JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. National Council on Family Relations is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Family Relations.The investigators of this project examined several coping strategies used by caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients and the relationship of those strategies to the caregivers' subjective sense of burden. Two hundred forty subjects were surveyed. Differences in burden scores were not significantly affected by caregivers' age, sex, income, education, or patient residence (i.e., community dwellings, institutions). However, burden scores were significantly related to caregivers' health status. Also burden scores were not significantly related to presence of confidant or support group membership. Three internal coping strategies (confidence in problem-solving, reframing the problem, and passivity) and two external coping strategies (spiritual support and extended family) were found to be significantly related to caregiver burden scores. Implications for future research and intervention programs are discussed.Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative process in the brain that produces intellectual impairment in over 1.5 million American adults. It is the most common cause of senile dementia which is the severe, irreversible intellectual impairment in older adults (Gwyther & Matteson, 1983). There is no known cause or cure for Alzheimer's disease. The incidence of the illness increases with age and it is estimated that 20% of people over 80 have this disease (Gwyther & Matteson, 1983) although many will have relatively mild cases. Because the population over age 75 is the fastest growing segment of the aging population, increasing numbers of older adults are at risk (Schneck, Reisberg, & Ferris, 1982).Alzheimer's patients suffer progressive cognitive deficits and memory loss which are asso-
Effective measures of knowledge about mental health in later life are valuable in both needs assessments and educational program evaluations. Described is the development of two short, true/false quizzes, one on alcohol problems and one on depression and suicide in later life. These quizzes can be used to plan and evaluate community education programs on mental health problems in later life. Procedures for developing other knowledge assessments are presented.
Dementia is considered the "major psychiatric disorder of old age" and affects over 4 million people in the United States. As Alzheimer's disease and other dementias progress, the patient can become increasingly dependent on the family for care. This dependency can place the caregiver in a role that is both difficult and demanding. In this study coping strategies used by family caregivers of dementia patients and caregivers' sense of burden were assessed. Burden scores were significantly correlated with spiritual support, an external coping strategy. When spiritual well-being is integrated with medical and psychosocial needs, the clergy and spiritual community can play an integral role in the care for families and dementia patients.
Based on their experience as designers and/or users of games as a learner-centered strategy in gerontology, geriatric, and aging-related courses and training programs, the authors note multiple advantages of using games as a learning tool, list six relevant games (including order information), and suggest a variety of ways games can be used. They offer guidelines to apply in selecting appropriate games and discuss key aspects of the instructor or facilitator's role in preparing learners for game playing, monitoring game play, and debriefing students once game play has ended. Outcomes for learners and course instructors are shared.
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