Many gerontologists have proposed that ombudsman programs and other forms of community presence should improve nursing home quality of care. This study compared these programs' effects on quality of nursing care on a random sample of 134 Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities in Missouri. The presence of an ombudsman program was found to be the most important factor associated with quality for intermediate-care facilities, and it was significantly associated with quality for skilled nursing homes where there was ample staffing of registered nurses.

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Although discussion of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing in the popular media, knowledge about AD has not been extensively examined. This study analyzes factors associated with knowledge about AD in an elderly sample. Data from a mail survey was sent to a random sample (N=527) of subjects aged 60 and older in the Northwest Indiana metropolitan area. We performed a multiple regression analysis to determine the effect of demographic characteristics, knowledge about services for the elderly, and health information scanning on knowledge about AD. Results indicate that misconceptions of AD are widespread among the elderly population. Race and general knowledge about services for the elderly is associated with specific misconceptions of AD. In addition, a higher education level is associated with fewer misconceptions of AD, while health information scanning is not. These findings suggest that there is a need for accurate information about both AD and community services for older people. Results of these analyses indicate the importance of addressing race and education level when disseminating information about services and AD.

This article reviews the development, distribution, and effectiveness of a free, comprehensive mass-mailed community service directory designed for older people. While only half of a pre/post-distribution sample remembered receiving it, recipients of the directory indicate it increased service awareness and prompted various types of use. Alternatives for design and distribution of community directories are discussed.

Most models of modernization propose that the status of the aged declines with technological and economic development. These models usually conceptualize the lowered status of the aged as a residual or latent consequence of modernization. Rarely do they address age stratification as a political issue, and they fail to differentiate between subgroups of the aged. We compare accounts of the cultural and structural context of the aged before and after China's socialist revolution, giving particular attention to the role of the family, the state, and technological factors in social change. Technological development and urbanization have not been extensive, and a decline in the traditional authority of the aged has paralleled educational advances and a demographic transition. Government family policies and China's labor-intensive economy facilitate the interdependence of age groups and sex roles. These observations suggest current models of the status of the aged should be revised to incorporate conceptualizations of age and sexual stratification and the role of governmental policies in directing social change.