Who cares if I say good morning: an unobtrusive study of the elderly

Senior Citizens from three high rise apartment buildings were studied to find if the elderly present special needs. The investigation consisted of a number of shopping trips by chartered bus to a supermarket. A tally was kept recording responses to a greeting on a cue day and responses on a non-cue day when no greeting was given. Four null hypotheses were tested resulting in evidence that the elderly respond more often when a verbal stimulus is present, than when not. It was found that the elderly do present unique needs and society must communicate more with them and with those who are dealing with the elderly on a regular basis.