Teachers Association -American Association of Retired Persons to do a survey of U.S. psychologists who offer mental health services. These psychologists were sent a 3-page questionnaire that requested information regarding attitudes toward, knowledge of, and practices with mature and older adults. The results of the survey indicate that although psychologists may have some stereotyped impressions of the aged, for the most part they have some basic knowledge about the aging process. The results also indicate that psychologists are interested in learning more about this area and are interested in seeking out aged clients so that adequate care may be provided.A continuing problem for gerontologists is that of determining the reasons why elderly adults do not make use of mental health care facilities, especially in light of the extent of their mental health problems. Surveys have shown that from 5% to 8% of community-based elderly show pathology severe enough to warrant hospitalization. If those exhibiting neuroses or personality disorders are included, the incidence of pathology may range from 12% to 22% (Lowenthal, Berkman, & Associates, 1967;Shanas, 1968). These statistics become increasingly important when it is recognized that older persons account for only 2% of those seen in psychiatric outpatient clinics (Maddox, 1966) and that those who seek private mental health care are estimated to be still fewer (Busse & Pfeiffer, 1969). Lowenthal (1964) and Busse and Pfeiffer (1969) have suggested several factors that may account for this underutilization of services. One of the hypotheses is that there are negative attitudes within the community of mental health professionals that interfere with the availability of services to the elderly. These attitudes may be apparent in expressed preferences for young clients or nonacceptance of elderly people as patients in mental health settings. This may occur because professionals feel a lack of training or personal experience with the problems of aging. Or there may be the belief that scarce resources of time, energy, and money should be expended on younger clients and not on those close to death, to whom long-term benefits would not be possible. Although there is some research that supports this hypothesis within other professional groups (Cyrus-Lutz & Gaitz, 1972;Ginsberg & Goldstein, 1974;Moberg, 1969), a survey of U.S. psychologists regarding their present level of involvement with the aged is lacking. The purpose of this article is to present such data and also information regarding the attitudes of psychologists toward seeking out the aged as clients. Further, because it was felt that individuals in the entire second half of life (past 40 years of age) may be neglected in terms of mental health care, information regarding attitudes toward mature (40-60-year-olds), as well as aged (60 years and over), individuals was obtained within the same survey.
This study explored the relationship of age and diabetes to the threshold and perception of the hedonic qualities of sucrose solutions. A significant increase in threshold beginning in the eighth decade was observed. Diabetic persons did not differ significantly in the threshold for sucrose from nondiabetic subjects. Younger individuals tended to judge suprathreshold solutions as sweeter than older persons. Results from pleasantness ratings were less clear but could be taken to imply that the younger, more recently diagnosed diabetic would find it more difficult to stay on a restricted diet necessary for the control of diabetes than would the older diabetic.
A 40-item quiz on aging was given to 46 health care professionals, before they participated in a workshop dealing with the care of the elderly patient. In the quiz, they were asked to identify physiologic and functional conditions either as normal aging processes or disease-related processes. In general the results indicated that disease processes were the easier entities to identify, and that the workshop experience enhanced this effect. Ability to identify functional disorders correctly did not differ significantly from the ability to identify physiologic symptoms correctly. Implications for the general health and the mental health of older adults are discussed.
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