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The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine whether engagement in a serious leisure activity provided older adults opportunities for successful aging. Data were collected through in-depth interviews at shag dance festivals in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. To provide structure for the interview, a general interview guide consisting of open-ended questions was used. A total of 31 interviews were conducted with 25 individuals and 6 couples, between 60 and 82 years of age. During the analysis stage, the constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Themes that emerged support the idea that shag dancing is a form of serious leisure for older adults and support the role of serious leisure in successful aging. The narratives provided by the informants illustrate the powerful role serious leisure can play in an individual's life and point toward the value of serious leisure as an approach that holds promise for recreators working to help older individuals experience successful aging.

Nursing homes are mandated by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) to provide activity programs (U.S. Congress, 1987). Little information exists, however, as to residents' participation in activity programs. Using data from a Health Care Financing Administration project, the present study examines the relationship between resident characteristics and time participating in activities. Among 2,672 nursing home residents we found measures of resource use, cognitive abilities, depression, sense of initiative/involvement, activity repertoire, location preferences, and gender all to be significant in explaining the amount of activity time.

Although several educational outreach programs designed to address the needs of older adults with dementia in rural areas have been reported in the literature, few have been systematically evaluated. The purpose of this article is to describe the Dementia Education Train-the-Trainer Program (DE-TTT-P), designed to disseminate information about dementia in rural areas of Michigan. Twenty-eight health care providers completed the DE-TTT-P and now serve as trainers. Over the course of the 18-month program, 3,276 rural residents attended one of the 223 dementia education sessions offered by the trainers. After summarizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of the program, the discussion offers lessons learned and strategies to maintain the newly formed network of trainers beyond the official project period. Over the past decade, there have been increased efforts directed toward the development of educational programs for health care providers who serve

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