Analyzed relationships in traditional and caregiving homesharing arrangements. Respondents in both arrangements expressed satisfaction with basic money and service exchanges. For traditional arrangements, client satisfaction was related to lifestyle fit, social interaction desired and received, and lodger access in provider's home. In caregiving…

Surveyed 260 residents of three retirement communities. Found regular drinking more common in these communities than in general population of older adults. Drinking was associated with social activity rather than with isolation or stresses of aging. Concluded that drinking was integral part of communities' leisure subculture and that social and…

Outlines literature on suicide notes of older adults. Presents author's own lifespan research related to elderly, which indicated that long-term instability was critical in understanding suicide in elderly; that indirect expressions were much less frequently observed in notes of elderly than in those of younger adults; and that older males often…

Responses from 59 of 80 undergraduate gerontology students participating in the Elder Mentor Relationship program revealed that, despite initial apprehension, most students found it rewarding. It increased their understanding about aging, fostered respect and admiration, and contributed to personal growth. (SK)

In the Befrienders program, young adults visited, interacted with, and assisted homebound, isolated older adults. Participants (20 younger, 22 older) and the seniors' family members identified numerous benefits and valued the intergenerational relationships that were formed. (SK)

Swedish nurse trainees (n=18) each followed a dementia patient through their training period. Themes emerged related to trainees' role as a personal guide. Creating a relationship with the patient and seeing the patient as a teacher were instructive experiences. (SK)

Considers race differences in the determinants of social support network characteristics using data from Established Populations for Epidemiological Studies of the Elderly. Focuses on the extent to which race differences in network dimensions are present and whether variations can be attributed to social structural positions held. Results indicate…

Purpose: We examined whether the presence of a spouse and the frequency of interaction with children, relatives, and friends significantly influence the risk of dying in late life. We assessed these effects separately by gender, controlling for self-reported health. In addition, we examined whether interaction with the co-twin has a different…

Senescence is a time of decline; yet many seniors remain active and engaged into very old age. How and why do some seniors live long and keep well? We report the responses to this question from a representative sample of 2,783 Canadian seniors. Overall, seniors placed primary responsibility for their long lives on their own individual practices,…

This document contains a brief bibliography of peer-reviewed literature, with abstracts, on intergenerational relationships. It is one of 12 bibliographies on aging prepared by the National Agricultural Library for its "Pathfinders" series of publications. Topics covered by the other 11 bibliographies include aging parents, adult…

A study conducted in England (Goebel, 1982) showed that older English adults preferred middle-aged and older persons over young persons in important relationships. Since research has shown Americans to have negative attitudes toward the elderly, it was hypothesized that older Americans might not share the English sample's preferences. To examine…

This study investigated factors related to retirement satisfaction in a midwestern rural population. Four major sets of variables were investigated: personal background factors; socialization for retirement; reasons for retirement; and social integration. Interviews were conducted with 252 men and 199 women who are participating in a larger 5-year…

A cognitive analysis of loneliness is presented. Loneliness is defined as occuring when a person's achieved social relations are less numerous or less satisfying than the person desires. Factors that cause loneliness by altering the person's achieved or desired social relations are discussed. (Author)

The authors hypothesized that the individual's significant others are crucial to the development of preretirement attitudes and postretirement adjustment. The data upheld both the predicted relationships. (Author)

The findings of research on personal space have been extended to older adults. Suggestions are provided on how to minimize negative responses of the older adult when in a learning situation. (KC)