[Attitudes toward one's own aging: a question of age or a question of resources?]. / Einstellungen zum eigenen Altern: eine Alters- oder eine Ressourcenfrage?

Recent studies have demonstrated that positive and negative stereotypes and attitudes toward age and aging may have substantial effects on the longterm development of cognitive and physical performance in old age. Relatively little is known to which degree attitudes toward one's own aging depend on (a) the current level of individual resources, (b) changes in the level of individual resources, or (c) the increasing age of older persons. The present study examined the relations between individual physical, mental, and cognitive resources and the attitudes toward one's own aging. The study was conducted with N=500 participants of the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE) born between 1930 and 1932 (age: M=63.0, SD=0.9 at T1 and M=66.9, SD=0.9 at T2). The results indicate that the attitudes toward one's own aging (a) become more negative with increasing age, (b) most strongly depend on the available resources, (c) changes in level of resources contribute to the prediction of the attitudes toward one's own aging, and (d) age acts more as a reinforcing factor on the relation between resources and attitudes than as an independent factor on the attitudes toward one's own aging.

[Effects of social support on well-being of demented nursing home residents. The Käferberg Visitation Study]. / Die Auswirkungen sozialer Unterstützung auf das Wohlbefinden dementer Heimbewohnerinnen und Heimbewohner. Die Käferberg-Besucherstudie.

BACKGROUND: Relatives and caregivers of patients with dementia are often insecure about the impact of their efforts. This study examines whether and to what extent social support in the form of regular visits is increasing the well-being of demented aged. PROCEDURE: A field experiment with slightly to seriously demented institutionalized aged persons (MMS 5-25) was carried out to assess the effect of increased social support upon their well-being. Voluntary helpers, who were willing to visit their patients on a regular basis, were recruited by appeals at the senior university and by advertisements. The volunteers were trained to deal with the demented and were looked after regularly. The test subjects were randomly assigned to one of two test groups. The first group was visited regularly for ten weeks, whereas the second group served as a control group. The participants of the experimental group received a visiting card with a photo of the volunteer and the next appointment date to remember their visitors and to increase the effect of predictability. RESULTS: The effect of visits on the well-being of the institutionalized aged persons was significantly positive (F(1,39) = 11.16, p < 0.002). The psychological, physiological and social well-being of the participants was improved. Additionally, visits moderated the pain resulting from physical illness and seemed to decrease the effects of mental decline on their performance. Furthermore, it was most impressive to find that the demented aged really took notice of the visits and seemed to remember them in one way or an other. The study pointed out that demented aged persons are still very sensitive in an emotional respect and that they are still able to give astonishing good and differentiated information about their feelings even in an advanced state of dementia. Even the volunteers gained from their visits, which was shown by their higher well-being after their visits.

[Attitude of seniors to rationing in health care--before and after a lecture series]. / Einstellungen von Seniorinnen und Senioren zur Rationierung im Gesundheitswesen--vor und nach einer Vorlesungsreihe.

UNLABELLED: Prior to the first lecture in the public series of lectures entitled "Rationing of Health Care: Are Elderly the Victims?" and before a lecture given to a Senior Citizens Association on the same subject, all participants were polled. The polling was repeated at the end of the lecture series. The initial participation totalled 69 with two-thirds women, average age 64 years (50% were from the health care or social welfare sector), and 57 retired business people (50% women). At the end, there were 45 listeners (average age 65 years), with 30 taking part in both surveys. The majority believed that rationing is already taking place, only 1/6 rejected such measures in principle. When asked, nearly all those surveyed were in favor of quality of life after treatment and life expectancy as criteria for the right to medical services. Personal criteria, such as nationality, social role, self-related causes and calendar age were rejected by the majority, although less clearly by the business people than by the general participants. This rejection became more marked after the lecture series. Those surveyed gave various specific judgements on decisions about the complex allocation of resources and favored decision-making by patients themselves unless they were senile. A large minority were opposed to very elderly patients making decisions themselves, even if they were not senile. CONCLUSION: The elderly persons polled demand that all rationalization measures be exploited before rationing is implemented. Rationing criteria must be of a universal nature and borne by the general public.