To help agencies serve the needs of older black men, this paper presents an overview of the physical, social, and economic status of older rural black men. The report is based on a study of a sample of 62 black men, aged 65 to 97, who constituted a subset of older adults from a larger study of the kin network system of 368 adults over 65 living in…

Results showed few social, economic, or psychological consequences as a result of childlessness. Changes in the life situations of childless adults would appear to leave this group with limited alternatives. The findings provide evidence of the need to strengthen the informal helping networks of older adults. (Author)

Study sought to describe the very old living in rural areas and make predictions of survival rates of rural elders to very old age. Among the findings, very old rural adults were found most likely to live with others. Demographic and early life achievement influenced survival to very old age. (RJM)