This article focuses on the ways in which patterns of marriage and fertility shape older people's involvement in community groups and their support networks. The data are from Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Findings show that childless older adults, regardless of…

The position of the "home for the aged" in the total social support network of West Germany is controversial. Senior citizen housing provides a more favorable atmosphere for older adults. Old age homes will have to offer better conditions and more independence. (JAC)

Based on the complementary model of support use, we investigated older adults' preferences for short-term and long-term future care needs in a U.S. and a German sample (65+ years). A greater preference for the exclusive use of informal support and for mixed support (a combination of informal and formal support) was found with regard to short-term…