International fieldwork in the age of global aging: fostering intercultural competence through student research and service provision in a residential care facility for older Guatemalans.

Representing one model of global aging education, international gerontological fieldwork placements provide opportunities to gain firsthand knowledge of the impact of cultural contexts both on the experience of aging and the provision of eldercare. The gerontology component of the NAPA (National Association for the Practice of Anthropology)-OT Field School in Antigua, Guatemala fostered intercultural competence through student engagement in eldercare research and service provision in a residential care facility for older Guatemalans. Field trips to additional medical and gerontological care settings expanded students' perspectives of Guatemalan health and aging networks. The process of implementing the international gerontological fieldwork model and issues involved in its day-to-day enactment are described, including the development and initial year of the program, its underlying theoretical framework of social and occupational justice, the challenges involved, the trajectory of student involvement in the facility, social dynamics among students and residents, and the final outcomes of our work.

The evolution of AGHE as a global leader in education on aging: Why, how, and what's next.

The scope of AGHE's responsibility to gerontology and geriatrics extends worldwide, as reflected in its tag line, "Global Leaders in Education on Aging." Optimal responses to worldwide demographic transitions can only come from persons well versed in the dimensions of aging and trained and globally situated to translate that knowledge into effective and culturally appropriate solutions. This article reviews the evolution of AGHE's role in initiating and fostering global networks of educators in gerontology and geriatrics, including collaborative efforts with major international organizations (e.g., WHO, UN, IAGG) to increase the visibility and appreciation of aging-related issues among world leaders; sponsoring national and international meetings and publications to promote the exchange of ideas and refinement of teaching methodologies; initiating and adapting new models of gerontological training enhanced by advances in information and communication technology; and supporting world-wide cohorts of emerging scholars to assume leadership roles within the organization. Recommendations for next steps are considered.

Service-Learning through conference-based, interdisciplinary workshops on Age-Friendly design.

For three consecutive years, the Age-Friendly Design Committee (AFDC) of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) used AGHE's annual meeting as a platform to conduct community-based service-learning workshops focusing on age-friendly design. These workshops assembled local stakeholders, conference attendees from multiple disciplines, and landscape and architectural designers to discuss age-friendly design issues and solutions for local environments. Each workshop provided hands-on design experience and the opportunity for AGHE participants to contribute to conference host communities by using their gerontological expertise to translate knowledge into practice. Local stakeholders learned the value of gerontological input when considering design issues. We describe the process of incorporating service-learning into the conference experience through age-friendly design workshops and how these bring together students, faculty, and design professionals from different backgrounds and disciplines to address local age-friendly design issues.

Aging in cultural context and as narrative process: conceptual foundations of the anthropology of aging as reflected in the works of Margaret Clark and Sharon Kaufman.

Although the discipline of anthropology has much to contribute to the understanding of the nature and experience of aging, it is a relative latecomer to gerontology. After briefly discussing why this is the case, the authors discuss the contributions of two anthropologists who brought a substantive anthropological voice to gerontological discussion of aging. Examining the "ancestral roots" of the anthropology of aging, we spotlight the intellectual heritage of Margaret Clark, arguably the "mother" of this anthropological subfield, and that of Sharon Kaufman, her student, colleague, and a pioneer in her own right. Clark and Anderson's Culture and aging: an anthropological study of older Americans (1967; Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas) remains a touchstone for the concept of situated aging. This examination of value orientations and mental health of older San Franciscans is foundational for understanding aging as an interactive, socially embedded process that is adapted to specific sociocultural contexts. Research and therapies grounded in narrativity and meaning benefit from Sharon Kaufman's The ageless self: sources of meaning in late life (1986; Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press), which articulated narrative thinking as a conduit for understanding, performing, and constructing identity and meaning. Kaufman's work has ongoing relevance to gerontological research on embodiment, chronic illness, and later life social transitions. Their research has continued relevance to contemporary gerontological scholarship and practice, signaling both prevailing and emergent agendas for anthropologically informed gerontology.

Anticipating relocation: concerns about moving among NORC residents.

Most older adults prefer to live at home as long as possible, requiring supports and services to help them age in place. This study examines the relocation concerns of a group of older adults in a suburban naturally-occurring retirement community (NORC). Twenty-six percent of the 324 residents interviewed expressed concern about having to move in the next few years. Residents who were worried differed from those who did not worry on a number of demographic and biopsychosocial characteristics. Overall, residents present a profile of vulnerability that calls for preemptive action to help them stay in their homes. A NORC is an ideal setting in which to provide supportive services.

Driving and dementia of the Alzheimer type: beliefs and cessation strategies among stakeholders.

PURPOSE: Although driving by persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an important public health concern, we know little about the attitudes and perceptions of key stakeholders regarding driving safety in these individuals or the factors that precipitate and influence driving assessment and cessation decisions. DESIGN AND METHODS: We convened 10 focus groups composed of persons intimately involved in driving decisions for older adults to identify and compare beliefs and perceptions concerning AD and driving and to identify effective strategies to limit or cease unsafe driving. The 68 focus-group participants included health professionals, transportation and law-enforcement professionals, current and former drivers with AD, and family caregivers of current and former drivers with the disease. RESULTS: With few exceptions, participants said that a diagnosis of very mild AD alone did not preclude driving. Most regarded family members as pivotal in monitoring and managing unsafe driving and recognized their need for institutional and medical support, especially support from physicians in counseling and evaluation of health-related fitness of older drivers. Members of each group acknowledged their own roles and responsibilities in driving decisions and described difficulties they experienced in making assessments and implementing decisions to limit or stop the driving of given individuals with AD. IMPLICATIONS: Education of families, professionals, and transportation specialists is needed to understand the influence of AD severity on driving abilities, identify problem driving behaviors, make appropriate referrals of unsafe drivers, and access available resources for drivers with AD and those most responsible for their safety.