Eighteen homebound frail elderly took part in an eight-week teleconference that provided practical information (nutrition, health, social services) as well as stimulated thinking. Quality of life improvements and further interest in education resulted. Teleconferencing proved a cost-effective method of reaching homebound persons. (SK)

Discussion of the common stereotype about persons with Down syndrome (that they are relentlessly "happy") focuses on characteristics that offer genuine and thoughtful joyfulness among these individuals, noting that happiness is closely aligned with a sense of peace, well-being, and/or contentment. (Contains five references.) (DB)

The spiritual model of successful aging begins with the primacy of the transcendent and is based on the assumption that there is something greater than the "ego-self." An "ElderSpirit Center" based on this model would provide spiritually oriented classes, retreats, resources, and guidance. (JOW)

Objective: To estimate the impact of arthritis using a general health index and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Methods: Morbidity data came from NHIS Public Use data, from the years 19861988 and 1994. The data are 423 400 cases, representing 975 421 153 person-years. Quality of Well-being Scale (QWB) morbidity scores were imputed…

The purpose of this study was to assess relations between adult intimacy, quality of life, and psychological adjustment. Data were collected in the United States from a sample of 64 college students. The measuring instruments used were Personal Information Sheet, Adult version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Adult PAQ), Intimate…

Objectives: This paper describes and discusses trends in life expectancy in wellbeing between 1989 and 1998. Methods: Data on wellbeing by the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale is obtained from the Netherlands Continuous Health Interview Surveys for the calendar years from 1989 to 1998. Using Sullivan's method, life expectancy in wellbeing is…

Emergency education, (that is, education in emergency situations) came to the fore in the 1990s. Defining this new field is not free from contestation. This article describes the trajectory and characteristics of the field and issues arising, focusing on different international discourses as well as contents of teaching and learning, and pedagogy.…

Over the past two decades the concept of quality of life (QOL) has increasingly become a focus for research and application in the fields of education, special education, health care (physical and behavioural), social services (disabilities and ageing), and families. This article summarizes our current understanding of the construct of individual…

While there is extensive evidence on the overall benefits of deinstitutionalisation, the move from institutional care to providing accommodation and support in small to medium sized dispersed housing schemes has not gone uncontested. Recently, a number of commentators have argued for the development of cluster housing on the basis that it may…

This article features the Spanish Popular Universities, which are defined as "a project of cultural development that acts in the municipality, whose objective is to promote social participation, education, training, and culture in order to improve life quality" (Federation of Popular Education Universities, 2000). A century of history of…

The intellectual tension between the virtues of basic versus applied research that characterized an earlier era of psychology is being replaced by an appreciation of creative applications of all research essential to improving the quality of human life. Psychologists are positioned to "give psychology away" to all those who can benefit from our…

The death of Theresa Marie Schiavo came about only after almost 7 years of argument among her family members. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, was convinced that she would have refused the medically supplied nutrition and hydration maintaining her life. Her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, and her siblings were equally convinced that her condition…

Background: Despite its popularity, to date little systematic work has been done in the application of the quality of life (QOL) concept to persons with intellectual disability (ID) and its impact on individuals and families. This article addresses that need. Method: The article summarizes the four application strands suggested by the IASSID SIRG…

Background: Health status is an important domain of quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. This paper describes the development of a self-report health status measure for use with people with intellectual disabilities living in staffed community-based accommodation, and reports preliminary reliability data for the schedule.…

This paper presents a new measure for assessing quality of life (QOL)--the Multidimensional Quality of Life (MQOL)--and describes its derivation, characteristics, structure and several applications. Reasons for developing the MQOL include the restricted range of assessed domains and the heavy emphasis on health in many standard assessment tools.…