A national household survey of the literacy skills of adults in the U.S. Contents: literacy in the older adult pop'n. (comparing older & younger adults); literacy profiles for various subgroups of the older adult pop'n. (educ.; race/ethnicity; language use; sex; visual impairment; region); employment, civic participation, & economic status as they relate to literacy in the older adult pop'n. (retirement; voting; volunteer activity; annual household income); literacy practices & proficiencies in the older adult pop'n. (library use; newspaper & magazine read.; TV viewing).

The first graduate text to address health literacy in the aging population Low health literacy is a critical issue among adults, with over one third found to have difficulty understanding such basic information as that found on prescription bottles. This is the first graduate textbook to address key health literacy issues as they affect the health and wellbeing of the aging population. Embracing a topic spanning numerous disciplines, it features a dynamic, multicontextual systems approach and includes contributions from renowned scholars and practitioners in gerontology, public health, social work, nursing, and other related fields. The text emphasizes increasing health literacy among older adults through the use of technological tools and features, the most current research, and evidence-based programs and practices. The book provides expansive coverage of the intersection of technology and health literacy, highlighting innovative approaches and discussing how to use technology with resource-limited groups. The text gives special consideration to rural, impoverished, culturally diverse, and lowliteracy elders and presents gold standard intervention programs and models. Also covered are the policy implications of programs focusing on increasing health literacy and future directions for meeting the Healthy People 2020 initiative. Case studies, review questions, learning objectives, and supplemental PowerPoint presentations will reinforce learning. Key Features: Provides a one-of-a-kind, multidisciplinary survey of the key health literacy issues of older adults Focuses on increasing health literacy across the disciplines Addresses a priority area of Healthy People 2020 Incorporates research and practice from gerontology, psychology, public health, social work, sociology, medicine, and nursing Includes case studies, review questions, learning objectives, and PowerPoint slides for assisting instructors

The definitive encyclopedic resource on literacy, literacy instruction, and literacy assessment in the United States. Once upon a time, the three "R"s sufficed. Not any more—not for students, not for Americans. Gone the way of the little red school house is simple reading and writing instruction. Surveying an increasingly complex discipline, Literacy in America: An Encyclopedia offers a comprehensive overview of all the latest trends in literacy education—conceptual understanding of texts, familiarity with electronic content, and the ability to create meaning from visual imagery and media messages. Educators and academicians call these skills "multiple literacies," shorthand for the kind of literacy skills and abilities needed in an age of information overload, media hype, and Internet connectedness. With its 400 A–Z entries, researched by experts and written in accessible prose, Literacy in America is the only reference tool students, teachers, and parents will need to understand what it means to be—and become—literate in 21st-century America.

Adults age 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. At the same time, the complexity of health care delivery continues to grow, creating challenges that are magnified for older adults, given that age is one of the highest correlates of low health literacy. This creates a shared obligation between health care and the health care team to use the principles, tools, and practices of health literacy so that patients and families of older adults can more easily navigate discussions related to chronic disease, polypharmacy, long-term care, palliative care, insurance complexities, the social determinants of health, and other factors that create challenges for older adults, particularly among underserved populations nationwide. To gain a better understanding of the health communication challenges among older adults and their professional and family caregivers and how those challenges affect the care older adults receive, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Health Literacy convened a 1-day public workshop featuring presentations and discussions that examined the effect of low health literacy on the health of older adults. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

This guide describes a model for a community-based literacy program for older adults that uses older adults as tutors. Guidelines are provided to program sponsors for implementing literacy education for older adults. Chapter I provides an overview of the problem of illiterate older adults and literacy education for them. Chapter II addresses the planning of a literacy program for older adults, including special planning concerns, the planning committee, outreach strategies, and program promotion and publicity. Chapter III focuses on direct-service management issues--tutor and peer support recruitment, volunteer training, and older student recruitment. Strategies for success are presented in Chapter IV. They include matching students and tutors, choosing a site, providing support, recognition, and program evaluation. Chapter V provides results of an in-depth study of 27 sites that participated in Project LEEP (Literacy Education for the Elderly). Chapter VI describes LEEP programs in five communities. Chapter VII is an annotated listing of organizations that can be useful to anyone interested in developing literacy programs for older adults. It is divided into sections on training and technical assistance, coordination and support, funding and resource development, and clearinghouse/information and referral. Sample project materials are appended. (YLB)