TEACHING GERONTOLOGY Mar. 10, 2003 H.R. Moody, Editor xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx In this issue: - Compression of Morbidity - Teaching about Social Security - Debates on Research, Ethics and Aging - Are You Feeling Old Yet? - Gerontology Position Open - Aging Revolution - Free Long-term Care Newsletter - Medicaid and Long-term Care - Social Gerontology Today xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx COMPRESSION OF MORBIDITY It's been more than two decades since James Fries introduced the compression of morbidity hypothesis, we're still debating the implications of this "wonderful one-horse shay" ideal. For a good account of the Compression of Morbidity issue-- very accessible to students-- take a look at the website "Why Do We Age?" available at: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/dental/Dental_Educational_Software/Gerontology_and _Geriatric_Dentistry/NORMAL_AGING/WHY_DO_WE_AGE.html See also: http://www.pineforge.com/moody/growold.htm ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ TEACHING ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY "I address the social security issue in my gerontology certificate course by having several guest lecturers present to the class. I start with a representative from SSA local office who does a good job of explaining the program eligibility and benefits and talks about the trust fund. I follow this the next class with a presentation by a retired college business professor who talks about 'privatization,' to which he is opposed. I also use representatives from the Concord Coalition and from the National Committee for the Preservation of Social Security & Medicare. Concord also uses a role play activity which like yours can demonstrate the issue quite effectively." -Stephen Bender (Associate Director, Center on Aging, University of Colorado Colorado Springs) ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ DEBATES ON RESEARCH, ETHICS AND AGING "What are the possibilities and the pitfalls in aging research in the future?" was the subject of a public debate on Feb. 12 between Francis Fukuyama and Ron Bailey, moderated by Morton Kondracke and sponsored by Sage Crossroads. Sage Crossroads is a project of the Alliance for Aging Research, which has recently launched a website and a series of webcasts (no charge) for anyone interested in science, aging and the public interest. Future debates and webcasts will be devoted to questions such as: -What is the social model to ensure generational equity in America? -Does longevity science make good economic sense? -Should age count in allocating healthcare resources? For more information and details on how to receive webcasts in the future, visit the Sage Crossroads site at: http://www.sagecrossroads.net/contact.cfm On the debate over age-based entitlements and rationing health care on grounds of age, see: http://www.pineforge.com/moody/ration.htm ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ ARE YOU FEELING OLD YET? Each year Beloit College publishes its "Freshman Mindset" list to remind everyone about who are students really are. Today's class of 2006 were born in 1984: 1. A Southerner has always been President of the United States. 2. Richard Burton, Ricky Nelson and Truman Capote have always been dead. 3. South Africa's official policy of apartheid has not existed during their lifetime. 4. Cars have always had eye-level rear stop lights, CD players, and air bags. 5. We have always been able to choose our long distance carriers. 6. Weather reports have always been available 24-hours a day on television. 7. "Big Brother" is merely a television show. 8. Cyberspace has always existed. 9. Barbie has always had a job. 10. George Foreman has always been a barbecue grill salesman 11. Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, and Tom Brokaw have always anchored the evening news. 12. The U.S. and the Soviets have always been partners in space. 13. Women have always had tattoos. 14. Vanessa Williams and Madonna are aging singers. 15. Cherry Coke has always come in cans. 16. A "hotline" is a consumer service rather than a phone used to avoid accidental nuclear war. 17. The drug "ecstasy" has always been around. 18. Genetic testing and DNA screening have always been available. 19. The drinking age has always been 21 throughout the country. 20. Hip-hop and rap have always been popular musical forms. 21. They grew up in minivans. 22. Scientists have always recognized the impact of acid rain. Are you feeling old yet? ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ GERONTOLOGY POSITION OPEN The University of North Texas Dept. of Applied Gerontology seeks a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor for Fall, 2003. The successful candidate will assume responsibility for undergraduate and graduate courses on senior housing and related services for the aged. The individual selected must hold the promise of substantial research productivity including externally-funded projects and publication of results. Applicants must hold a relevant doctoral degree and provide evidence of strong teaching and research skills. Those with formal training in gerontology and practical experience in the provision of senior housing will be given preference. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Send letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference to: Dr. K. Whisnant Turner, Applied Gerontology Search Committee, P.O. Box 310919, Denton, TX 76203-0919. Screening will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ AGING REVOLUTION Take a look at the fascinating web site on "SOCIAL GERONTOLOGY and THE AGING REVOLUTION." The site includes components such as "Thinking in Time," "The Medicalization of Old Age," "Old Age in the Mass Media," and "Old Age across Cultures and Time." Solid scholarship presented in an imaginative fashion. Visit the site at: http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/geron.html#in ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ FREE LONG-TERM CARE NEWSLETTER Interested in issues around private long-term care insurance? Skeptical about spenddown and the future of Medicaid? There's an e-newsletter ("LTC Bullets") and a website devoted to promoting private sector alternatives to public payment for nursing homes. It's published by the Center for Long-Term Care Financing. You can subscribe or get a sample copy of their e-newsletter by contacting them at: info@centerltc.org Past issues of "LTC Bullets" are available on the Center's website at http://www.centerltc.org ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ MEDICAID AND LONG-TERM CARE "Medicaid paid $47 billion for nursing-home care in 2001, the most recent year available. Much of that goes to people truly in need. But much -- according to one earlier study, as much as 22% -- goes to families that could afford to pay for months or even years of their own nursing-home care. An entire industry has sprung up to help well-heeled seniors qualify for Medicaid. 'We make people poor,' boasts Jennifer Cona, an elder law attorney in Jericho, N.Y., who says she helps several hundred clients a year transfer assets -- sometimes as much as $2 million -- to qualify for Medicaid. Attorneys use trusts and other estate-planning techniques on the larger transfers to avoid gift taxes." (From Michelle Higgins, "Getting Poor on Purpose: States Crack Down on Families That Shed Assets to Get Benefits," WALL STREET JOURNAL, Feb. 25, 2003, p. D1) For more on the debate over divestment planning in order to qualify for Medicaid, see http://www.pineforge.com/moody/provide.htm ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ SOCIAL GERONTOLOGY TODAY SOCIAL GERONTOLOGY TODAY: An Introduction is available from Roxbury publishers, along with a free student resource study guide in electronic format, an instructor's manual testing program, and a website for this text. The first chapter can be accessed for examination at http://www.Roxbury.net ----------------------<<< >>>------------------------ 4th EDITION OF TEXTBOOK AVAILABLE The 4th edition of AGING: CONCEPTS and CONTROVERSIES (Pine Forge Press, Sage Publications, 2002) is now available. The book presents gerontology through "great debates" around topics like assisted suicide, privatizing Social Security, extension of the human lifespan, and the search for meaning in later life. Details about the new, fourth edition are available at http://www.sagepub.com/book.aspx?pid=7893 Copies of AGING: CONCEPTS and CONTROVERSIES are available at no charge for college faculty to consider for course adoption. An Instructor's Manual is also available at no charge with pedagogical methods, questions for class discussion, sample tests, and other resources for teaching from the book. For questions about how to get a review copy or the Instructor's Manual, call Sage Publications for Customer Care at 1-800-818-7243 (805-499-9774 outside the U.S.) or e- mail textbooks@sagepub.com xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx This electronic newsletter, edited by Harry (Rick) Moody, is published by the Institute for Human Values in Aging in cooperation with Pine Forge Press (Sage Publications). TEACHING GERONTOLOGY contains items of interest to improve the teaching of aging. To submit items or request subscription changes, contact teachgero@yahoo.com (c) Copyright 2003; all rights reserved. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx