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Age-Tastic! is a health and wellness intervention designed for older adults. Incorporating game theory and behavioral activation concepts, this intervention is a board game that engages older adults in an interactive and immersive experience over 8 weeks. This paper reports on a pilot study that evaluated the impact of this intervention on health literacy about depression among community-dwelling older adults from New York City. The sample comprised 123 older adults recruited from 15 senior centers. Participants were tested on their knowledge and awareness of depression prior to the intervention and again at the end of the intervention after eight weeks. Statistically significant gains were made in the knowledge and awareness regarding the relationship of aging to depression, stigma of seeking help and knowing where to seek help. Implications for replication and use of this intervention are discussed.

A study was conducted at the New York City Department for the Aging Elderly Crime Victim' s Unit (ECVU) to examine the relationship between dependency and compliance rates. Dependency was defined by the total score for each case on the Victim Dependency Scale and Abuser Dependency Scale. Compliance was defined as the act of accepting a referral and compliance rates were determined by counting the total number of referrals the victim accepted. Findings indicated that the only factor associated with compliance rates was if the abuser had a mental illness/substance abuse problem. If the abuser did have this problem, the victim was significantly more likely to accept a referral for services as compared to victims whose abusers did not have a mental illness/substance abuse problem (t = -2.774, df = 36.899, p < .01). The authors offer explanations as to why this research was important and the implications it has on future research. KEYWORDS. Elder abuse, dependency, compliance, mental illness, substance abuse

Findings from a study utilizing grandparent and child welfare worker locus groups demonstrate that professionals can learn about elder abuse from older people who may be experiencing abuse. This challenges the assumption that elder abuse is a social problem that must be defined by professionals because abuse victims are unable to speak for themselves. Differences in perceptions between African American and Latina grandparents underscore the importance of incorporating of diversity into elder abuse research. Examining elder abuse from the perspective of clients and professionals in service systems not traditionally associated with this social problem can promote case finding and prevention. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: [c] 2003 by The Haworth Press. Inc. All rights reserved.] KEYWORDS. Elder abuse, grandparents raising grandchildren, child welfare, aging, social services, intergenerational

A study was conducted at the New York City Department for the Aging Elderly Crime Victim's Unit (ECVU) to examine the relationship between dependency and compliance rates. Dependency was defined by the total score for each case on the Victim Dependency Scale and Abuser Dependency Scale. Compliance was defined as the act of accepting a referral and compliance rates were determined by counting the total number of referrals the victim accepted. Findings indicated that the only factor associated with compliance rates was if the abuser had a mental illness/substance abuse problem. If the abuser did have this problem, the victim was significantly more likely to accept a referral for services as compared to victims whose abusers did not have a mental illness/substance abuse problem (t = -2.11 A, df = 36.899, p < .01). The authors offer explanations as to why this research was important and the implications it has on future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]