing facilities, and presents some evaluative data from this strategy. Results reveal that the partnership has resulted in state agency staff having information from analyses about resident needs. Suggests that other states should consider building partnerships…

Argues that despite the problems associated with measuring and interpreting old people's appraisals of their housing situation, these subjective indicators provide necessary insights for effective planning and program evaluation. (Author/BL)

Assessed social service use and need for older persons in an urban area changed through redevelopment. Comparison of those forced to move and a matched group not forced to move showed that through time, nonmovers experienced an increased need for services as redevelopment inflated rents and eroded informal services. (JAC)

Presents a procedure whereby existing data can be utilized in placing needs of the elderly in priority ranking. A basic technique developed by HEW was employed. Various strengths and weaknesses are noted. Suggestions are made for utilization of the method presented by social service planning agencies. (Author)

A study of urban frail elderly revealed an association between higher rates of social interaction and more reliance on informal aid but less reliance on formal agencies. It may well be that informal social ties block proper access to useful services rather than lead to more humane and cheaper alternatives. (Author)

Examines survey data from a metropolitan community to investigate comparative rankings of needs of older persons by service providers and their elderly target population. Training in gerontology, serving elderly clients exclusively, and having direct contact with elderly clients as line staff were not predictors of knowledge of elderly needs.…

Describes plans for Community Outreach Education Program (COEP), designed to provide educational interventions to disseminate information about diagnoses, assessment, management, and treatment of dementia to health care professionals, service providers, staff or volunteer and community agencies, and family members. Describes plans within context…

Explored two alternative conceptualizations of transportation opportunity, one based on dependency and the other on expressed need for additional transportation, for a sample of 231 rural elderly persons. It was possible to distinguish differences on the basis of variables related to the older persons' economic, physical, and social resources.…