This article describes a service-learning project that was designed to help undergraduate health professions students understand the complexities related to aging in place. The service-learning project also incorporated a research component to expose the students to the research process. Students' reflections regarding the benefits that they derived from the experience suggest that they value learning about older adults through one-on-one interactions more than they value the opportunity to participate in the research project. Implications for undergraduate health professional education are discussed.

Cancer survivors often compare their situations to other survivors' situations. However, types of social comparison processes used and resulting outcomes are not clearly delineated. This study explores usage and consequences of three social comparison styles (downward, upward and parallel) of adult cancer survivors in free narratives, using content analysis of 30 autobiographical books by survivors ranging in age from 30-70 (M = 54, SD = 10.04); 43 percent prostate cancer, 17 percent breast cancer and 40 percent other cancers. Overall, cancer survivors used more parallel comparisons than directional comparisons, followed by upward comparisons. Each type of comparison was associated with different kinds of positive and negative consequences.

When new community-based models are implemented for elders, policy makers need to evaluate how these programs affect quality of life. Further, program guidelines for bringing ALS into existing housing have to address how the program complements the home-like nature of the housing.

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The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of an Assisted Living Services (ALS) program on directors of state-funded congregate housing. Using focus groups, we interviewed congregate housing directors about how adding the ALS program to their facilities impacted their management experiences. Four themes emerged from the analysis of the focus group data: (1) importance of assisted living services for promoting aging in place; (2) "costs" of offering ALS; (3) differences in how the ALS program was implemented; and (4) organizational issues emerging from the merger of housing and health-care models. Based on the present findings, we propose a number of policy issues that need to be addressed when services are added to existing housing.