Widowhood may pose a threat to the adjustment and life satisfaction of older women. In order to examine the relationship between life satisfaction of elderly widowed black women and their involvement in formal and informal support systems, 65 women ranging in age from 64 to 92, were asked 326 questions by trained black interviewers. Interviewers…

The effects of stress on the psychosocial well-being of older persons have been well documented. Research on stress among the aged has generally considered recent life events as salient stressors in late life and has focussed on older persons without regard to racial differences. Interviews were conducted with 400 elderly black and white residents…

This study (the second of a 2-part project exploring the communication patterns of the elderly) examined whether the quantity and frequency of conversational talk affected how favorably an individual was viewed as a partner for activities within a small social network of elderly black persons. Subjects, 5 black women ranging in age from 65 to 78,…

The population of older black Americans is a growing, underutilized resource. Research on the status of older black Americans suggests that race is among the major factors influencing economic status and social mobility. Recent census data and projections confirm that to be old and black is a liability rather than an asset. As this population…

Although little emphasis has been placed on the community-based long-term care needs of the black elderly, examination of the needs of this group is important because of the projected rapid growth and the overall poverty rate of this population. Because personal care homes may be the only option currently available for the black elderly when…

Numerous studies have analyzed the determinants of early retirement or retirement on time among older men and women. However, not many studies of the determinants of retirement have analyzed racial and gender differences, both between and within groups. Using data from the 1968-1987 interview waves of the Panel Studies of Income Dynamics, this…

This pilot project attempted to understand and influence knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of individuals in order to decrease transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a black community. This predominantly low-income minority population had a high incidence of intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) and teenage pregnancies. The spread…

The Area Agencies on Aging are the primary federally funded units charged with delivering basic services to older adults. A study of 145 older adults was conducted to determine the extent and effectiveness of services provided by a southern Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to an urban, black, elderly population in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Interview results…

This paper examines the socioeconomic circumstances of the aged population in the Southern United States. Data used are drawn from the 15% 1970 Public Use Sample for noninstitutionalized individuals aged 55 and over from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The paper focuses on some of the major dimensions of social…

Little is known about the roles of the family, kin and non-kin support networks in determining the use of social services by the elderly. An examination of the role of the formal and informal support systems to explain social service utilization by black and white older adults used path analytic procedures to test an explanatory model of…

Church-based programs for caregivers of black elders have emerged from both demographic and cultural factors. To investigate the effectiveness of a training program for caregivers of noninstitutionalized elders, 95 Washington, D.C. adults (99% black, 87% female), who were providing caregiving assistance to an older adult, completed a 12-hour…

To examine black-white differences in the public's definitions of appropriate behavior toward a frail older parent for sons and daughters in dual earner couples, data were collected from a probability sample of 241 white and 64 black adults. Telephone interviews were used for data collection. Respondents were asked to rate the appropriateness of…

A comparative analysis of racism, sexism, and ageism is given, and an attempt to specify their similarities and differences is described. The "isms" are seen as different in terms of history, dynamics, and intensity; the substantive conditions of the inequality process are dramatically different and, as such, the solutions are different.…

Measured by cash income, the rate of poverty among the age 65 and older population has fallen dramatically, especially since 1974--from 25 percent in 1968 to 14.1 percent in 1983. However, this decline is the result more of an increase in poverty rates for the nonelderly in recent years than of major progress in reducing poverty for those over 65.…

This study reports the initial results from a study designed to assess the perceived needs for mental health services and other types of services in a group of elderly black women who participated in an urban, federally subsidized luncheon program. The two hypotheses tested were: (l) that the majority of elderly persons participating in this…