Views on aging among undergraduates, faculty, and staff: Domain-specific measurement invariance and comparisons.

Views on aging have been shown to reliably predict various psychological and physical health outcomes. To our knowledge, this is the first study exploring domain-specific views on aging using a university sample including students, faculty, and staff (N = 646). Specifically, we assessed how one's age stereotypes (AS), current self-views on aging (CS), and future self-views on aging (FS) vary among students, faculty, and staff by age and by eight everyday functioning domains using an existing domain-specific scale. In general, the older one becomes, the more positive one's views on aging are in various domains with a few exceptions. No single group (e.g., students, faculty, or staff) consistently had more positive views across domains than the other groups. Moreover, faculty and staff tended to share similar views on aging compared to students. The most salient difference between students and faculty/staff was in the finance domain; students had more positive age stereotypes and future self-views than faculty and staff but not for current self-views. The results highlight the importance of examining the domain-specific age stereotypes, current and future self-views on aging to understand the differences among university populations and provide implications for future educational programs on ageism.

Electronic access to food and cash benefits.

The authors' purpose was to examine access to Family Independence Program and Food benefits in relation to customer service and an automated helpline. In addition, participants identified impediments and limitations to the receipt of services. Two hundred forty-four surveys were mailed to recipients of over-the-counter electronic benefit transfer cards; 58 were returned. The findings indicate that when customers (age 21-92) received assistance navigating the electronic benefits transfer system from local office staff, they were able to obtain benefits successfully. Negative credit/debit card history and touchtone phones were related to difficulty using the system. The results suggest that the local office and the contracted service provider (automatic helpline) need to provide assistance that promotes greater autonomy for the customer to make successful transitions to benefits that are delivered electronically.

The experience of worry among young and older adults in the United States and Germany: a cross-national comparison.

This study compared adult age-related differences in the experience of worry within two cultures. Data were collected from 173 Germans and 263 Americans (within the United States) on a general worry scale and two hypothesized correlates of worry (life events and locus of control). Results indicated that there were age differences on all of the hypothesized correlates of worry as well as the measure of worry, with younger adults reporting more worries than did older adults. Differences were found between the two countries on the hypothesized correlates (with the exception of internal locus of control) and one subscale of the worry measure. More importantly, structural equation modeling indicated that the hypothesized correlates of worry differentially contributed to the prediction of worry across the two cultures and across the two age groups. That is, with one minor exception, the hypothesized correlates did not predict worry within the German sample, but did predict worry within the American sample. Among the younger adult American sample, endorsement of external locus of control and life events predicted worry, but among the older American sample, positive endorsement of internal locus of control predicted worry.

Boomers' prospective needs for senior centers and related services: a survey of persons 50-59.

The future service needs of baby boomers are unclear. A survey addressing work/retirement, family, civic engagement, health, caregiving, leisure, and perceptions of senior services was mailed to 800 addresses randomly selected from a upper Midwestern county voter registration list. The response rate was 28%. Fifty-three percent of the respondents (N = 225) intended to work and increase civic engagement. They expected more time for hobbies and friends, and to travel more. Family will continue to be their highest priority. These findings will be useful to service providers who are invested in providing services that are attractive to boomers.

African American women: a life course of care?

Twenty-five years of research on family care to dependent elders has produced a theoretically sophisticated understanding of the process of family caregiving. Although caregiving models initially were developed and tested on predominantly White samples, more recent work has applied these models to African American caregivers. This investigation builds on the comparative perspective by describing elder care in African American families through the eyes of the culture in which it occurs. Thirty-two African American caregivers were interviewed and asked to discuss their caregiving careers from a life course perspective. Qualitative narratives described three pathways to care: elder care only, limited life course of care, and live course of care. Recognition of the various pathways to care will enlighten tailored interventions.