Gerontologie最新文献

In this study we have asked the opinion of ex-students, aspirant-students and non-students and their partners, about the pre-retirement-courses as given at boarding-schools, for five successive days. At the same time we have tried to find hints for possible effects of those courses. Some findings of these study in regard to these courses are discussed: how did one hear about it, what made people decide to go or not, what did one expect from it, what did one learn, how does one think about the educational activities. A little more than half of the ex-students who have been interviewed, gave a positive evaluation of the course. By far the most, the most important learning experience they mentioned was the meeting of perfect strangers from different social settings. We did not find any indications for possible effects on the areas of life that came up for discussion during the course. Several recommendations are done with regard to the plan and content of the course. We plead for a preparation for retirement, which is adjusted to the individual. Educational activities might play a part, but this does not apply to everyone.

The 'Planninggroup for Gerontological research' published in february 1981 the 'Research plan in gerontology in the Netherlands'. In this article attention is given to some characteristics of science policy in the Netherlands during the last few years. Some features of the history and methods of working of the Planninggroup are pointed out. Next the main recommendations of the research-plan are stated: The premises on which the programming is based; the considerations to obtain a balance in attention paid to several research-fields; criteria for priority-setting (both scientific and social relevance criteria). Based on symptoms and problems in processes of aging twelve research-fields are chosen. Within these fields principal topics are further developed. The premises and criteria result into the selection of 22 priority research-projects. Recommendations are made for execution of the research-plan. It is suggested to establish a so called 'Gerontology Research Commission'. The task is to coordinate execution of the program within a 5-year period. Ways to execute the research-plan are given. A significant governmental investment in research on aging (100 research-positions in the 5 year period) is needed. In the discussion some consideration is given to the investment in manpower in gerontological research in the Netherlands and the costs of making the research-plan. The relation of the plan with the existing research-situation is stressed.

A few years ago, the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Welfare inaugurated a Planning group to establish a scientific program for research on ageing. This contribution gives comment on this advice just published. In general the program will only be used to a certain extent. The planning group advises to inaugurate another steering committee, that should control the research itself and its evaluation. The commentators hope that this steering committee will be enabled to apply the program in a fairly independent way. Why: because the advice lacks a strong structure. It is clear that the gerontological field is such a vast area, that it is impossible to do research on all topics. Therefore, we need some more clear alternatives to choose between. The commentators stress three different alternatives: 1. the fundamental research in bio-medical as well as in behavioural sciences; 2. the major practical problems of ageing people and their support; 3. accent on development of methods and measures. The comment emphasizes also the conditions for research-education at university level and the stimulation of grants for developing new research projects. In addition, some remarks are made about the composition of the planning group. Unfortunately, in that group the medical practitioner and the psychologist were missing.

This article explores to what extent a disability-insurance-law for employees in the Netherlands (the WAO) functions as an early-retirement-program. It is shown that there are strong positive correlations between age and the chance to quality for disability-benefits on the one hand and age and the duration of the disability on the other hand. This results in reduced participation-rates among older age-groups in the laborforce. This is one of the reasons why the pensionable age fixed by law at sixty-five does not lead to a clear-cut rift in these participation-rates at this pensionable age.

Incompetency in terms of one legal function does not necessarily mean incompetency in terms of all. Once a person has been found 'mentally ill' or 'insane', he is not to be considered as incompetent for all legal purposes, including his competency to make a will. Testamentary capacity may be consistent with mental disorder and should be determined on narrow standards applicable to this specific legal function. As yet the standards that have been formulated by most courts emphasize almost exclusively cognitive capacity. As a psychiatrist, the author strongly feels that testamentary capacity must meet 'affective' criteria as well. Under all circumstances one should bear in mind both cognitive and affective criteria, when assessing one's competency at the moment he prepares his will, or when testifying in court concerning the testamentary capacity of a testator, now deceased, at the time he made the provision.

The authors try to give a cost containment analysis of the health care costs spent on patients labelled as suffering from dementia (presenile, senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease, organic psychotic conditions, arteriosclerotic dementia, depressive and paranoid dementia and others). Due to the difficulties in defining dementia, only a rough impression of the costs can given. The total costs of intramural care in 1977-1978 were about of f 912,9 million/year ($ 456,4 million). Intramural care in the Netherlands includes general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes (longstay annexes) with a psychogeriatric ward. This is about 7% of all costs spent on intramural care in the Netherlands. Extramural, ambulatory care was estimated circa f 274 million ($ 137 million) and daycare centres in nursinghomes on f 2 million ($ 1 million). Extramural care is given by general practitioners, ambulant social psychogeriatric teams and community services delivered by public health nurses. The estimated total costs were circa f 1189 million ($ 594 million) or about 5% of the total costs spent on health care/year which is f 761 ($ 380)/elderly person and 0,4% of the national income. In contrast the expenses on scientific research in gerontology in the Netherlands--especially in the field of dementia--are almost nil. Dementia needs more attention than it receives today.

The Interim Advice of the Centrale Raad voor de Volksgezondheid, Concerning the procedure of indication in nursing homes, is directed at coordination with existing admitting procedures in homes for the elderly, but it does not take into consideration the differences between both provisions. The advice disregards the, in the meantime growing, practice of a geriatric examination which is closely connected to admission in nursing homes.

The aim of this contribution is to examine what the consequences are of an admission to a psychogeriatric dayhospital for a patient and his partner. In the first place attention has been payed to some complicating factors: on the one side the organization and function of daycare among other institutions, on the other side, at greater length, the direct care to a patient and his partner. Then, an account has been given of a pilotstudy regarding the experience of a patient and his partner in case of an admission to a psychogeriatric dayhospital. By way of literature research, information from family- and patient-meetings and Grid-data, it has been found that it is significant to involve the family in an over-all treatment, in the first place because family can give relevant supplying information; in the second place because an admission can be problematic to such an extent that a partner needs support too. Besides, the carrying-capacity of the family is of crucial importance in case of a daycare-situation. It was further put that more research has to be done into the psychological processes of an admission.