Purpose of the Study: We compare the close family resources of Baby Boomers (BBs) to previous cohorts of older adults at population level and then examine individual-level cohort comparisons of age-related trajectories of informal care availability from midlife into old age. Design and Methods: Population data from the U.S. Census and from the…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine whether older people are prepared to engage in appropriate falls prevention strategies after discharge from hospital. Design and Methods: We used a semi-structured interview to survey older patients about to be discharged from hospital and examined their knowledge regarding falls prevention strategies…

Purpose: In the 2008 presidential election, a majority of older persons voted for John McCain, the loser. The purposes of this report are to help illuminate why older voters were the only age-group that gave a majority to McCain and to delineate some ongoing issues in the analysis of older persons' voting behavior. Methods: Analysis was undertaken…

Purpose: A national quality report card for nursing homes, Nursing Home Compare, has been published since 2002. It has been shown to have some, albeit limited, positive impact on quality of care. The objective of this study was to test empirically the hypothesis that nursing homes have responded to the publication of the report by adopting cream…

Examined the relative change in income of older women. The income distribution of cohorts entering old age more recently is well above that of the preceding cohorts. The position of older women relative to middle-aged women, however, has not improved, and cohorts continued to experience large drops in income as they enter old age. (Author/BL)

Examined images of older people held by adults of all ages in 1974 (n=4,254) and 1981 (n=3,427). Cohort changes in such perceptions over time were examined. Multivariate analysis indicated that social class and health status evaluations of older adults declined between the two surveys, principally because of the assessment by more recent cohorts.…

Examined average economic status of baby boom cohorts as they approach retirement using data on their life cycle income experience. Findings suggest that baby boomers are likely to enter old age in better economic position than preboom cohorts because of deferred marriages, reduced childbearing, and increased labor force participation of wives…

Projects utilization history of a synthetic cohort of nursing home admissions in 1976 by normalizing length of stay (LOS) specific discharge rates derived from life tables to an estimated 1.1 million persons. Results focus on the LOS distribution, discharge status, and total days of nursing home care used. (Author/JAC)

Examined the relationship between marital status and job involvement in women retired from nonprofessional careers (58 ever married women and 22 never married women). Results showed that marital status affected the form of these women's work careers but not the quality of their work role participation. (JAC)

An analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey shows consistent and substantial improvements in the relative health of the aged from 1961-81. Explanations for this trend include cohort effects, Medicare and Medicaid, and other programs for the aged. Increasing health service needs should be partially offset by this trend.…

Compared social support systems of childless elderly to a larger group of older parents. Results indicated marital status was the major determinant of the quality of the support received and adaptation to childlessness. Childless marrieds were more isolated, while the unmarrieds were more resourceful in using social resources. (Author/JAC)

Compared changes in self-perceived levels of solitary, social, physical, and cultural activities among recent retirees with changes among continuing workers. Findings reflect a relative continuity in perception of leisure activity levels. Retirees did not see themselves as being more involved in leisure activities than their working peers.…

Examined how perceptions of aging and concern over special problems faced by aged vary among 4 age cohorts of adults age 55 or older: middle-aged (55-64), the young old (65-74), the old (75-84), and the oldest old (85+). Males were reported by respondents to become old between the ages of 60-64, whereas females became old between ages 55-59. (ABL)

Conceptualizes aging as the dynamic process of cohorts moving through the life course in historical time. Provides a strategy for developing research on life course structure, age differences between cohorts, and how and why aging is experienced differentially by various segments of a cohort. (SNR)

Develops a theoretical framework that explicates factors determining the level of care given and care received by cohorts moving through different stages of later life. Specifies four proximate determinants of caregiving and three proximate determinants of care receiving. Focuses on social changes that could reduce the burden of aging. (RJM)