Interviewed 11 caregivers for early-stage Alzheimer's patients to investigate changes in relationships concurrently with onset and progress of disease. Over 18 months, intimacy declined in both spouse and parent-child relationships. Caregivers were saddened at loss of reciprocal aspects of relationship and had difficulty coping with uncertain…

Discusses the purpose and process of providing feedback, peer versus supervisor reviews, and the content and format of feedback, including verbal comments, checklists, and written summaries. Tips on the use of observation protocols for feedback are included. (DR)

Compared four categories of maternal utterances to predict children's rates of syntax development to a category of maternal utterances that was unrelated to syntax development. Results suggested that maternal speech supports the child's development of syntax by engaging the child in linguistic interaction and by providing illustrations of the…

Assessed efficacy of home-based program of cognitive stimulation for functional status of patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. Compared treated caregiver/patient dyads with nontreated dyads. Results suggest that treated patients exhibited maintenance levels of cognitive and behavioral functioning and improved emotionally while…

Surveyed 208 Indian Health Service providers and allied personnel to examine extent to which they subscribed to myths about long-term care. With some exception, found long-term care equated with the nursing home, perceived as involving essentially health care professionals; service objectives were assumed to be primarily rehabilitative and…

Thirty-three schools responded to a survey of 87 schools providing residential services for deaf, blind, and multihandicapped hearing-impaired individuals. The survey, focusing on characteristics of caregivers and systems of residential care, found great diversity among salaries, qualifications, and upgrade systems, although job titles were…

Outlines application requirements for the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) new compensation fund for their Membership Action Group Grant program. Summarizes Membership Action Group projects that have been funded for 1990. (BB)

Studied depression of family caregivers seeking help to increase coping skills (N=158) and volunteer non-help-seekers (N=58). Found depression among 46 percent of help-seekers and 18 percent of non-help-seekers. Found women more depressed than men but no major differences in depression for those caring for more impaired persons. (Author/CM)

Studied effects of five 12-month support strategy treatments on family caregivers (N=541) of impaired elderly persons. Found caregivers of elderly persons remaining in community reported lower levels of subjective burden. Found services delayed nursing home placement by adult child caregivers but encouraged placement by spouse caregivers.…

Studied effects on family caregivers (N=208) of frail elderly persons of eight-week professionally guided caregiver support group program to reduce anxiety, depression, and sense of burden. Found significant reductions immediately after intervention and continued but weaker effects four months later. (Author/CM)

Presents conclusions drawn from symposium studies on current and future direction in family caregiving research. Suggests improving measurement of treatment effects in group intervention for family caregiver studies by: (1) better specification of goals and outcomes; (2) development of measures with less floor and ceiling effects; and (3)…

Explored maternal attitudes (N=1,302) concerning child care ideals at different preschool ages. Found majority viewed parental care as ideal at all preschool ages. Concluded that child care ideals are part of broader ideology of family and gender that reflects womens' adult experiences. (Author/CM)

A fairly stable set of job clusters was identified as contributing sources of satisfaction and frustration to early childhood edcators in center-based programs. These job clusters were: co-worker relations; supervisor relations; the nature of the work; pay and opportunities for promotion; and general working conditions. Related findings are…

Investigated the relation of early childhood training and experience to the professional development of 533 child care workers. Questionnaire data indicated limited involvement in conventional practices of professional development. Higher levels of both training and experience were associated with high involvement in conventional forms of…

Presents eight tips for speaking out to legislators on the child care staffing crisis. (BB)