GERONTOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ELDERLY HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN ALASKA: AGING IN THE LAST FRONTIER

The current research assessed Alaskan health and mental health care professionals’ perceptions regarding Alaska's elderly health care services as well as professional educational and training needs. Fifty‐four percent of community professionals sampled indicated that preexisting services in their community were not adequate to meet the needs of the elderly population. In addition, 55% indicated that the knowledge level of community professionals regarding the elderly and the aging process was insufficient and 51% believed they were not well educated in meeting the needs of Alaskan native elders. An overall 91.8% indicted that they were in need of further training in the field of aging and geriatrics. They noted in particular the lack of knowledge and training opportunities in mental health and Alzheimer's disease. The significance of these findings is discussed in terms of the broader social implications associated with meeting gerontological and geriatric education and training needs, as well as the specific education and training problems of Alaskan health care professionals in keeping up with the recent trend of “aging in the last frontier.”     

DEGREE OF ALIGNMENT BETWEEN BEGINNING TEACHERS' PRACTICES AND BELIEFS ABOUT EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Six beginning teachers were compared to an exemplary, experienced teacher. Teacher beliefs, classroom practices, and student engagement data were coded from theory-driven and data-driven perspectives. The strongest teachers demonstrated alignment between promotive/positive practices, beliefs, and students' engagement. The weakest teachers, whose students were less consistently engaged, demonstrated alignment between undermining practices and beliefs. For beginning teachers, with misaligned practices and beliefs, there may be potential for improving practices with experience. A testable model emerged depicting a metacognitive feedback loop for teachers who are aware of their shortcomings and place responsibility for students' behaviors and learning on themselves.     

END-OF-LIFE CARE FOR SENIORS: PUBLIC AND PROFESSIONAL AWARENESS

Seniors living with disease or dying should be able to receive competent, comprehensive, and compassionate end-of-life care that offers dignity, self-determination, and relief from pain and suffering. Such care is predicated on an informed public and health and social service providers who are in end-of-life issues and appropriate approaches. There is, however, little evidence that seniors and their families are about end-of-life issues or about their treatment and care options. Furthermore, health and social service providers do not predictably receive the education and training necessary to ensure a high quality of end-of-life care for seniors. This paper discusses public and professional awareness and offers strategies aimed at increasing awareness of end-of-life issues. These strategies also support the development of an approach to end-of-life care for seniors that is caring, compassionate, and ethically, spiritually, and culturally appropriate. The article contributes to an emerging agenda directed at ensuring that all seniors receive end-of-life care that allows a positive conclusion to their lives.     

GERONTOLOGICAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN NURSING AND SOCIAL WORK: KNOWLEDGE,ATTITUDES, AND PERCEIVED BARRIERS

Most health care and social service providers are routinely required to work with elderly clients and clients’ aging family members. Research suggests that students entering these professions have knowledge deficits and lack positive attitudes toward older people. Few prefer to work with aging clients. Professional curricula are not providing students with adequate training to serve the current needs of this population, much less to meet projected increases in demand for services. To examine this issue, 67 master's students in nursing and social work completed questionnaires assessing (1) knowledge about aging, (2) attitudes toward old people, and (3) perceived barriers to gerontological education. Results confirmed the existence of knowledge deficits among respondents. Attitudes tended to be neutral rather than strongly positive or negative. Knowledge scores were related to attitudes, to respondents’ ages, and to their having lived in households with older relatives. Nursing students identified the greatest barriers in gerontological education as insufficient curriculum time and lack of academic role models. Social work students perceived lower status of work with the elderly and limited experience with healthy older people as the greatest barriers. The two groups agreed that fragmentation of services contributes to inadequate gerontological preparation. Findings suggest a need for didactic and experiential learning opportunities, reinforced by appropriate academic role models, for students in service professions.     

GERONTOLOGICAL INTEREST AND OPINIONS OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

The purpose of this study was (1) to examine and analyze the opinions and interests in geriatrics, gerontology, and older people of physicians, registered nurses, and dentists; and (2) to make comparisons of the expressed interests and opinions between the three groups of practitioners. The instrument consisted of two parts, demographic information and 22 questions regarding the interest and training in geriatrics/gerontology and opinions of the health needs of the elderly. From the results obtained in this study implications for the future training of health care providers are discussed.     

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE DELIVERY STRUCTURE IN QUALITY OF NURSING CARE FOR MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS IN NURSING HOMES

A study of nursing home staff found that nurses generally are not knowledgeable about psychiatric symptoms and do not seek out psychiatric intervention for their patients who need it. Even when nurses are knowledgeable about psychiatric symptoms and have had special training in mental health care it is found that they nonetheless rarely seek psychiatric intervention for their patients. The problem to be redressed lies not merely in increased education alone. It also resides in the organizational character of health care delivery in nursing homes, which makes adequate nursing response to mental illnesses impossible.     

决策分析在区域农作物适宜性研究中的应用

以福建省浦城且为例,对全县46年来15种主要作物的产量趋势和稳定性进行决策分析,为生产决策提供科学依据。     

社会现代化进程中人的心理健康问题探析

社会现代化的核心是人的现代化。人的心理素质的现代化是人的现代化的基础。社会现代化对人的心理健康既有积极的影响,又有消极的影响。采取积极的措施,开展心理素质教育。消除人们在现代化进程中出现的心理异常,培养国民具备适应现代社会的心理素质,是我们必须正视和解决的重要问题。     

我国医药卫生体制改革的思考—论建立“四个运行机制”

我国医药卫生体制改革必须建立健全完善的运行机制，包括医疗机构的补偿机制、宏观调控机制、医疗机构内部管理运行机制和社会医疗保险分担机制。这四个机制是互为条件、相辅相成、缺一不可的。     

KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS REGARDING THE HEALTH AND NUTRITION OF OLDER ADULTS

This study evaluated knowledge and attitudes of undergraduates regarding nutrition and health of the aged and students' intentions of pursuing career involvement with older adults. The participants evaluated were undergraduates from three mid-western universities (n=1,755). The majority of those surveyed were uninformed and unlikely to pursue career involvement with older adults. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.     

论知识经济时代学术期刊编辑素养

编辑素养决定着学术期刊能否发挥其知识创新，繁荣和发展学术理论，推动学术进步等社会功能，能否适应国际化发展趋势的要求。因此，在知识经济时代，学术期刊编辑应当具有较高的政治思想素养、较深厚的业务素养和较强的能力素养。     

IMPROVING GERIATRIC HEALTH CARE: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION

A look to the past shows how education shaped the contemporary system of health care. The consequences of the structure of this system on health care of the elderly are discussed. We also describe an image of health care in the future based on the needs of the elderly. There are two courses of action that can be followed as the United States moves toward the first half of the 21st century. One course accepts the structure and direction of the contemporary system. The other suggests a reorganization of the health care system based on current and future needs of the population and the nature of resources available. Both of these courses of action are discussed and examples of existing programs cited. We believe medical educators must make the necessary changes toward one or both of these courses of action now to ensure improved geriatric health care in the future.     

A NATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINERS’ ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS ABOUT EVIDENCE‐BASED PRACTICES

The present investigation examined 460 school psychology trainers’ attitudes and beliefs about the conditions for the education and training of evidence‐based practices (i.e., assessments and interventions) in training programs in the United States and Canada using an online survey. Trainer attitudes and beliefs about education and training in evidence‐based practices were measured using a 24‐item five‐point Likert scale. Overall, trainers had positive views of evidence‐based practices, as well as program and organizational support for such training. However, trainers rated the education and training of evidence‐based assessments more favorably than evidence‐based interventions. In general, trainer characteristics nor program accreditation status, model, or type of degree offered were found to influence trainers’ perceptions about evidence‐based practices. However, trainers with prior experience teaching evidence‐based intervention courses were found to have more supportive views of evidence‐based assessments and interventions than those without such experience. Implications for future training and school practice are discussed.     

教育过程中知识的公共性与教育实践-兼批激进建构主义的教育观和课程观

教育过程中的知识具有公共性,并非是纯粹意义上的个人主观建构。现代主流的建构主义教育观与课程观,在本质上强调知识的社会建构。过于淡化教育过程中知识的公共性,将使教育实践陷入混乱无序的境地。