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Based on a geriatric enrichment (GeroRich) effort, this study examines outcomes of infusing aging content across the master of social work (MSW) foundation curriculum. In a longitudinal research design tracking one class, there were no significant changes observed in students' levels of experience and interest in gerontological social work. Significant increases were observed in self-rated levels of gerontological knowledge and practice skills--clinical and macro. Full-time status, less gerontological experience, and higher knowledge predicted greater practice skills at the follow-up. Implications for educating the next generation of social workers to better meet the needs of older adults and their families are discussed. (Contains 5 tables.)

This study examined factors associated with the utilization of community-based social and health services among foreign born elderly Hispanic Americans. The data came from a nationwide probability sample of Hispanic Americans age 65 and older including 296 Mexico-born Mexican Americans, 571 Cuba-born Cuban Americans, and 247 respondents from other Hispanic countries. Being a Cuba-born Cuban American, living alone, having poorer self-rated health and living below poverty level were positively related with the utilization of community-based social services. Cuban Americans with more limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) used more community-based health services. Among Mexico-born Mexican Americans, those who lived alone used more social as well as health services while those who were married used more social services. Those with greater limitations in ADL used more health services. Among other foreign born Hispanic Americans, going to church, living alone and living below poverty status, were positively correlated with the utilization of social services. Respondents with better English language ability were less likely to use community-based health services. Elderly men and people who rated their health as poorer or had more ADL limitations were more likely to use these services. Implications of these findings for health and social services are discussed. [Article copies available for a fee from the Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworth.com]

This article describes the application of an empowerment-oriented intervention to a home-based mental health program serving older women in the Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky. The approach is designed to overcome the traditional transportation, social, and cultural barriers many older Appalachian women face in obtaining services. Through intervention on individual, group, and community levels the women learn the skills to empower themselves and others in their community to regain power over their lives. The article concludes with the implications of an empowerment approach to mental health and social service provision in rural areas. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworth. com]

The article studies the participation of low-income women in the informal economy in the Appalachian Region. The informal economy, also called the underground economy, is defined as legal and illegal sources of income and services that do not appear as reported income. The U.S. Bureau of the Census's estimates of the underreporting of social security taxes in female-dominated professions the value or uncompensated family work, and small samples of self-reported work in this area indicated that women participate at a greater level than do their male counterparts. Women's participation in the informal economy rejects the idea of choice. Low-income Appalachian women were chosen for the study specifically because participating in the informal economy is not a choice; it is their only alternative. All the women in the study had obtained resources from the informal economy, both 12 months before the study and during it. Their legal source of income included housework, consignment quilting, gardening, etc. The other half of the informal income earned by these women was generated from illegal sources, such as prostitution, growing and selling marijuana, bootlegging, or selling stolen property. It suggest that women's role in the informal economy are more complex. The Appalachian women in this study relied on a wide variety of small and irregular sources of income from the informal economy, as opposed to the "regular" off-the-books employment model that is more common among men.