From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-188958-443542
EDMONTON, Alberta (UPI) -- Seniors are being stereotyped as grouchy,
inflexible to change and mostly living in nursing homes -- all untrue,
says a Canadian study.
The study, which surveyed 53 caregivers and 53 non-caregivers found
that knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and aging was low, but
caregivers knew more about Alzheimer's than the non-caregivers -- 58
percent to 42 percent, respectively.
However, the survey published in Educational Gerontology found the
caregivers and the non-caregivers didn't know that much about aging --
40 and 39 percent, respectively.
Lead author Tiana Rust, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of
Alberta, found almost 40 percent of those surveyed thought 25 percent
of people over 65 were in institutions, while only 5 percent actually
are.
About 60 percent of those surveyed thought that adaptability to change
among people 65 or older was either rare or present among only half of
them, but most seniors are adaptable, according to Rust.
Almost 40 percent of caregivers assume that most old people feel
grouchy, when in fact, most seniors say they are seldom angry.