THE OLDER VOLUNTEER AS RESEARCH COLLEAGUE - TOWARD GENERATIVE PARTICIPATION FOR OLDER ADULTS

Although our experiences give us evidence of the vitality and potentia l of able older persons and demonstrate that they can learn new, compl ex skills, cultural stereotypes of the older person create in us a pre disposition that sells short the competence and abilities of the very population to which our professional efforts are devoted. I describe s everal efforts devoted to the training and engagement of the older per son in the area of social gerontological research, with emphasis on a Tel Aviv University-based project in which 11 older volunteers, with a n average age of 73, were trained in survey interviewing techniques to conduct a pilot study of frail elderly living in Tel Aviv. The positi ve results and their implications are briefly described. The question is raised as to why programs dedicated to the innovative and different ial utilization of the growing pool of skilled and semi-skilled retire d aged are so few.