This article draws attention to the fact that documentaries do not simply reproduce the reality that film and audience share but always present a particular view of this reality. This implies that organizations in Alzheimer care, education, and research that often recommend documentaries to inform people about dementia should take into account…

Purpose: Relative to the overall population, older adults consume a disproportionally large percentage of health care resources. Despite advocacy and efforts initiated more than 30 years ago, the number of providers with specialized training in geriatrics is still not commensurate with the growing population of older adults. This contribution…

Purpose: There is much evidence suggesting that older adults are often negatively affected by aging stereotypes; however, no method to identify individual differences in vulnerability to these effects has yet been developed. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid questionnaire to measure individual differences in the…

Identified nine forms of gerontological humor in literature from classical times to the present: the foibles of frustrating age sui generis, expressions of what it means to grow old, relativity of age, physical decline, mental decline, social relationships, youth and age, black humor, and the shattering of old age stereotypes. (Author/BL)

Discusses data from 4,212 gay males that suggests the viability of several hypotheses regarding the experiences of aging gay males: that certain behaviors are related to subcultural opportunities, that various attitudes are associated with subcultural socialization, and that other issues are understandable in terms of aging and cohort effects.…

Reviews Western art and literature, revealing many examples of older people being characterized as avaricious and miserly. Describes historical reasons for characterizing older people as misers, such as their need to control wealth, intergenerational conflict, and lack of social support programs. Sees industrialization, Social Security, and other…

Uses data from two studies to reevaluate some images about the never married elderly. Data suggest that never married elderly are not necessarily socially isolated, may experience some loneliness, do not have uniform attitude concerning possibility of marriage, and suffer from the effects of loss in late life. (Author/NB)

Interviewed 55 older adults to assess their interpretations of magazine images of older adults. Classified responses by use of dramaturgical framework that included consideration of perceptions of performers qua professionals and perceived realities of aging. Broad range of strategies to deal with old-age codes were characterized. Results suggest…

Palmore's "Facts on Aging Quiz" is reconsidered in light of the results of over 500 administrations to health workers and health occupation students. An analysis of the data gathered suggests that the quiz has utility for three of the four purposes suggested by its creator. (Author)

Examined role of misperceptions in a Congressional debate about policies for the aging. Found that misperceptions about the elderly, in the guise of compassionate stereotypes, were frequently expressed. Legislators voicing such stereotypes were the most likely to speak and vote against proposals to reduce Social Security benefits. Found some…

Sampled 106 children's television cartoons to determine the nature and extent of material on aging. Results indicated that although old age is not a dominant theme, the topic is typically framed in negative terms with a potential to reinforce dominant cultural stereotypes. (JAC)

Examines changes in business sector's stereotype of elderly population from negligible consumer group to $500 billion market. Explains recent trends using concepts of privatization, consumerism, and rise of geriatric social industrial complex. Raises questions about extensive targeting of new elderly population and ethical dilemmas it may pose in…

Semantically traced, over time, terms used to represent old people, aging, and effects of aging. Major themes found included differences between terms used for old men and old women; ambiguity of terms; older people subjected to more pejoratives than in past; and terms characterizing the old being focused on negative and debilitative effects of…

Reviewed empirical evidence relevant to taboos for aged sexuality and measured the attitudes of 114 graduate nursing students toward a 68-year-old woman. Nurses read a vignette which either contained or excluded information about the woman's sexual activity and exhibited a statistically significant bias favoring the sexually active version. (JAC)

Argues that although many publications imply that a negative attitude toward older people is common, evidence does not support this judgment. Reports a study in which participants were allowed to give their opinions on the number of exceptions to generalizations about the elderly. Suggests possible motives for misinterpreting evidence. (Author)