It has been suggested that age-segregated housing for the elderly is undesirable because elderly need contact with, and stimulation from, the young. Research has shown that, even in age-integrated housing, intergenerational contact is normally limited and greater density of age peers will lead to more opportunities for contacts and friendships. Interviews with residents of six retirement facilities and with matched controls in age-integrated housing showed that test residents interacted less than their controls with their children, grandchildren, and other relatives, and fewer had friends younger than 40. Test residents had, relative to their controls, more new friends and visited more with neighbors and with age-peer friends. Very little test-control difference was found on sufficiency of contact. A 2-year follow-up interview showed substantially the same patterns. It was concluded that age-segregated housing does imply different spheres of contacts but that either situation can be satisfactory for person who has freely made the choice.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1975

Mutual assistance and support in retirement housing.

Among the advantages claimed for elderly residents of age-concentrated housing are the networks of mutual assistance among neighbors that may ensue. The extent to which these serve compensatory functions to replace mutual assistance with children has been a source of debate. The present paper compares networks of mutual assistance reported (in peronal interviews) by 600 residents of six facilities for the well-elderly with such assistance reported by matched controls living in dispersed housing. An earlier paper reported that site residents, relative to their controls, had less frequent contact with children but more frequent contact with neighbors. The present analysis shows, however, that there was little test-control difference in help received from children. More mutual assistance with neighbors, relative to controls, was found at two sites, less mutual assistance at two sites, and no difference at two. Finally, a cumulative rather than a compensatory effect was found between mutual assistance with children and with neighbors.

Aged↗

PubMed1975

Provision of on-site services in retirement housing.

The present paper addresses the question of on-site supportive services in retirement housing facilities for the well-elderly. Six hundred residents were interviewed, 100 at each of six widely varied sites in California: retirement hotel, urban highrise apartments, life-care home, and three retirement villages. Data were also collected on 600 matched controls in age-integrated housing. Questions were asked pertaining to caring for health needs, desire for counseling services, and expected support in crises. Results showed for the most part a good match between personal needs and environmental provisions. However, at one site considerable insecurity was expressed with regard to medical provisions and support in crises, and a desire was expressed for counseling services. There was no evidence of an erosion of independence at the sites where services are provided.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Foster-family care for the elderly: surrogate family or mini-institution?

The rationale behind adult foster care (AFC) has been that "participation in the life of the family" is superior to institutionalization. The extent to which AFC is familial has been widely debated, ranging from claims that this environment provides a surrogate family, to claims that it is no more than a mini-institution. This paper discusses the extent to which elderly clients are integrated into the family and the method by which such integration was measured in a sample of one hundred adult foster homes in New York State. The four dimensions used to measure familism were Affection, Social Interaction, the performance of Ritual, and the minimization of Social Distance.

Affect↗